Awe and Wonder

Over the weekend I spent a day in the Avalon Marshes near Glastonbury.

At the end of each day it is estimated that, at this time of year, around 1/2 million Starlings come in to roost.

They begin to arrive at dusk, flying in from all directions. Smaller groups combine until the sky is filled with the noise of their tiny wings flapping. It sounds like rain. It’s an amazing sight.

“Consider the birds – do you think they worry about their existence? They don’t plant or reap or store up food, yet your heavenly Father provides them each with food.”

Matthew 6:26 (The Passion Translation)

As the birds fly backwards and forwards, preparing to drop down into the reed beds, they begin to paint pictures across the sky. Standing with a few hundred people, who had all come to witness this moment, I was struck by the moment, when, without any orchestration, silence fell. Words became redundant as each of us simply stood in “awe and wonder” marvelling at this incredible spectacle on display. 1/2 million birds praising their Creator in such a way that all who noticed could join in.

Whether people recognised it or not, this was a “holy” moment. A moment, in creation, where it was impossible to explain what was happening. It was so much bigger than us, outside of our comprehension. It was God’s power and attention to detail on display.

This may not be an event that we witness regularly, but God’s character is on display all around us. Sometimes we just have to stop for long enough to notice and allow the weight of the moment to lead us to “awe and wonder”.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies announce what his hands have made. Day after day they tell the story, night after night they tell it again. They have no speech or words, they have no voice to be heard. But their message goes out through all the world; their words go everywhere on earth.

Psalm 19:1-4 (New Century Version)