Photo and Commentary ©2025 by Maylan Schurch
Sabbath and Sunday, December 6 and 7, 2025
This past Tuesday I was heading back to my car in a large parking lot beside a busy intersection. I glanced up and saw what I believe are power poles. There were six wires attached to large ceramic insulators on those poles. What I saw – and I love it when I see this – were dozens of large birds sitting side-by-side on those wires. I snapped a photo of them, and I counted them off by 10s, and I estimate that there were at least 100 birds gathered closely together on those wires.
My photo has those birds silhouetted against a bright sky, so I can’t tell what kind of birds they were (though Robert Howson, our Tuesday Photo Parable blogger, tells me with great certainty that they’re Rock Pigeons, who are a communal species).
You see, even though those powerlines stretch blocks and blocks in either direction those birds wanted to be together. They weren’t exactly touching each other’s shoulders — it looked like there were maybe one or two inches separating each one. But there they were, grouped together – yet they gave each other enough space so they could individually launch out in flight if they wanted to.
I can imagine that if Paul could look at that scene, and if the Corinthian church board happened to be nearby, Paul might’ve said to them, “Hey, church board. Look at those companionable birds. Why can’t you be like that?”
He might have gone on to say, “Sure, when they’re down in the parking lot, those birds are probably pretty competitive for any food they might find there. But here they are, gathered back together, comfortable in each other’s company. No church splits, no offshoots, no rebels, just companionable fellowship.”