October 27, 2024

Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 10:46-52

It was a dark and stormy night.

Well, that’s not an original way to begin a story, but it was pretty dark, and rain was falling, and the winds were howling up there on the mountain. If you were a pig, it was a good night to find a rocky overhang. If you were an ohi’a tree, it was a good night to rock back and forth with limbs and trunk, and a better night to hold on tight with your roots.

If you were one of the honeycreepers of the forest, it was a good night to shelter beneath lots of thick leaves and hope the branch you’d perched on was sturdy.

A grumpy ‘amakihi had found just such a space in a koa tree. He wasn’t exactly dry, but he wasn’t being pelted by rain, either. The branch he grasped with his feet was only tossing a little bit. He wasn’t comfortable – that’s why he was grumpy – but he was as comfortable as he was going to get until the sun came out so he could dry his feathers.

He wasn’t pleased when the branch gave another bounce that was out of rhythm with the winds and there was a new shadow among the leaves. A young ‘apapane – so young that she didn’t have her red feathers yet – had landed on the branch and stood shivering. She tried to shake the water from her wings, but mostly just banged herself against the leaves and twigs.

“Stop that,” said the grumpy ‘amakihi. “What are you doing here? You shouldn’t be flying in this storm.”

“I didn’t mean to,” said the young ‘apapane. “The wind swept me off the branch.”

“Well, you’d better go back there,” said the ‘amakihi. “Go on.”

The young ‘apapane looked out through a gap in the leaves to where they could both see the trees tossing in the gale.

“Well, maybe not right now,” said the ‘amakihi, who was still grumpy but a fairly considerate bird. “What can I get for you? Do you want a bug? There’s some here.”

“No, sir,” said the ‘apapane.

“How about a drink of water? Well, maybe not,” he said, when the young ‘apapane shivered. “You’ve probably had enough water.”

“Yes, sir,” said the ‘apapane.

“Well, what do you want? You don’t want me to help you find your own tree, do you?”

The ‘apapane shook her head.

“What do you want me to do for you?” insisted the ‘amakihi.

“Could I just stay here for a while, and not be alone?” asked the ‘apapane.

“You don’t want to be alone?” asked the ‘amakihi.

“No, sir,” said the ‘apapane.

The ‘amakihi thought about it, and realized even as he said it, “You know, I don’t want to be alone in this storm, either. Come find a dryish spot here on this branch. We’ll ride it out together.”

And that is how a grumpy ‘amakihi and a frightened ‘apapane were merciful to each other in the midst of the storm.

by Eric Anderson

Watch the Recorded Story

I write these stories in advance, then tell them from memory during worship. That means that changes happen.

Photo of an immature ‘apapane by Eric Anderson.