During Vacation Bible School in June we decorated the sanctuary like a backyard camp. The pulpit became a treehouse, the lectern got a swimming pool addition, and nature-themed decorations were put up all over the front walls. Then, after the week of fun, games, and music, we took them all down. All except one.
For whatever reason, one small bird was left up over the front stage-left hymn board. I didn’t notice it at first, but once I saw it, it was impossible to unsee it. There was our normal sanctuary, and there was that cartoon bird flying around the front of it. It has been almost three months now, and no one has taken it down. This means that either no one else has noticed it, that it’s too much trouble to get the ladder out again and take it down, or that it is up there on purpose. Or, I guess, that no one cares. Me, I kind of like it up there.
I pointed it out to our youth pastor, Rumple Station, who had been in charge of the original project, and she cracked up, having never noticed that the bird remained. Rumple and I wondered if we ought to take it down, but decided against it. Nobody was complaining about it, so it was probably fine where it was. And besides, we may have missed our window. I don’t know how much you know about churches, but they aren’t always super-receptive to change. Someday, a decade or two from now, someone is going to try to paint the wall or something, and there is going to be a “Save the Bird” movement.
“You can’t take the bird down!” they will say. “That bird is a part of this sanctuary!” Committees will be called to order as parishioners shout “It won’t be church without the BIRD!” People will threaten to leave, and, eventually, the bird will be carefully taped and painted around, preserving the historical bird that no one knows the reason for. I will know the reason, but I will not tell them.
Since the bird is now a member of the congregation, perhaps we can dress it up thematically for sermon series and holidays. Wouldn’t it look cute with a little Santa hat on? Or a little mask for October? Bunny ears for Easter? The bird could be holding the ten commandments, wearing monk’s robes, or flying into a teeny Noah’s ark. Think of the possibilities! And, of course, we would not tell anyone about this, or mention it at all. It could be a secret for the bird-noticers among us.
Or, you know what we could do? We could add another bird every week and see how long it took people to notice! No one pays attention to the one bird, so next week they might not pay attention to two birds. Like an avian cartoon virus, the birds could slowly spread out and cover the entire sanctuary. “Did we always have this many birds?” some might ask. “I think so…” others might respond. “I remember there being stained glass windows in the sanctuary. Didn’t we used to have stained glass?” “I don’t know, I can only remember the birds…”
How about just moving the bird to a different spot every week? People would think it was alive and flying around the sanctuary when we were not looking! One week it is on the pulpit, the next week on the high ceiling above the fans. That seems like a lot of work, but I think it would be worth it.
Of course, for all of you church people who are reading this post, I have just let the bird out of the bag. So it can be our secret, okay? Or have you already noticed the bird? Do you say hello to it every Sunday like I do? It is your sanctuary friend? And do you have any better ideas for messing with people? Because the people need it. It’s good for their souls.