Staying Flight- ready !

Anna and I have had an opportunity to visit a Botanical garden during this week, which brought sights and scenes which were breathtaking and inspiring. 

I noticed this Lapwing birds in their endurance exercise by stranding on one leg, for about two and half hours we were in the garden. The last photograph was taken after one hour when the birds were still in the same location with two of them on one feet and the third one changing its feet to stand, when we finally left them. 

The Lapwings have heavy bodies and they fly fast and long distances. They need to find marshy ground or wet land to find their feed and choose dry ground for resting at night. They even lay eggs on the ground covered with overgrowth of grass. 

I wondered why they stand on one leg! There are some speculations I heard from bird watchers. They have an oval body with muscular chest and hind portion. Their slender legs have to carry this weight while standing, walking and hopping along, which is their common way of strolling on the ground. 

When they fly, the wings outstretched and the limbs extended back have to have balance, for which they train themselves by learning to support themselves by standing on one leg. They do it whenever they rest. Unlike humans when one hand and leg become dominant from pre-school years, there is a speculation that some avians use their legs equally.  time by So the Lapwings train themselves to be steady by strengthening their legs by standing on one leg for long time by choice and habit. 

It was after sighting this endurance exercise, I turned my attention to find another example of endurance in nature. 

I wondered how scores of bamboo stems are placed close to each other, making it a bush of bamboos! I felt fascinated by the proximity of each bamboo to the other.  They are intensely close to each other with hardly any space between them. They exist in close proximity to each other, which is their way of being! The bamboos have such a way of existence. They endure their proximity. 

When I turned to the other side, I noticed some trees at a distance from each other with each tree having sufficient space between them. Such trees when growing up at a distance from each other might still be connected with each other through their root system! For such trees, this distance would be needed for them to grow and flourish. They need the space to exist. So they endure their distance. 

The theme of proximity and distance surfaced in my thought while reading the narrative of the few days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth culminating in the Good Friday!

Between the chamber of Pilate where Jesus of Nazareth faced His trial and His crucifixion in a wooden cross, there are some telling incidents which give us an insight about the human  attitude of proximity and distance.  

We need to look at the events of the Holy Week to understand the proximity between the disciples and Jesus of Nazareth.  Jesus asking two of his disciples to untie a donkey and a Colt to bring them to him, for him to journey to Jerusalem for the feast of passover(Mat.21:1-3) is an indication that Jesus had a relational proximity with two who could be entrusted with an unusual mission. Jesus sent Peter and John (Luke 22:8-13) to prepare for the passover and get the place ready for the last supper. The details of getting the last supper ready were specific and elaborate, which was to be the last gathering of the disciples before His crucifixion. While Jesus was being led to Golgotha, there were some women who were following Him, mourning and lamenting.(Mat.23.27). There were some women, who after the burial of Jesus had gathered to prepare spices (Luke.23.56) to go to the tomb on the first day of the week with spices. They were also strong in desire to accompany the suffering servant, when He suffered and endured. They were among the few who rushed to the sepulchre, although with doubts in their mind, to see if He had arisen on the third day as it was told to them. 

Seeking to be proximate to Jesus at a troubled time, when he was going to be captured, accused and condemned to the cross was a difficult experience to those who were close to Him until then. Most of the disciples deserted Jesus, while a just a few stayed close to Him. One who stayed close to him, Peter, denied Jesus even after he secured a place, near the fire place to stay warm and to escape being noticed (Luke 22:55). 

This desertion happened when people would normally gather around a person, who was ill- treated and falsely accused. Jesus did not defend Himself nor did He have others to defend Him. 

Let me suggest that much before the aloneness of abandonment in the cross, from where, when  in desperation Jesus cried out, 'Father remove this cup from me..', Jesus of Nazareth was walking His lonely journey to the cross, forsaken by all, except a few who remained proximate to Him till the Gethsemne experience. Following the Gethsemne, few followed Him afar or lost their hope! The gloomy conversation of the two disciples walking to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) is an indication of the despair and anguish that had consumed them. Those who were proximate to Jesus were no more able to believe Him. 

One needs to walk along the via-dolorosa journey from Gethsemne to Calvary, to feel the intensity of desertion Jesus of Nazareth suffered, at the hands of those who were chosen to be proximate companions to Him to fulfil His mission. 

One message from the Good Friday events, among other significant ones, is that pilgrimage is a lonely journey and one is likely to be left alone in a lonely path! 

Alone, we endure, when we walk through the valleys of life! The proximity of others are not permanent or assured. Those who had good intentions to be companions will also fall out when they can no longer endure the challenge of fear, anxiety, alienation, or intimidation!

There were many in the company of Jesus of Nazareth including the disciples, during the mesmerising days of His public appearances, following Him because of  the temple discourses, teachings, miracles, parables, healing, and outgoing mindfulness towards those who were helpless and rejected. His compassionate attitude surprised everyone. His acts of kindness had no parallel to compare with. 

The Lapwings learn endurance by exercising their single leg standing skills. The Bamboo bush endures a collective existence as there is no space for greater individual expression. The trees planted in a garden distant from each other stand alone and face the adversities all alone!

For a Good Friday this was a disturbing news to say the least!

While walking back after the flooding of above thoughts, I happened to notice a Common Moorhen, who was feeding from the lawn grass. It seemed to pick up seeds. worms and even blades of the grass. It drew its meal from what was available. ThMoorhen looked healthy and not malnourished. So, the prayer, 'Give us our daily bread' holds good for that bird also. It lives its life exposed to all the challenges that we are also exposed to! Yet it seems rot flourish!

Let me summarise and conclude my Good Friday thoughts. 

We are Good Friday people, facing some of the unforeseen existential challenges! 

An elderly couple who is forced to take care of the two grandchildren,  had a disturbing story to tell me. Both the grandchildren, one two years and the other four, are in their care from the time of three months of age, while their son and his wife live and work overseas. Both children have special needs and the grandparents bring them for consultations and conversation. The last meeting was a few weeks ago, when the grandmother confessed that her husband was unable to occupy children and the two caregivers  were not enough to take car of them. She was tearful when she said, 'My son does not seem to understand our situation inspite of repeatedly telling him and his wife that they take care of their children. They are focussed on making money and force us to do what we are not able to do any more. We love our grandchildren. But they need their parents to be with them' !

I like the way the writer to the book of Hebrews, summarised the enduring life mission of Jesus of Nazareth in Hebrews 12:1-3 : 'Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin, which so easily entangles us and let us run the race with endurance the race that is set before us. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him, who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you may not grow weary and lose heart' !

The above passage is a call for endurance, and not to loose heart!

We live in an era of legitimacy of marriage between the same gender, for which the civil law gives sanction and and the church gives approval in different parts of this world. 

W live at time more traditional beliefs and values would suffer displacement and oblivion!

The Good Friday is therefore a symbol for living enduringly and yet not for giving up or losing heart!

Because what followed the first Good Friday was Resurrection!

So we are not just Good Friday people alone, but are People of Resurrection, because God is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last!

M.C.Mathew(text and photo)