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| Mariana Fruit Dove. Image by Laura Wolf. |
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doves / pigeons / mariana fruit dove
A GREETING
From the end of the earth I call to you.
(Psalm 61:2a)
A READING
Immediately after Jesus had been baptized and was coming up out of the water, the sky suddenly opened up and Jesus saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and hovering over him. With that, a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Own, my Beloved, on whom my favor rests.”
(Matthew 3:16-17)
MUSIC
How can we remember that all of us are a part of Creation?
How can we rewild ourselves?
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
O my little bird...
Talk to me; let me hear the joy of your voice.
Oh, it’s sweet, your voice is, like the voice of the dove.
(Songs 2:14)
A REFLECTION
I sat one summer evening and watched a great blue heron make his descent from the top of the hill into the valley. He came down at a measured deliberate pace, stately as always, like a dignitary going down a stair. And then, at a point I judged to be midway over the river, without at all varying his wingbeat he did a backward turn in the air, a loop-the-loop. It could only have been a gesture of pure exuberance, of joy – a speaking of his sense of the evening, the day’s fulfillment, his descent homeward. He made just the one slow turn, and then flew on out of sight in the direction of a slew farther down in the bottom. The movement was incredibly beautiful, at once exultant and stately, a benediction on the evening and on the river and on me. It seemed so perfectly to confirm the presence of a free nonhuman joy in the world – a joy I feel a great need to believe in.
- from The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry
VERSE OF THE DAY
In your tent I will make my home forever,
and take shelter under the cover of your wings.
(Psalm 61:4)
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| Image by Quinn Daedal |
As we close this series, we return once again to the bird most sacrificed and most revered in all of scripture. The dove marks some of the most significant moments in Jesus' life. A dove appears at his baptism by John the Baptist and it is the table of the dovesellers that Jesus overturns in the temple. The "spirit from heaven" descending like a dove that is named in John 1 becomes the image of the Holy Spirit - and enduringly that image has become iconic in the secular world, representing peaceful times.
In the Inclusive Bible translation of the overturning of the tables, we hear "pigeon" instead of the "dove" that appears in most other translations. Pigeons are very closely allied with doves in Scripture and in some translations the words are used interchangeably. However, they are clearly being distinguished from each other in the biblical texts, most often in relation to size and age. "Two doves or a young pigeon" was the sin offering for the very poor (see Leviticus) or as a substitute for another specificed animal that could not be provided. Pigeons were the very first birds ever to be domesticated and their capacity to "home" made them invaluable as family property. They were allowed inside and were treated like members of the family. They bred all year long and wild pigeons occupied caves, plains and forests alike which meant there was never a shortage. Translators in all eras have sometimes preferred "dove" to "pigeon" -- even where the text says otherwise -- because the cultural attitude towards pigeons in subsequent centuries would not survive its proper usage. A good example might be in the Songs text above. The bird indicated is technically a pigeon but "like the voice of the pigeon..." does not quite have the same impact. The pigeon has simply never been able to land the beauty and gentleness status of the dove.
Jesus' action to overturn the tables of the dove and pigeon sellers is not just a defiance of authority but a liberation of those birds. What needs to be overturned in our own time, in order for us to confirm the survival of all bird species into the next century? The Socorro Dove, the Blue-Eyed Ground Dove (one of the world's most endangered birds), the Polynesian Ground Dove are down to their last 100 individuals in each case.
When Jesus is baptised, a dove descends, taking us back to the dove of Genesis and to the primoridial waters of the dawn of Creation. As we live into what it means to be people of faith and stewards of God's world, how can birds inspire us to deepen our commitment? What are the local and larger community actions who could use our help and our faith-led hope?
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| Image by Chic Bee |
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Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
This marks the end of the LC† The Winged Word devotional. Thank you for joining us.
See you in Advent!
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LC† The Winged Word is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!
