His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me

Scripture: Genesis 21:8-21 and Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17  • Jeremiah 20:7-13 and Psalm 69:7-10, (11-15), 16-18  • Romans 6:1b-11  • Matthew 10:24-39

"His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he watches over me." Words from a favorite hymn. In this week's scripture, from Hagar's despair over her son, Ishmael, cast out in the desert and death of her son looming, to Jeremiah's lament, to Jesus telling the disciples that God cares for them as he sends them out to take his message of love and forgiveness to a hostile world, we learn that God sees, hears, is present, and provides. God knows when every sparrow falls, and every hair on our heads is counted, Jesus tells us. He watches over us.

There will be storms and battles, but, thanks be to God, through Christ, there will be victory, even victory over death. Our readings this week are "Ishmael: God Hears and Sees," by Dan Clendenin;  "The Fine Print of Commitment," by Elizabeth D. Beck; and "Facing battles with the promise of victory," by The Rev. Canon Frank S. Logue.