Commentary: Parable in the sky

It was very early morning in late May. I pulled into an empty parking lot, grabbed my planner, swung my door open, and headed a few dozen yards to the front door of the office.

Half way there I stopped.

In the sky, far in the distance, was a veritable two-ring sky-circus of honking, squawking, flapping wings as several dozen Canada geese headed in every direction.

I watched, feet glued to the asphalt.

Occasionally geese would fly from one writhing cluster of geese to the other as if choosing up sides for a baseball game, all the while making no progress in any direction.

The Barnum-and-Bailey-thing-in-the-sky continued.

I soon noticed the two groups of geese were forming a single gathering that began moving, ever so slowly . . . in my direction. The circle began taking a triangular shape, began spreading apart. Birds moved about, lining up.I watched . . . watched . . . watched. Two lines of geese formed, spreading wider and wider, wingtip to bill, moving swiftly . . . more swiftly . . . yet more swiftly . . . closer . . . closer . . . closer!

An icicle shot up my spine as one of the largest, most perfect, formations of Canada geese I had ever seen, swept over me.

Above the swish, swish, swish of wings there was barely a sound – only an occasional, single honk. I watched the formation out of sight, noticed an occasional transfer of the lead.

It’s one of those moments when you want to grab for your shoes so’s to stand barefoot as you stare at the handiwork of something so much bigger than you. It’s one of those moments when you feel you should salute something, sing something, call somebody . . . maybe even write something.

This time I wanted to call to the sky, “God, do that again! I need another one of those! I gotta’ have just one more like that one!”

But I was left standing there in the parking lot, swallowing past a lump, with nothing more than an inner voice that seemed to scoff, “Here, bud, have a parable! Chew on this one for awhile.”

I don’t know about you, but I sure enjoy a creative God, a God that talks to me in ways that make my pulse race, my feet sweat, and my spine shiver.

Glad we could get together.