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A Little Birdie Told Me

12/29/2022

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​    Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! It’s an old family saying usually accompanied with the shaking of one’s head.  Just when you think you’ve seen it all or think you know what’s going on, God surprises you.  Some of us have Gomer Pyle’s “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” on continual loop in our brain.  I’m almost to the point in this crazy world that nothing shocks me anymore…but that’s not entirely true…December is full of surprises.
     We spend a great deal of energy in keeping gifts secret until we give them.  The mystery makes it more exciting and the anticipation is bliss. Some of us are downright giddy!  I have family and friends who give the best gifts and time and time again the recipients confirm, “It’s just what I needed!”  One assumes the giver had an inside scoop to our wants, needs, and hopes …probably because they’re good listeners even though they humbly say a little birdie told them.  I wonder about that little birdie; it knows things. 
     Birds, in general, don’t usually get much credit now until spring, seeing how turkeys took all the attention during Thanksgiving.  However, there are a few “gifted” avian examples worth singing about this season.  In the Twelve Days Of Christmas song, a Partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus. (It’s one of the only birds that will give its life for its young.) Two turtle doves were given to the true love on the second day and they represent the Old and New Testaments. Three French hens appear on the third day (named Faith, Hope, and Love). The fourth day’s calling birds, or Colly birds which means black or coal, represent the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  (Remind me to tell you later about another black bird mentioned in scripture.) The sixth day of Christmas has six geese a-laying which represent the six days of creation and new life. And the last birds gifted to the true love  in the song are seven swans a-swimming, actively in motion for seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-3). 
     Now for the black bird scripture surprise I could hardly wait to share. While the dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, gets credit for first finding land after the Biblical flood, it was a raven Noah chose to send out first. Ravens have always been known as restless birds that eat carcasses so it made sense to send one forth. They are scavengers and even steal food from other animals. With all these things in mind, let’s look with amazement at 1 Kings 17:1-6. God had Elijah deliver a bold declaration of a long consequential drought to a disgustingly violent King Ahab, after which God told him to take refuge near a certain hidden brook.  Here comes the surprise part—God said, “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”  Yes!  God had ravens (unclean and greedy) door dash Elijah every morning and every evening.  Can you imagine Elijah’s surprise?  I’m sure he was shaking his head, and if Darwin’s theory had been a thing to poke fun at back then, he’d have exclaimed, “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” 
     A chapter later in I Kings 18 we see one of the boldest acts of faith recorded.  Elijah proves the authority and authenticity of God by calling fire to fall from Heaven.  Perhaps it was surprises like the ravens bringing food that taught him with God, anything is possible. For sure, he learned the certainty of God’s care and provision. 
     Enjoy your surprises this month and as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we realize His coming to Earth and giving His life for us is truly the best gift ever…and may we all say, “It’s just what I needed!”  

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Ram's Horns and Rabbit Trails

12/29/2022

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​   The rustling of fallen leaves. The barely audible touchdown of a snowflake. The night calls of an owl or whippoorwill. The grandkids laughing. The doctor saying you’re all clear. What’s the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard? My family is riding the Polar Express Train this month which is based on a book by the same name written by Chris Van Allsburg, wherein the main character says a jingle bell from Santa’s sleigh is the most beautiful sound he's ever heard. Recently I was moved by a sound I’ve never heard before and I wanted to share the story.
 
      It all started when I was cleaning leaves out of the gutter and saw strange little creatures peeking out from tangled end-of-the-year vines on the ground beneath my ladder. Upon further investigation I discovered several seed pods that looked very much like rams' heads! I recalled a conversation with Jeff months before observing an alien plant growing in our flower beds which we identified as rams' horn gourds, but the oddly shaped orbs sure hadn’t resembled anything like rams I'd seen on the farm. However now, spot on! The seed pods as well as some of the mature gourds clearly resembled a ram's horn. I wondered how many other things will make sense if we are just patient?
 
     A little research on the plant revealed how the Native Americans cooked the young gourds as a healthy source of protein and fiber in their diet. What? You can eat them?! Jeff and I had dismissed the little gourds because they smelled different and were sticky.   
 
     In Jewish tradition, an actual ram’s horn is a sacred object called a “shofar” which is blown like a trumpet. It represented the voice of God, calling them to march around the walls of Jericho until the walls fell (Joshua 6:20), or calling them to assemble, or warning them of danger (Ezekiel 33:1-6).
 
     With my curiosity piqued, I listened to the actual sound of the ram’s horn on the internet, and it was incredibly spiritual and stirring. Christians nowadays aren’t blowing a Shofar, but we can hear God’s voice through His words in the Bible and the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
 
   Going from cleaning gutters to hearing an ancient representation of God’s voice is what’s called a “rabbit trail”. It’s a common phrase describing people going off on tangents or on a path they didn’t expect. I’m comfortable with this process because we were conditioned early on. Like their mom did before them, when Easter rolled around Mom and Aunt Hilda wrote out miles of clues for us little girls to follow to find our Easter baskets. These wanderings on “rabbit trails” or “bunny trails” had us climbing trees and dipping deep into an old box freezer filled with water collected for sheep. I’m sure they seemed like good ideas at the time, but it does make you wonder what ones got vetoed! One clue was even tied around the neck of our ram.  I don't know if you've ever seen four little girls trying to retrieve a tiny piece of paper from around the neck of a buck sheep, but I assure you if it happened today, we'd be on TV. 
 
    The clues on my recent rams' horn rabbit trail were all worthwhile. One told me to be thankful God is patient as we slowly become who He has called us to be.  One said if we likewise are patient things might make sense in the next season. Another one told me to not overlook a blessing just because the situation might be sticky. God says, “Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known before.” (Jeremiah 33:3) Therefore the best clue is to listen for the Voice of God….It is truly the most beautiful sound we will ever hear.    

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    Janet Cowger- Fliegel

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