Song Sparrow Bearing Testimony
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Confession: I’ve named two of my photographs.
The first was a photograph I took in April. I call it “Chasing Light,” for reasons you’ll understand if you read this blog post.
The second is the photo above, which I’ve named “Pentecost.” On Pentecost, Christians commemorate — literally, remember together, a “co-memory,” how beautiful is that? — the day the Holy Spirit descended on the Jesus-followers in Jerusalem. According to the book of Acts, a sound like a strong wind filled the building, and the Jesus-followers began speaking in a bunch of different foreign languages, astonishing the many pilgrims who were gathered in the city.
The reason I named this picture “Pentecost” was because it was taken on Pentecost Day (May 23, 2021). There’s another reason I like the name, though: I believe that nature bears testimony to God’s character and power. It’s a kind of “tongue,” as Pentecostals might say…a language, if we will but listen.
Christian philosophers and theologians have been saying for centuries that there are two books of God: the Book of Scripture and the Book of Nature. Francis Bacon called them “the book of God’s word” and “the book of God’s works.” (This passage from Bacon’s The Advancement of Learning appears as an epigram in On the Origin of Species.) St. Augustine and St. Bonaventure called them Liber Naturae and Liber Scripturae; St. John Chrysostom called them the Book of Scripture and, my personal favorite, the Book of Creatures. Theologians argue passionately about these two “books” – many Reformers rejected the existence of the second altogether – but other heroes of the faith have affirmed the Book of Creatures as a source of revelation.
The Bible itself talks about it too. Jesus said the rocks will cry out if the saints are silent. The Apostle Paul said that nature reveals the invisible qualities of the Creator. “The heavens declare the glory of God,” sang the psalmist; “the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” And I love this passage from the Book of Job:
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.”
I’m not wise enough to interpret what this little Song Sparrow was going on about, but its bright existence is testimony to the creativity, fecundity and loving provision of God.
As a side note: there’s a reason I delayed posting this photo: My dad is a singer and songwriter who uses his musical talent to glorify God and bless people. I gave a framed, professional print of “Chasing Light” to my mom for Mother’s Day. It made all the sense in the world to give my dad a professional print of “Pentecost” for Fathers Day. I wanted him to see the print before I shared the picture online.
Location: Champoeg State Park
Exposure: 1/200 second, f/9, ISO 2500
Focal Length: 850 mm
Gear:
Camera: Nikon D750
Lens: Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary with a 1.4x teleconverter