A “Murmuration” of Christians!
by Angela Weir
Murmuration is a word describing a vast flock of starlings as they gather together each evening to find a roost for the night. Each murmuration can consist of hundreds of thousands of birds all swirling together in the evening sky. It may begin with a small flock of birds, but gradually other flocks arrive, and more and more, until they all join together in one massive flock. As they move they form incredible patterns, sometimes dense black patches, sometimes looser circles or trails, until after a while they all plunge to earth and “disappear” in whatever patch of reed-bed or undergrowth they have chosen. What is so amazing is that while they are swirling about, they never seem to bump into each other. They twist and turn in tight formation but it is always smooth and graceful and the patterns are never broken by a couple of birds colliding.
How wonderful it would be if we could live together in the same kind of unity! Sadly as Christians we can often be unkind to one another, ruffling another person’s feathers or taking a peck in the form of an unkind remark. So often that remark is out of our mouths before we have had time to check it.
Where we dwell together in unity, God commands a blessing, and we will all have experienced the times when the blessings have flowed. Of course the opposite is also true: that where we are not in unity God withholds His blessing.
Prayer: Dear Father God, Please forgive me for the times that I hurt others and help me to forgive others when they hurt me. Please help me to check myself before I say or do something hurtful or unkind. Help us to put our unity in You above selfish considerations, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Angela Weir has been associated with Ellel Ministries from the very beginning, first as an associate member of the ministry team and later as an associate teacher. She trained as an actress before moving to Cumbria, where she taught drama in a girls’ school. She now teaches and ministers at various Ellel Centres.
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