Songbird Song

The noise is back. After a spell of quietude accompanying the early days of pandemic—the hush that came with planes, trains, and automobiles going nowhere because so many people remained homebound by rule—it’s hubbub as usual. The racket has ratcheted back up again, decibels being cranked like soundboard controls at a heavy metal concert. Healthy commerce means trucks on the roadways; schools in session mean busses rolling along.

And not all of the din can be attributed to the machinery of our environment. There are the recorded murmurs and cheers bringing to imaginary life the simulated “crowds” at televised, professional sporting events. There are fervent voices raised in demonstration and the antagonistic clamor of politics gone ugly.

I miss the quiet. Maybe the birds do, too.

According to a study published in Science and reported on CNN, birds in San Francisco behaved differently during the shutdown portion of the pandemic. They sang differently when the entire soundscape of the city piped down.

By analyzing traffic flow data from the Golden Gate Bridge, researchers found that vehicle crossings from April to May 2020 returned to levels not seen since 1954. While noise recordings are not available from the 1950s, researchers said this indicates that a brief but dramatic change in human behavior effectively erased more than a half-century of urban noise pollution.

Birds responded by producing higher performance songs at lower amplitudes, maximizing communication distance and salience. “We found that birds sang more softly when noise levels were lower and at shorter recording distances before and during the shutdown,” researchers said in the study. Even though the birds were singing more softly, the study found that communication distance nearly doubled, elevating species fitness and increasing mating potential. (https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/25/us/sf-birds-pandemic-singing-trnd/index.html)

I recall siting on the porch in late spring and remarking to my husband, Darrell, that the residential birds of Bethlehem seemed particularly sonorous, and he agreed. As it turns out, “The signal-to-noise ratio doubled in relative energy, which helps explain media reports suggesting that bird songs sounded louder during the shutdown,” the researchers said. It’s not that the sparrows and cardinals actually trilled with greater volume. It’s just that, because of reduced competition, we were better able to hear.

I suspect that something similar happens when we dampen the churning turbine sounds of our active minds long enough for a tranquil peace to take effect. It is in such an environment that we’re better suited to hearing what God has to say. It’s not that God necessarily communicates in a stronger voice, but rather that God’s voice has so much less interior babel to compete with.

Let me hear what God the  Lord  will speak,
     for he will speak peace to his people,
     to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts. ~Psalm 85:8

Being Still and Knowing That God is God,

Pastor Chris

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Join us in the parking lot of College Hill Moravian Church every Sunday morning where you may praise God from the safe bubble of your own vehicle. The service, broadcast from the church sanctuary and transmitted through your car’s radio, begins at 10:00 a.m. and lasts approximately 40 minutes. Attendants are on hand to make sure you have worship materials, receive your offerings, and help you find the best place to park. Smile and wave and worship!

Virtual Fellowship Time on Zoom – Sundays at 11:30 a.m.

This casual online gathering has taken root over the last few months and become a wonderful way to keep connected. Whether you’ve become a “regular” at these gatherings, or you’re thinking about dropping by for the very first time, please use the Zoom link and password provided below, or join by phone if you do not use a device with a screen.

And if Zoom is new to you and you’d like to be coached on how to get started, please email me at  moravianpastorchris@gmail.com  or call me at 484-894-9077.

To join by computer, tablet or smart phone, please go to:https://zoom.us/j/99831347702?pwd=Vk1VWDk0RkdlUXJacWtCRGEvNFpnZz09

Passcode: 789162

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

Meeting ID: 998 3134 7702  

Zoom Prayers–Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

We are also continuing to offer Zoom Prayers on Sunday evenings at 6:30. We come together to share simply in intercessory prayer on behalf of our congregation, community, and world. We usually conclude by 7:00 p.m. All are welcome! 

To join by computer, tablet, or smart phone, please go to: https://zoom.us/j/91961743369?pwd=S3FYVG1NSFBrb1BoaTl0dnV5ZmNFUT09

Passcode: 073131

To join by phone (no video), dial:

+1 301 715 8592 US (Germantown)

  Meeting ID: 919 6174 3369