Pastoral Ponderings- Tough Old Bird

Pastoral Ponderings- Tough Old Bird

How do you like this weather we’ve been having? A little chilly, isn’t it? Among the weather warnings has been guidance to bring outdoor pets in to not have them suffer (but what about the poor wild animals?), so we we’ve even gotten Delilah, the barn cat, back into the catio with her nice, warm little cave. But what about the chickens?

As the extreme cold had been approaching, I’d been looking for wisdom online, seeing all these things on extra insulation and such. I then saw a posting from someone who had been traveling in Siberia, pointing out that hardly anyone had their chickens in insulated coops, though it regularly got as cold as 30 below (Celsius) there, and the chickens did fine. Some chickens are bred for cold hardiness—ours are among them, called Australorps.

So though I’ve been shaking in my boots going out to check on them, they’re not even complaining. At zero first thing this morning when I brought them some hot mash, rather than huddling inside their coop with the heat lamp, they were outside, greeting me cheerfully as ever. Before the first hard cold, I insulated one of their two coops—but they have consistently, even on the coldest nights, preferred the uninsulated one. Tough old birds for sure.

How is it that we, then, in human skins, have let ourselves get so wimpy? (I’m wearing a sweater and huddled under a blanket in my nicely heated home as I’m writing this!) Have you heard the phrase “That’s a first-world problem” in reference to some of the many things we complain about, that are generally just about lack of comfort, or lack of something most of the world would consider a luxury?

We spend so much time and energy teaching people to have a good attitude, stay positive and all—but I don’t think anyone’s ever had to be taught how to complain! Why can’t we be more like those tough old birds staying out in extreme weather without complaint?

Have you ever noticed that suffering is often addressed in the Bible as something that can deepen our connection and relationship with God, rather than being something to complain about? Suffering is also presented as something in which to rejoice—“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope” (Romans 4: 3-4).

I’m thinking I want to be like a touch old bird when I grow up!—Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings—Messy Chickens

Karol and I recently just started our livestock efforts at our place (if you don’t count bees) with the purchase of some young chicks to raise for laying eggs. They were on clearance, if you can believe that, I suppose because they were quite ugly. They were past the cute baby chick phase, and molting—the process of losing their baby feathers, if that’s what they’re called (NOT a pretty sight)– and growing into their real feathers.

They’re not very smart either, which I suppose you might expect, as they are quite literally, birdbrains. I just realized the shocking truth as I’ve been taking care of these chicks and beginning these ponderings—though Jesus mentions chickens, our four Gospels don’t have any parables from Jesus pertaining to chickens. Which is NOT to say that Jesus never taught with a parable on chickens, as we don’t have EVERYTHING Jesus said or did.

As I’m thinking back on our efforts thus far with the chickens, I’m beginning to think that any parable using chickens would be even less complimentary to hearers than one about sheep, which is bad enough. Chickens, like sheep, are not very smart, smelly, scaredy-cats, and pretty much only care to follow their noses (or beaks). And like sheep, what goes in must come out, but while sheep move on and just leave it there, chickens drop it in their water, in their food, probably even on each other. Do you really think anyone listening to Jesus wants to hear THAT about themselves?

Maybe that’s why the Gospel writers chose to leave out The Lost Parable of the Chickens—maybe it was just too offensive to suggest human life might be as messy as that of chickens. But yes, our lives are messy, and we make messes everywhere, and get those messes all over everything and everyone, even (and especially?) on ones we love. I’m guessing the end of Jesus’ Lost Parable of the Chickens might have ended something like, “And in the same way that the farmer or householder cares for the chickens, smelly messes and all, even the smelliest and messiest of people still have a place in the care of the Kingdom of God.”

Unbelievable, isn’t it, that God truly loves us, smelly messes and all—and that means both you and me—all of us! By the way—Messy Church is this Sunday at 4:30—a great time to bring smelly, messy friends! — in the messy love of Jesus—Pastor Jim—

Messy Church at Twin Falls United Methodist Church—TwinFallsUMC.org