Our flight landed late on January 10th at Denver International. Mary and I were returning from a trip we hadn’t planned—but one God had prepared for us. A journey that included long hours at the bedside of my brother Robert as he drew his last breath.
This was not part of our 2026 plan. In fact, Robert is the first of the Wolgemuth siblings to die. Uncharted territory.
The next afternoon, after our return from Grand Rapids, Mary and I were in the kitchen when we heard a muted thud. Our deck sits just beyond the kitchen table, separated by a sliding glass door. Along the railing are four bird feeders and a bird bath. For the first time in months, a sparrow had crashed into the window, his tiny frame now motionless on the deck.
I suggested to Mary that perhaps it had been only a stunning blow, not a lethal one. Time would prove me wrong. The sparrow was dead.
Vivid and important was the lesson I was not to miss.
Jesus spoke. And on January 11th, 2026—roughly thirty-six hours after my brother had passed from this earth—the language of Scripture was amplified as never before:
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?
And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.” (Matthew 10:29, ESV)
Not even a sparrow falls without the sovereign and loving hand of God in play. Indeed, God sent a sparrow to remind me that Robert’s death was not some random mishap. While unexpected for us, it was not a surprise to Him.
God knew.
Yes—in God’s plan, if not in ours.
There was comfort in the sparrow.
Because God knew.
Because God knows.
Because God cares.
“So don’t be afraid… You’re worth more than a million sparrows.”
(Matthew 10:31, MSG)
Once again, Jesus calibrates our fears. He comforts us in our loss. He gives context to our pain.
That sparrow that fell—He knew.
That brother who died—He loved. He knew.
There is mystery in life.
There is mystery in death.
Only God knows.
Always God knows.
I rest there.
P.S. – For those of you interested in watching the funeral service (2pm EST) for my brother, Robert Wolgemuth, it can be streamed through: www.ReviveOurHearts.com/Robert
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