Have you ever seen a flock of starlings flying together in a whirling, ever-changing pattern? Hundreds even thousands of these birds can twist and turn and change directions at a moment’s notice. Scientists call this phenomenon a “murmuration”. How do hundreds or even thousands of birds coordinate such complicated movements while in flight? Of course they do not plan it out in advance or choreograph it. How does this amazing flight pattern happen simultaneously? Scientists are puzzled and cannot give us an answer because it goes beyond what knowledge they have from biology. It remains a mystery.
This mystery of unity and harmony is a beautiful example to us from the genius our Creator God. We who have claimed Jesus Christ as our Savior are part of His body. As members of His body we are to fly in harmony with the flock of God. We must seek to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). We are challenged all through the New Testament to fly in harmony with others in the flock of God by the exhortation of several one another’s. We are to love one another (Jn. 13:34), to be of the same mind towards another (Rom. 12:16) and to serve one another (Gal. 5:13). We are to be kind to one another (Eph. 4:32), submit to one another (Eph. 5:21), and to admonish one another (Col. 3:16). Other verses challenge us to comfort, to edify, to exhort, to pray for and to use hospitality to one another.
When the flock of God is flying in a similar way it is the biblical version of a murmuration. It is beautiful, it is fascinating, and it draws the attention and wonder of a skeptical world. The psalmist captures this beauty in Ps. 133:1,2: “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments”. Let’s do everything we can to promote the unity, the harmony and even the murmuration of the flock of God.