On the 2nd day of Christmas...Two Turtle Doves

"On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree"

"The Turtle Dove" Sophie Anderson

"The flowers are springing up, the season of singing birds has come,
and the cooing of turtledoves fills the air."
~ Song of Solomon 2:12 ~

Perhaps because of Biblical references, but also because of its mournful voice and the fact that it forms strong pair bonds, Turtle Doves have become emblems of devoted love.  In Renaissance Europe, the turtle dove was often cast as a companion to the phoenix, even here in an obscure William Shakespeare poem (originally untitled, contemporarily referred to as "The Phoenix and the Turtle"
 

Phoenix of beautie, beauteous, Bird of any

To thee I do entitle all my labour,

More precious in mine eye by far then many

That feedst all earthly sences with thy savour:

Accept my home-writ praises of thy loue,

And kind acceptance of thy Turtle-doue

Even in the Aussie version, the two pink galahs are "lovie dovie"

Wonderphoto by Jazzerat

And now, without further ado... Please welcome today's guest blogger

Chelsey of Joyfully Living and Titus 2 at the Well

I had the pleasure of becoming Chelsey's friend in 2004, at the introduction of our dearly loved (and missed) mutual friend, Laura Belt.  It has been an honor and a privilege to share a friendship with her, and her blog is always thought-provoking and so honest!  I know that you'll enjoy her thoughts today!

The turtle doves have come to symbolize many things over the years; peace, love, sacrifice… just to name a few. They are also unique in that both the male and female share the incubation and feeding of the young. They both have their part to play in raising up their children. It is a bit fitting then, that some have even used them to represent the Old and New Testaments.


Both the Old and New Testament share in the incubation and feeding of the Lord’s children. The Old gives birth to the New and the New finds its stability in the Old. They work together in harmony to paint a beautiful picture of our life story in Christ; past, present and future.

There is no greater example of their unity found then when we study the birth of our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Old, foretells of a righteous King ( Jeremiah 23:5-6 ) that would shoot up from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-5) , bind up the brokenhearted and proclaim freedom to the captives (Isaiah 61:1-2) and would rule over His kingdom as the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7). The New breathes life into the foretold King. First as a babe; born of a virgin, placed in a trough. Later as a man crucified for the sins of the many. Finally as the risen Savior who sits as King at the right hand of God (Hebrews 1:3).

The Old gives way to the New.

Together, they give us the greatest story ever told.

Together, they mold and shape the story of Christ.

As we focus on the beauty of Christ during this season, let us not forget the greatly laid out foundation given in the Old Testament. For without the beginning, there would be no ending.

By His Grace and For His Glory,
~Chelsey~
Mom to six blessings

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Don't forget about our gift certificate giveaway - with a drawing, from ALL the comments on all the days!

• Post a comment (1 per day – so after you check out the next day’s blog, come back here and enter again – just like the song builds every day, so do your chances!
• If you haven't already, post the button (then a comment letting me know)

<a href="http://noelgiger.blogspot.com/search/label/12%20Days"><img alt="ReDeemed button" width="125" src="http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/aa5/noelgiger/12daysbutton-1.jpg" height="125"/></a>

• Blog, Tweet or Facebook about this giveaway with the link (then a comment letting me know)
• Follow me (then a comment letting me know)
• BONUS entry! Visit Chelsey's blogs and look around, then come back and leave a comment to tell us what you like best!

The fine print:

• You must leave a SEPARATE comment for each entry – this is the only way to keep it fair and straight (and keep me from having to kill a tree printing them out and cutting them apart!)
• All giveaways will be held on December 13th
• A random number generator will be used to determine the winner(s)
• If your e-mail address is not publicly listed on your profile, please include it with your comment(s)
• We reserve the right to re-draw if the first winner does not respond within 48 hours (please don’t let this happen – that would just be sad!)