S4 E19 - Birds, Unity, & the Body of Christ

Mumuration is an amazing spectacle where birds move in what to the naked eye looks like complete unity. They are capable of doing this because of keen senses that allow them to anticipate the movements of the rest of the flock, and they do not merely look to the bird next to them for cues - but they are in tune with a great number of others all at the same time. 

The body of Christ, if it is to have unity, must work in the same way. We must be in tune with the needs, wants, and work of others. When we are, then we will be able to work and move together as one. 

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Transcript

What if I told you that God could be seen in the most ordinary things every day? 

What if I told you that every day, ordinary events could teach us extraordinary eternal truths? Would you believe me? 

 Welcome back to season 4 of the Set Your Mind Above Podcast! My name is BJ Sipe, and I am a Christian, a preacher, a husband, and a father. And I’m excited to share a few moments together with you learning some important lessons from the simplest things. Thanks for tuning in! 

There are some things in nature that I find absolutely fascinating. They are the kinds of things that no matter how many times I see them they never fail to impress me. Things in this category are varied and vastly different, but equally powerful and each with a powerful message to be learned from them. These would include the sunrise or sunset every day. A powerful thunderstorm that brightens up the night sky with lightning. A lone flower standing tall in the middle of a crack in the sidewalk. But tonight, I was witness to one of my favorite things, and that is murmuration. If you are not sure of what that is, allow me to briefly summarize this amazing spectacle that is put on by a flock of birds. Some birds, such a starling, will come together to form a massive group that appear to be flying in perfect unison together. If you just sit and watch them, to the naked eye you would not be able to tell the subtle differences in their movements because they are so akin to each other. Seemingly all at once, an entire group of hundreds of birds will twist and turn all together in the same direction. 

An explanation of this was first published in 1984 by zoologist Wayne Potts, who would explain that these kinds of birds possess a special ability referred to as a “ripple” through the flock. Each bird through keen God given senses does not only watch the bird next to it for its cue, but it watches multiple birds all at once and can accurately anticipate the movement of the rest of the flock. Simply put, they are not just in tune with the bird closest to them, but they are in tune a great number of them. As such, their movements are three times faster than merely following the bird next to them, and thus giving the look of completely unison while they fly. The term “murmuration” has been given to this amazing spectacle of nature due to the low and soft sound of thousands of wings fluttering together all at once. It is an amazing sight to see, and there are a variety of reasons as to why they behave in this way. The first reason is quite simple: there is great safety in numbers. Where a predator would likely be able to zero in on one or merely a few birds flying together, a vast quantity makes that task daunting – not to mention there at that many more birds watching for predators and thus have a heightened sense of awareness. According to the Wildlife and Wetlands Trust charity, starlings also gather to keep warm at night and exchange information about good feeding areas. They often perform their aerial acrobatics over their roosting site as they gather together for the night. I suppose all of this could very simply be summed up by the old adage, “birds of a feather flock together.” 

This amazing scene reminded me of just how incredible God designed his church to be as well. As the body of Christ, we are called to think, live, and serve with this same kind of unity. This is what we read from Paul to the Philippian church, “If, then, there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, make my joy complete by thinking the same way, having the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” (Phil. 2:1-2) Christ intends for his church to be unified in all things. Much like a murmuration, we should be able to clearly see each individual member of the body moving together for the cause of Christ. But how can this unity be attained in a world that is so divided? While there are different aspects to unity, the one that we want to focus on today is found in Colossians 3:14, “Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” 

We also read the following exhortation from Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:23-27, “And those parts of the body that we consider less honorable, we clothe these with greater honor, and our unrespectable parts are treated with greater respect, which our respectable parts do not need. Instead, God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the less honorable, so that there would be no division in the body, but that the members would have the same concern for each other. So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.” As we discussed earlier, what allows a murmuration to move together in such a synchronized fashion was not simply that they were in tune with the bird next to them, but they were in tune with a great number of others. I want us to understand that the very same thing is true of the body of Christ. Paul tells us that the perfect bond of unity is love, that each member has the same care for one another. 

My friends, that kind of unity is not possible if we are not in tune with the lives and needs of others in the flock. If we are disconnected from the lives of other Christians, and we are only together and engaged with one another at a surface level once or twice a week when we come together for worship, then we will not be able to achieve the kind of unity that the Lord desires for us. But when we are not only in tune with the lives, needs, and desires of a select few, but a great number within the church – then we will begin to move and act with the spirit of unity we have just read about. This is why immediately after his admonition for unity, Paul would give the Philippians the pathway to it: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility consider others as more important than yourselves. Everyone should look not to his own interests, but rather to the interests of others.” In other words, if you want to move and act as one – then you must be in tune with the many that compose one body. 

May we strive for this kind of love, this kind of unity, and these kinds of relationships. When we do, not only will we be united and intent on one purpose, but there is great security in this. Not only am I looking after my spiritual needs, but now dozens or hundreds of others are as well – and I’m looking out for theirs in turn! Together, we are better. Let us conclude with the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasing it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!”

This has been the Set Your Mind Above Podcast, season 4 episode 19 – and I’m so thankful that you decided to tune in today! A new episode is dropped most Fridays, so be sure to tune in next week.  Also, if you’re able to, go ahead and like and subscribe to the podcast, as well as share it with someone else – it would help me greatly in trying to reach others. And more than anything, always remember the following: know that I love you, that God loves you, and may we all each and every day set our minds above. 

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