A twitchathon is happening in Sydney this weekend, where participants will try, during a set period of time, to count as many different birds as they can, in order to raise money for a worthwhile environmental project. So here’s my list, seen from my back yard, in the last twenty-four hours: magpie, crow, currawong, galah, cockatoo, kookaburra, noisy minor, pigeon, pelican, koel. Admittedly a bit elementary for the serious twitcher, but not bad for an amateur spectator.

There is a difference however between merely listing and seriously twitching, as Jesus alluded to in his Sermon on the Mount. “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” The verb “to look” is intense, and means more than just to note or log, but to stare intensely and with searching enquiry. Says the online lexicon: “This verb conveys deliberate focus. It implies pausing, weighing, and discerning. It is vision that goes beneath surfaces and elicits response.”

As if Jesus is saying, “Look at those birds. Do they seem stressed to you? Do they look haggard? Grey-haired, worry-lined and round-shouldered? Do they look like they’re needing another smoke, or another coffee, or another holiday, or another Valium? Relax! God your Father takes care of them. And so he will of you. Stop itching and scratching and biting your nails. He’s got you, and you’ve nothing to fear.”