August 21 | Moments Almanac | Sparrow

Welcome to Moments Almanac. This is a time for us to remember the people, places, and events that leave fingerprints on the soul. Today is August 21st, and on this day in 1911, one of the most famous paintings in the world disappeared. And for a while nobody noticed. The Mona Lisa hung in the Louvre in Paris. Already admired, though not yet the global celebrity she would become. That Monday morning, an Italian handyman and former Louvre employee named Vinzenzo Perugia entered the museum, removed the painting from the wall, slipped it beneath his clothing, and walked away with it. The strangest thing wasn't simply that he stole it, the strange thing was how long it took for anyone to realize it was gone. The museum was closed on Mondays, and paintings were sometimes removed for photography and maintenance. So an empty space on a wall didn't immediately raise alarm. Eventually someone asked questions. Where was the Mona Lisa? Nobody knew. By the time officials understood what had happened, Perugia and the painting were long gone. Now let's travel to another August 21st. Forty five years earlier, on that same date, a little girl was born in Nova Scotia who would grow up to write about something human beings have always needed to hear. Her name was Sevilla Durfee Martin. And that's where we're going today. Sevilla Martin was born on August 21st, 1866. She became a schoolteacher, studied music, and eventually married Walter Stillman Martin, an evangelist and musician. Together the Martin spent years in Christian ministry traveling and working in evangelistic settings. Walter often composed medleys while Sevilla, well she supplied the words. And some of those words have lasted far longer than either of them could have imagined. In 1905, Sevilla visited a couple named Mr. and Mrs. Doodlittle in Elmara, New York. Both lived with serious physical limitations. Mrs. Doodlittle had been bedridden for years while her husband used a wheelchair. Yet Sevilla was struck by their joy. She eventually asked them the obvious question, how can they remain so hopeful in circumstances like these? Mrs. Doodlittle answered, pointing to the words of Jesus about God's care for the smallest creatures. If God's eye is on the sparrows, she reasoned, then surely he watches over me. Sevilla went home and wrote a poem. Her words became the hymn, His Eye is on the sparrow. The idea came straight from Jesus. In Matthew 10, Jesus tells his disciples that sparrows were cheap. Two could be purchased for a tiny coin. They were ordinary, plentiful, easily overlooked. And yet Jesus said, Not one of them falls to the ground outside the Father's knowledge. And then he told his followers, So don't be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows. Sevilla Martin would write another hymn a few years later, after an unexpected change of plans reminded her again of God's providence. Its title said almost everything God will take care of you. That became the recurring theme of her writing. God sees, God knows, God cares. Which takes us back to Paris. After the Mona Lisa disappeared, the Louvre closed while investigators searched the building. The theft became international news. People actually came to the museum just to stare at the empty space where the painting had been. The absence made the painting more famous. For more than two years the Mona Lisa remained missing until Perugia attempted to return it to Italy and was caught. The painting came home to the Louvre. And somewhere in all of that is a strange August 21st reminder. Human beings miss things. We overlook people. We walk past empty spaces without asking questions. We can live beside someone's grief and never recognize it. We can sit in church with someone whose world is collapsing and never know. We can overlook the quiet person, the elderly, the struggling pastor, the lonely widow, the kid sitting by himself, the exhausted mother, the person who serves faithfully every week without anyone saying thank you. But Jesus says there is a father who sees what we miss. He notices the sparrow. Think about it. Not eagles, not peacocks, not some magnificent creature everyone stops to admire, sparrows. Common little birds most people barely notice. And Jesus said God notices everyone, which means you don't have to become important enough to attract God's attention. You already have it. On August 21st, 1911, perhaps the most famous painting on earth vanished from the museum wall, and for hours people walked past the place where it belonged without realizing it was gone. On August 21st, 1866, Sevilla Martin was born. Years later, she would give generations of believers a simple reminder drawn from the words of Jesus. Maybe you've been wondering lately if anybody notices. Maybe something you've done faithfully has gone unrecognized. Maybe you've been carrying something nobody else seems to see. Remember the sparrow. Because God's attention isn't reserved for masterpieces. It's given to sparrows. And that means it's given to me and to you. And that's Moments Almanac for August 21st. I hope you'll join me tomorrow. Until then, take heart. Notice the scattered moments and share the grace.