Discover Christmas Day Twenty One

 What can I learn from birds at Christmas ?

A lot actually, I have never noticed until this lesson how many times birds are referenced in the scriptures. Did you know that Noah also sent a raven out of the Ark and it went back and forth but found nothing. The dove was sent out then and we all know what happened. In addition to doves and ravens, there are many other birds in the Bible. Chickens, eagles, peacocks, hawks, owls, quail, sparrows, and others are all mentioned. They are sometimes used to represent ideas, like peace, or human behavior, like greed or pride. Here are a few examples:

Doves: they have come to represent both peace and promises of God(Noah's story)and the Holy Spirit (Jesus baptism). Doves are also seen at Christmas time because they represent Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

Chickens : A hen with her chicks is a metaphor used in the Bible to show God's protection over his people. Jesus promised to watch over his people and gather them safely in, the symbol of a hen reminds of that promise.

Eagle: The symbol of the eagle with it's 8 ft. wingspan was used to show God's mighty power in delivering the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt. Just as God physically delivered Israel from slavery, Jesus sacrifice spiritually delivers us from the bondage of sin! The eagle is a reminder of that great gift.

Quail: When the Israelites were starving in the wilderness, the Lord sent them manna and them quail to sustain them. The quail saved their lives. Quail remind us that God will always look after our needs.

Sparrows: (this was my favorite) a sparrow is a tiny bird and not very valued in Israel. You could buy 2 of them in the temple for 1 cent as your sacrifice. Jesus used the sparrow to teach an important point about how important we are to God. He said " Are we not two sparrows sold for a farthing" and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows" (Mathew 10: 29-31) Jesus knew that God cared about every sparrow even though they seemed unimportant and knew when anything happened to them. How much more God cares about you! The sparrow reminds us that God watches over us constantly and cares what happens to us. None of us are less important to God.