The sparrows love to dip under the waters of our bird bath, then rise and shake themselves off, and then do it again. And again. And again. I'm sure there are practical reasons, too, yet watching them day by day, I get the feeling that most of all, they do it for the fun, the delight, the joy!

Sonia E. Waters, an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, suggests that the people Matthew's gospel addressed may have "felt like sparrows--like the poor, the discounted, and the least." In her reading of Matthew 10:24-39, she emphasizes that however their society may have seen them, in God's eyes, the oppressed are worthy, treasured, and capable partners in God's work of love and liberation in the world.

Sonia Waters' reflections on sparrows in Matthew can be found in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary, Year A, Volume 3, 2020, page 98-100.