The Fall of the Sparrow

I love the idea that God cares about the fall of the sparrow. It’s one of those passages of scripture that is pure poetry. As He reminds His disciples they have no reason to fear, Jesus says, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29, ESV).

The fall of the sparrow. It represents so much more than just a bird falling to the ground.

The fall of the sparrow reminds us that nothing, neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39).

The fall of the sparrow reminds us that the hairs of our head are numbered (Matthew 10:30), that God clothes the lilies in all their beauty (Matthew 6:29-30), that the ear of a servant is of value even when He’s about to be dragged away to His death (Luke 22:50).

The fall of the sparrow is an image laden with meaning.

But sometimes, sometimes we have to be reminded to dredge up the image. To pull it out again and examine its many facets and consider the way the light plays in its depths.

In those moments when we’ve forgotten to consider the fall of the sparrow, God cares to remind us. We become the sparrow ourselves.

And He shows us, vividly, the truth of His character. He shows care about the fall of the sparrow.

Photo by Loren Warnemuende

Monday a week ago, my nephew Jon lost his Brown Bear. My sister wrote about it on her blog, and shared the sorrow this had brought – not just for Jon, but for everyone in the family. But God, in His grace, also showed kindness and the power of His gift of imagination as they grieved the loss.

It’s a beautiful post, and it brought tears to my eyes as I read it. I knew I would miss seeing Brown Bear tucked under Jon-boy’s arm the next time I see him. I knew the sturdy little chap would survive, but that losing Brown Bear was a deep pain for him.

And I began to pray. And others prayed, too. For a little boy and his mother. For comfort in the loss. And I prayed that God would bring back Brown Bear.

And God cares about the fall of the sparrow.