God & Natural Law – Answers in Genesis

December 22, 2011 by Lee

Here is an interesting article from Answers in Genesis about how the universe obeys certain rules — “laws to which all things must adhere. These laws are precise, and many of them are mathematical in nature. Natural laws are hierarchical in nature; secondary laws of nature are based on primary laws of nature, which have to be just right in order for our universe to be possible. But, where did these laws come from, and why do they exist? If the universe were merely the accidental by-product of a big bang, then why should it obey orderly principles—or any principles at all for that matter? Such laws are consistent with biblical creation. Natural laws exist because the universe has a Creator God who is logical and has imposed order on His universe

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 KJV)

To see the whole article:

God & Natural Law – Answers in Genesis.

Birds in Christmas Hymns – Christmas Brings Joy To Every Heart

December 22, 2011 by Lee

Long-tailed Broadbill (Psarisomus dalhousiae) babies ©©coracii

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! (Philippians 4:4 NKJV)

Birds in Christmas Hymns

Words by Bernhardt S. Ingemann (1789-1862), 1840 (Julen har bragt velsignet bud); translated from Danish to English by Cecil Cowdrey.

Music: Christmas Brings Joy, Christoph E. Weyse (1774-1842), 1841

Christmas Brings Joy To Every Heart

Christmas brings joy to every heart,
Sets old and young rejoicing,
What angels sang once to all on earth,
Oh, hear the children voicing.
Bright is the tree with lights aglow,
Like birds that perch together,
The child that holdeth Christmas dear
Shall keep these joys forever.

Joy comes to the all the world today,
To halls and cottage hasting,
Come, sparrow and dove, from roof tree tall,
And share our Christmas feasting.
Dance, little child, on mother’s knee,
The lovely day is dawning,
The road to paradise is found
The blessèd Christmas morning.

Once to this earth our Savior came,
An infant poor and lowly,
To open for us those gardens fair
Where dwell His angels holy.
Christmas joy He bringeth us,
The Christ child King of heaven,
“To every little child,” He saith,
“Shall angel wings be given.”

Emerald Dove by Birdway

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal

See ~ Christmas Gospel Presentation

More ~ Birds in Hymns

Birds In Christmas Hymns – The Worcester Christmas Carol

December 21, 2011 by Lee

White-browed Conebill (Conirostrum ferrugineiventre) ©WikiC

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:14 KJV)

Words & Music by William H. Havergal (1793-1870), alt.

Birds in Christmas Hymns

The Worcester Christmas Carol

How grand and how bright
That wonderful night,
When angels to Bethlehem came!
They burst forth like fires,
They struck their gold lyres,
And mingled their song with the flame.

The shepherds were mazed,
The pretty lambs gazed
At darkness thus turned into light:
No voice was there heard
From man, beast or bird,
So sudden and solemn the sight.

And then, when the sound reechoed around,
The hills and the dales all awoke:
The moon and the stars
Stopped their fiery cars,
And listened while Gabriel spoke:

I bring you, said he,
From the glorious Three,
Good tidings to gladden mankind;
The Savior is born,
But He lies forlorn
In a manger, as soon you will find.

At mention of this,
(The source of all bliss,)
The angels sang loudly and long;
The soared to the sky,
Beyond mortal eye,
But left us the words of their song:

All glory to God,
Who laid by His rod,
To smile on the world through His Son:
And peace be on earth,
For this wonderful birth
Wonderful conquests has won;

And good will to man,
Though his life’s a span,
And his thoughts so evil and wrong;
Then pray, Christians, pray;
But let Christmas day
Have your sweetest and holiest song.

Here are Havergal’s original lyrics for stanzas where, due to irregularities in meter, they do not fully fit the music:

I bring you, said he,
From the glorious Three,
Good tidings to gladden mankind;
The Savior is born,
But He lies all forlorn
In a manger, as soon you will find.
…

All glory to God,
Who laid by His rod,
To smile on the world through His Son:
And peace be on earth,
For this wonderful birth
Most wonderful conquests has won;

And good will to man,
Though his life’s but a span,
And his thoughts so evil and wrong;
Then pray, Christians, pray;
But let Christmas day
Have your sweetest and holiest song.

Scarlet Tanager (Piranga olivacea) by Kent Nickell

William H. Havergal (1793-1870) – The epitaph on Havergal’s white marble tomb reads:

The Rev. William Henry Havergal, M.S.,
Vicar of Shareshill and Hon. Canon of Worcester Cathedral.
Died at Leamington, 19th April 1870, aged 77.
Curate 7, and Rector 13 years, of this parish, 1822 to 1843.
A faithful minister in the Lord (Eph. Vi. 21).

Havergal was educated at Merchant Taylors School St. Edmund’s Hall, Oxford (BA 1815, MA 1819). He was ordained a deacon in 1816, and priest in 1817. He held three rectorships: Astley, Worcestershire (1829); St. Nicholas, Worcester (1842); and Shareshill, near Wolverhamptom (1860). Hymnist Frances Havergal was his daughter.
*

More Birds in Hymns

See ~ Wordless Birds

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal – The Worcester Christmas Carol

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Red-crowned Parakeet

December 20, 2011 by Ian

Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) by Ian 1

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Red-crowned Parakeet ~ by Ian Montgomery

Newsletter ~ 12/20/11

Christmas is nearly on us, so a bird in the Christmas colours of red and green seems appropriate. Here is the Red-crowned Parakeet, one of the relatively few non-seabirds encountered on the trip to the Sub-Antarctic Islands.

We found these birds at several locations on Enderby Island, one of the smaller of the Auckland Islands and the first site at which we actually landed after leaving Dunedin. Enderby Island is mainly basalt with rocky cliffs, as in the second photo, and it reminded me very much of St Paul Island in the Bering Sea that I visited three years ago. On both the vegetation is mainly tundra, though unlike the treeless St Paul Enderby has patches of very gnarled dwarf rata forest.

Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) by Ian 2

Enderby Island by Ian 2

The Parakeets feed mainly on the ground and we found them both on the tundra and in the forest. They are herbivorous, and the bird in the first photo is feeding on the dense understory of the forest – the third photo shows the same bird in close-up eating very fine shoots and leaves.

Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) by Ian 3

The fourth photo shows a different bird feeding on the flower-heads of small herbs growing on the tundra near the beach where we landed.

Red-crowned Parakeet (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) by Ian 4

I’m used to seeing parrots in more tropical locations, so it was a startling to see these small (25-28cm/10-11in long) elegant parrots in such a cold and rugged environment. They are obvious tough little birds, though their confiding habits, ground-feeding life-style and choice of low nesting sites makes them very vulnerable to introduced predators such as feral cats,rats and, in New Zealand, stoats. The Red-crowned Parakeet used to widespread throughout New Zealand but is now rare or extinct on the two main islands, though it survives well on Stewart and other offshore islands. As you can judge from the photos, the birds are very approachable and took little notice of us.

On the website, there are now nine species of penguins http://www.birdway.com.au/spheniscidae/index.htm and thirteen species of albatrosses http://www.birdway.com.au/diomedeidae/index.htm . The additional species of albatrosses include ones that were treated as sub-species by Christidis and Boles, 2008, but are now recognised as full species by Birdlife International and the IOC.

I wish you a safe and happy Christmas and best wishes

Ian

—
Ian Montgomery, Birdway Pty Ltd,
454 Forestry Road, Bluewater, Qld 4818
Phone: 0411 602 737 +61-411 602 737
Preferred Email: ian@birdway.com.au
Website: http://birdway.com.au

Lee’s Addition:

Thanks again, Ian, for sharing your great adventures. This parakeet, indeed, looks decked out for the colors of Christmas. Would be pretty to have a flock of them perching on a Christmas Tree. Merry Christmas to you, Ian, and our readers.

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11 NKJV)

Check out Ian’s other Parrots and Parakeets at his Parrots & Allies Psittacidae Family page. Our Birds of the World Psittacidae Family page has more Parrot and Parakeet photos.

Ian’s Other Birds of the Week

Birds In Christmas Hymns – The Friendly Beasts

December 20, 2011 by Lee

Baudet Donkey – Shaky and Brown

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6-7 NKJV)

Words: Unknown author, 12th Century; translated from French to English by an anonymous translator.

Music: Orientis Partibus, medieval French melody

Birds in Christmas Hymns

The Friendly Beasts

Jesus, our Brother, strong and good,
Was humbly born in a stable rude,
And the friendly beasts around Him stood,
Jesus, our Brother, strong and good.

“I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown,
“I carried His mother uphill and down,
I carried His mother to Bethlehem town;
I,” said the donkey, shaggy and brown.

“I,” said the cow, all white and red,
“I gave Him my manger for His bed,
I gave Him hay to pillow His head;
I,” said the cow, all white and red.

“I,” said the sheep with curly horn,
“I gave Him my wool for His blanket warm,
He wore my coat on Christmas morn;
I,” said the sheep with curly horn.

“I,” said the dove, from the rafters high,
“I cooed Him to sleep that He should not cry,
We cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I;
I,” said the dove, from the rafters high.

Thus all the beasts, by some good spell,
In the stable dark were glad to tell
Of the gifts they gave Emmanuel,
The gifts they gave Emmanuel.

Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) by Quy Tran

More Birds in Hymns

See ~ Wordless Birds

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal – The Friendly Beasts

Birds In Christmas Hymns – This Endris Night

December 19, 2011 by Lee

Superb Fruit Dove (Ptilinopus superbus) by Ian

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7 KJV)

Words & Music: 15th Century – This Endris Night

Birds in Christmas Hymns

This Endris Night

This endris night I saw a sight
A star as bright as day;
And ever among a maiden sung,
Lullay, by by, lullay.

This lovely lady sat and sung,
And to her Child did say:
My Son, my Brother, Father, dear,
Why liest Thou thus in hay?

My sweetest bird, thus ’tis required,
Though Thou be King veray;
But nevertheless I will not cease
To sing, By by, lullay.

The Child then spake in His talking,
And to his mother said:
“Yea, I am known as Heaven-King,
In crib though I be laid.

For angels bright down to Me light:
Thou knowest ’tis no nay:
And for that sight thou may’st delight
To sing, By by, lullay.

“Now, sweet Son, since Thou art a king,
Why art Thou laid in stall?
Why dost not order thy bedding
In some great kingès hall?

Methinks ’tis right that king or knight
Should lie in good array:
And then among, it were no wrong
To sing, By by, lullay.

“Mary mother, I am thy Child,
Though I be laid in stall;
For lords and dukes shall worship Me,
And so shall kingès all.

Ye shall well see that kingès three
Shall come on this twelfth day.
For this behest give Me thy breast
And sing, By by, lullay.

“Now tell, sweet Son, I Thee do pray,
Thou art my Love and Dear—
How should I keep Thee to Thy pay,
And make Thee glad of cheer?

For all Thy will I would fulfill—
Thou knowest well, in fay;
And for all this I will Thee kiss,
And sing, By by, lullay.

“My dear mother, when time it be,
Take thou Me up on loft,
And set Me then upon thy knee,
And handle me full soft.

And in thy arm thou hold Me warm,
And keep Me night and day,
And if I weep, and may not sleep,
Thou sing, By by, lullay.

“Now sweet Son, since it is come so,
That all is at Thy will,
I pray Thee grant to me a boon,
If it be right and skill,—

That child or man, who will or can
Be merry on my day,
To bliss Thou bring—and I shall sing,
Lullay, by by, lullay.

___

Some of the archaic terms require explanation:
This endris night: The other night, a few nights ago
Veray: True
Light: Alight
No nay: Undeniable
Methinks: I think
Pay: Satisfaction
Fay: Faith
Boon: Favor
Skill: Reasonable

Red Turtle Dove (Streptopelia tranquebarica) by Nikhil Devasar

More Birds in Hymns

See ~

Christmas Gospel Presentation

Wordless Birds

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal – – This Endris Night

Birds in Christmas Hymns – I Wonder As I Wander

December 18, 2011 by Lee

Crane Migration over Israel

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:7)

John Jacob Niles, 1933 – Collector of the music

Music – I Wonder as I Wander, Appalachian carol by Carl Rütti (1949 – )

I Wonder As I Wander

I wonder as I wander out under the sky,
How Jesus the Savior did come for to die.
For poor on’ry people like you and like I…
I wonder as I wander out under the sky.

When Mary birthed Jesus ’twas in a cow’s stall,
With wise men and farmers and shepherds and all.
But high from God’s heaven a star’s light did fall,
And the promise of ages it then did recall.

If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
A star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
Or all of God’s angels in heav’n for to sing,
He surely could have it, ’cause he was the King.

Mallards flying off by Ian

John Jacob Niles (Dates B-D) Collected by John Jacob Niles in Murphy, NC in July 1933 from a young traveling evangelist Annie Morgan. According to Niles, he asked her to sing the song repeatedly until he had memorized it. It was published in his 1934 Songs of the Hill-Folk. Written in a minor key, it’s qualities of pensiveness make it one of today’s most popular carols.

More Birds in Hymns

See ~ Sharing The Gospel

Wordless Birds

Most information from The Hymns and Carols of Christmas – I Wonder As I Wander

Birds of the World – Common Iora and Allies

December 17, 2011 by Lee

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) by Clement Francis

By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. (Psalms 104:12 NKJV)

While looking through ajmithra’s YouTubes, I came across this video about the Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) and thought I would share it. I always enjoy how he takes the sounds of birds and turns them into music. The little puffy cheeks are cute.

A j mithra (ajmithra as he prefers) has written many articles for our blog. Check out his page here and his YouTube videos.

Ioras are in the Aegithinidae – Ioras family of small passerine bird species found in India and southeast Asia. The family has only four species in a single genus, Aegithina. They are one of only three bird families that are entirely endemic to the Indomalayan ecozone. They were formerly grouped with the other two of those families, the Leafbirds and Fairy-Bluebirds, in the family Irenidae. Their Order is the Passeriformes

The Ioras are small to medium small sized passerines, ranging from 11.5–15.5 cm (4.5–6.1 in) in length. Overall the males are larger than the females. These are reminiscent of the bulbuls, but whereas that group tends to be drab in colouration, the ioras are more brightly coloured. The group exhibits sexual dimorphism in its plumage, with the males being brightly plumaged in yellows and greens. Unlike the leafbirds, ioras have thin legs, and their bills are proportionately longer. Calls are strident whistles; songs are musical to human ears.

Ioras eat insects and spiders, which they find by nimbly gleaning the leaves of the slenderest outer twigs.

In the two species whose male courtship displays are known, they are elaborate, culminating in the males’ parachute-style descent looking like “green balls of fluff”. The nests are compact open cups felted to branches with spiderweb. Females lay 2 or 3 eggs, which have pinkish speckles and red and purple lines. They incubate at night; the males, by day. Incubation lasts about 14 days. Both parents are responsible for brooding and feeding the chicks.

The four family members are:

Aegithina
Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia) by Clement Francis

Marshall’s Iora (Aegithina nigrolutea) by Nikhil

Green Iora (Aegithina viridissima) ©WikiC

Great Iora (Aegithina lafresnayei) Flickr

(Some information Wikipedia)

See Birds of the World

Birds In Christmas Hymns – Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

December 17, 2011 by Lee

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga) by Nikhil

A Psalm for Solomon. Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king’s son. He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. (Psalms 72:1-2 KJV)

Words by James Montgomery (1771-1854), 1821

[This hymn] is a metrical version of the Seventy-second Psalm. It was written as a Christmas hymn and was first sung on Christmas Day, 1821, at a great convocation of the Moravians in their settlement at Fulneck. At a Wesleyan missionary meeting, held in Liverpool on April 14 of the following year, 1822, when Doctor Adam Clarke presided, Montgomery made an address and closed it by the recital of this hymn with all of its verses…Doctor Clarke later used it in his famous Commentary in connection with his discussion of the Seventy-second Psalm.

Music: Ellacombe, Gesangbuch der Herzogl. Wirtembergischen Katholischen Hofkapelle (Württemberg, Germany: 1784); adapted & harmonized by William H. Monk in the 1868 appendix to Hymns Ancient and Modern, number 366

Birds in Christmas Hymns

Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

Hail to the Lord’s anointed, great David’s greater Son!
Hail in the time appointed, His reign on earth begun!
He comes to break oppression, to set the captive free;
To take away transgression and rule in equity.

He comes in succor speedy to those who suffer wrong;
To help the poor and needy, and bid the weak be strong;
To give them songs for sighing, their darkness turn to light,
Whose souls, condemned and dying, were precious in His sight.

By such shall He be fearèd while sun and moon endure;
Beloved, obeyed, reverèd; for He shall judge the poor
Through changing generations, with justice, mercy, truth,
While stars maintain their stations, or moons renew their youth.

He shall come down like showers upon the fruitful earth;
Love, joy, and hope, like flowers, spring in His path to birth.
Before Him, on the mountains, shall peace, the herald, go,
And righteousness, in fountains, from hill to valley flow.

Arabia’s desert ranger to Him shall bow the knee;
The Ethiopian stranger His glory come to see;
With offerings of devotion ships from the isles shall meet,
To pour the wealth of oceans in tribute at His feet.

Kings shall fall down before Him, and gold and incense bring;
All nations shall adore Him, His praise all people sing;
For He shall have dominion o’er river, sea and shore,
Far as the eagle’s pinion or dove’s light wing can soar.

For Him shall prayer unceasing and daily vows ascend;
His kingdom still increasing, a kingdom without end:
The mountain dews shall nourish a seed in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread and flourish and shake like Lebanon.

O’er every foe victorious, He on His throne shall rest;
From age to age more glorious, all blessing and all blest.
The tide of time shall never His covenant remove;
His name shall stand forever, His name to us is Love.

Eurasian Collard Dove by Reinier Munguia

More Birds in Hymns

Birds in Hymns – Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

See ~ Christmas Gospel Presentation

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal – Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

Birds In Christmas Hymns – Carol of the Birds

December 16, 2011 by Lee

American Yellow Warbler (Dendroica aestiva) singing by J Fenton

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11)

Written as – El Cant Dels Ocells – Traditional Catalonian Carol

Translator Unknown

Carol of the Birds

1. Upon this holy night,

When God’s great star appears,
And floods the earth with brightness
Birds’ voices rise in song
And warbling all night long
Express their glad heart’s lightness
Birds’ voices rise in song
And warbling all night long
Express their glad heart’s lightness

Black-headed Nightingale-Thrush (Catharus mexicanus) by Michael Woodruff

2. The Nightingale is first
To bring his song of cheer,
And tell us of His glad – ness:
Jesus, our Lord, is born
To free us from all sin
And banish ev’ry sadness!
Jesus, our Lord is born
To free us from all sin
And banish ev’ry sadness!

Savannah Sparrow singing by Ray

3. The answ’ring Sparrow cries:
“God comes to earth this day
Amid the angels flying.”
Trilling in sweetest tones,
The Finch his Lord now owns:
“To Him be all thanksgiving.”
Trilling in sweetest tones,
The Finch his Lord now owns:
“To Him be all thanksgiving.”

Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara koenigi) Pixdaus

Pixdaus

4. The Partridge adds his note:
“To Bethlehem I’ll fly,
Where in the stall He’s lying.
There, near the manger blest,
I’ll build myself a nest,
And sing my love undying.
There, near the manger blest,
I’ll build myself a nest,
And sing my love undying.

Photo

Found another version of the Carol of the Birds and it appears to be Australian Birds.

The Carol of the Birds
(Wheeler/James)

Brolga (Grus rubicunda) by Ian

Out on the plains the brolgas are dancing
Lifting their feet like warhorses prancing
Up to the sun the woodlarks go winging
Faint in the dawn light echoes their singing
Crana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day.

Crested Bellbird (Oreoica gutturalis) by Ian

Down where the tree ferns grow by the river
There where the waters sparkle and quiver
Deep in the gullies bell-birds are chiming
Softly and sweetly their lyric notes rhyming
Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day.

Silver-crowned Friarbird (Philemon argenticeps) by Ian

Friar birds sip the nectar of flowers
Currawongs chant in wattle tree bowers
In the blue ranges lorikeets calling
Carols of bush birds rising and falling
Orana! Orana! Orana to Christmas Day.
*

More Birds in Hymns

See ~ Share The Gospel

Most information from The Hymns and Carols of Christmas – Name of Hymn with Link to it

Birds of the Bible – Who Speaks To Birds?

December 15, 2011 by Lee

Cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus) Brevard Zoo by Lee

I am sure many of us have been near a Parrot or one of that family and have tried to talk to it. Right? We say “Hello!” or whistle, hoping that the bird will repeat us. There are plenty of bird species that will mimic words and sounds. (one example – Repeating Birds) How many times in Scripture are the birds spoken to and by whom? Let’s find out.

Pulling out my e-Sword Bible program and using the search feature, here is what I discovered.

1. God spoke to the birds or fowls
2. Man was told to speak to them twice
3. An Angel will speak to them

Protection at the nest by Anthony

God said for the birds to come into being (He Created or Formed them) in Genesis 1:20-21. Then in verse 22 we read:

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. (Genesis 1:22 KJV)

or

God blessed all the living things in the sea and told them to have many babies and fill the seas. And he blessed the birds on land and told them to have many more babies. (Genesis 1:22 ERV)

In all the translations I have loaded (around 30) it is either “saying” or “told.” After the Lord God created them then He told them to be frutful and multiply. They listened. Today there are 10,466 species (IOC) in the world living. Many more have become extinct.

Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) by J Fenton

In Job 12:7 They (men) were told by God to ask beasts and birds and they would instruct them.

But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: (Job 12:7 KJV)

or

“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you;
(Job 12:7 ESV)

John Wesley’s Elanatory Notes – “Job 12:7
But – If thou observest the beasts, and their properties and actions, and events, from them thou mayst learn this lesson: that which Zophar had uttered with so much pomp and gravity, (Job 11:7-9), concerning God’s infinite wisdom, saith Job, thou needest not go into heaven or hell to know. but thou mayst learn it even from the beasts.”

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) by Ray

Again in Ezekiel 39 you can read of Ezekiel being told by the Lord GOD to “Speak to the birds” and give them a message.

“As for you, son of man, thus says the Lord GOD: Speak to the birds of every sort and to all beasts of the field, ‘Assemble and come, gather from all around to the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you, a great sacrificial feast on the mountains of Israel, and you shall eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth–of rams, of lambs, and of he-goats, of bulls, all of them fat beasts of Bashan. And you shall eat fat till you are filled, and drink blood till you are drunk, at the sacrificial feast that I am preparing for you. And you shall be filled at my table with horses and charioteers, with mighty men and all kinds of warriors,’ declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 39:17-20 ESV)

Bald Eagle flying by Dave’s BirdingPix

The third incident of birds being spoken to happens in Revelations 19. John is describing what he sees in heaven (future). Again they are being invited to a feast. Both times it is not the kind of feast we would desire to be attending. Both times the “feast” is part of judgment from God.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. (Revelation 19:17-18 KJV)

Heaven here is referring to where the birds fly now. Not heaven as in our future home. The different version say this:

birds flying in mid-heaven (midheaven) (ACV, ABP, ASV, Darby,LITV, MKJV, NASB, RV, YLT)
fly in the middle of heaven (AKJV, KJV)
birds flying in midair (GNB)
fly through the midst of heaven (DRB, EMTV, ERV, NKJV, Webster)
birds that fly(or flying) across the sky (AMP, CEV, WNT)
the birds in flight in the heavens (BBE)
birds that fly directly overhead (ESV,GW, ISV, LEB)

There may be other times when someone spoke to birds, but for now, it wasn’t found by me.

Birds In Christmas Hymns – Welcome To Christmas

December 15, 2011 by Lee

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. (Luke 2:10 KJV)

Words: Birdie Bell (1877-?), 1886.
Music: Boxelder, Asa Hull, 1886

Birds in Christmas Hymns

Welcome To Christmas

Beautiful anthem the first Christmas wakened
Ages ago over Bethlehem’s plain;
Greeting the shepherds with magical accents,
Bringing deliverance from sin’s deep stain.

Refrain

Ring out a welcome to Christmas’ fair morning,
Herald its coming, each fresh, youthful voice;
Ring out a welcome, a bright cheery welcome!
Christmas is dawning, let earth rejoice!

Peerless the singers, and wondrous their singing;
Glorious theme: Lo, a Savior is born!
Royal Deliverer, His praises are ringing,
Hailing with joy the auspicious morn!

Refrain

Ring out a welcome to Christmas’ fair morning,
Herald its coming, each fresh, youthful voice;
Ring out a welcome, a bright cheery welcome!
Christmas is dawning, let earth rejoice!

Shall we not join in the loud, swelling chorus
Sending the message from mountain to sea;
Let fairest Peace spread her dove-like wings o’er us,
Making our hearts His fit home to be.

Refrain

Ring out a welcome to Christmas’ fair morning,
Herald its coming, each fresh, youthful voice;
Ring out a welcome, a bright cheery welcome!
Christmas is dawning, let earth rejoice!

Under His Wings – (Dove – photographer unknown)

More Birds in Hymns

See ~ Wordless Birds

Most information from The Cyber Hymnal – Welcome To Christmas

Lee's Birdwatching Adventures Plus

Birdwatching from a Christian Perspective

Monthly Archives: December 2011

God & Natural Law – Answers in Genesis

Birds in Christmas Hymns – Christmas Brings Joy To Every Heart

Birds In Christmas Hymns – The Worcester Christmas Carol

Ian’s Bird of the Week – Red-crowned Parakeet

Birds In Christmas Hymns – The Friendly Beasts

Birds In Christmas Hymns – This Endris Night

Birds in Christmas Hymns – I Wonder As I Wander

Birds of the World – Common Iora and Allies

Birds In Christmas Hymns – Hail to the Lord’s Anointed

Birds In Christmas Hymns – Carol of the Birds

Birds of the Bible – Who Speaks To Birds?

Birds In Christmas Hymns – Welcome To Christmas

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