Allowing The Sparrows To Encourage Us Through COVID-19

Long before Covid-19 was on anyone's radar, Dr. Walter Bruggemann in his book, A Glad Obedience, had reflected on the way in which hymns, two of which are in Glory to God, can remind us of sparrows and give us encouragement and hope in the midst of difficult times.

In Chapter 16 he prepares the way for his reflections on the three hymns he had chosen and entitles the chapter, "Sparrows as Model of Faith." He uses as the basis of his choice the familiar words of Jesus in Matthew 10:29-30 and Luke 12:6-7, "Are not two sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God's sight."

He goes on to remind us that the purpose of looking at God's care of the sparrow is to assert that "disciples are precious in God's sight, are valued, and not forgotten or neglected by Jesus. They are so precious to God that God knows the number of hairs on their heads (Matthew 10:30 and Luke 12:7). They are so precious as to be worth many times the value of a sparrow."

He goes on to see that this truth is affirmed very clearly in the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism. He suggests that these three very different hymns "use this image offered in Scripture of a well-loved sparrow as a model of faith and trust that lives by God's goodness and that gives back to the creator in gladness. The implied teaching in each of these hymns is 'How much more ... us!"' In the next three months I will share some reflections on each of these hymns as Dr. Bruggemann highlights them in his book. For those of you who cannot wait to see the hymns to which he refers a copy of his book, A Glad Obedience, is available in the Gamble Library. If you have a copy of Glory to God, two of the hymns will be found at No. 22 and No. 661.

—Huw Christopher