Name: The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air
ISBN: 9780691170473

Søren Kierkegaard

A new translation of Kierkegaard's short work on the famous Sermon on the Mount gospel passage, "The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air," originally published in 1849.

Three Godly Discourses

The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air

Jeremy Wang

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

"Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them."

kierkegaard leverages these well-worn passages from the sermon on the mount to create a rich commentary on paul's command in 1 corinthians:

"So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God."

i feel that i finally understand both the weight and the value of this command, as kierkegaard ties it to a strangely buddhist approach to the christian life. by fully exploring every detail of the lily's and bird's lives and by granting these silent worshippers of God a quiet yet expressive voice, kierkegaaard shows us how three practices of silence, obedience, and joy can lead us to our correct place before God. 

there are also some really sharp analogies here that are worth serious consideration, as they shed light on crucial commands like "seek first God's kingdom and righteousness" (i always wondered why it was seek FIRST rather than simply seek ONLY). got kinda tired of the lengthy, wandering sentences by the end, but altogether very worth a read.

Boxuan Mao

  For what it is it does not say; it does not complain; it accuses no one; it sighs only to fall silent again. 
  Kierkegaard dedicated himself and provided others with the silence, happiness and freedom. No wonder he is so great but his fate is miserable.
   (As a person reading Hegel, this book is hovering between full score and zero score in my mind, but in terms of either/or, it gets full star for now haha)

The Lily of the Field and the Bird of the Air Three Godly Discourses