THE CHURCH BIRD

Thomas said* to Him, "Lord, ... how do we know the way?" - John 14:5 (NAS)

      Do you have a bird feeder in your yard? Do you like to watch the birds that come there to eat? Robert Grey has one in his backyard that he like to sit and watch and that made for an interesting conversation one day when Harold happened to stop by.

      “Hi Grandpa. What are you doing?” Harold asked Robert as he sat in his deck chair staring at his back yard. “Oh, nothing much” was Robert’s response, “Just watching the birds. At the moment there’s one over there.” “Where?” asked Harold. “Over there on my bird feeder and it’s a really pretty bird,” Robert told him.

      “Oh, I see it,” Harold finally said, It looks like the bird I helped Mr. Smith chase out of the church building yesterday.” “How did a bird get into the church building?” Robert asked in return. Harold looked away and muttered something like “I... Um... Let it in.” and with that his grandpa shouted out HAROLD's name.

     Quickly trying to change the conversation Harold started talking about the preacher. “You should have seen how funny Mr. Smith looked,” he said, “flapping his arms while trying to get the bird to fly out the broken window.” “Broken window?” his Grandpa asked?

     Not wanting to explain how he broke the church window, Harold started to talk about turning into a bird. “Why would you want to become a bird, Harold?”asked his Grandpa, “So you could be chased around the building too or so you could fly away?”

     “Actually, I wanted to talk to the bird and lead it to out. We tried a lot of things to get the bird to fly to freedom, but it just wouldn’t listen.” Harold answered. That of course reminded Robert of some people he knew, people that just wouldn’t listen, like his grandson Harold.

     This helped Robert to try to teach an important lesson. “You know Harold,” he said, “God has offered people freedom, but just like the little bird, they keep going around in different directions trying to get free, but never go the right direction. And just like you wanted to become a bird so you could tell the bird how to get free, John 1:14 tells us that Jesus, who is called the Word, became flesh, a person, and lived with us. The verse says And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. And yet people still won’t listen.

     After that quick lesson, Robert went back to watching the birds, that was until he noticed Harold hiding some reflectors behind his back. “Harold,” Robert started to ask, “what are you up to now?” and with that Harold ran off into the woods saying something about scaring his sister.

     "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. "And you know the way where I am going." Thomas said* to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?" Jesus said* to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:1-6 (NAS)

     More than once I've had to try and get a bird out of a building and it's never been an easy job. Even though the intentions of helping the bird are good the bird would keep flying away - the wrong way.

     Like the bird. mankind needs to know the way of escape, the way to freedom.

• There is a way of escape....
  • John 14:6 - Jesus said* to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. (NAS)
• Jesus came to show that way
  • John 1:9-14 - There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. (NAS)
  • Luke 19:10 - "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." - (NAS)
• We need to make known that way
  • Mark 16:15 - And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. (NAS)
  • Acts 4:10-12 - let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. "He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (NAS)

     Here's Something to Ponder

• Am I thinking about the way God provided
• How am I making that way known