Ravens And Doves

At the end of forty days Noah opened the hatch he had made in the ark, and he sent out a raven, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. It flew back and forth until the waters dried off from the earth.  Then he sent out a dove, to see if the waters had lessened on the earth. But the dove could find no place to alight and perch, and it returned to him in the ark, for there was water all over the earth. Putting out his hand, he caught the dove and drew it back to him inside the ark. 

He waited seven days more and again sent the dove out from the ark.  In the evening the dove came back to him, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf!  So Noah knew that the waters had lessened on the earth. He waited still another seven days and then released the dove once more, and this time it did not come back.

This reading from Genesis understates the importance of another bird – the raven.    The dove always gets credit for finding that dry land and, of course, symbolizes the Holy Spirit.  The raven went “back-and-forth until the waters dried off.”   It seems the raven did all the hard work, but got none of the credit.   No Holy Spirit reference for the raven!  The dove has the limelight. 

It’s time we recognized the raven’s contribution.  And why not?  Consider ravens in Native American Culture.  “Raven is a Native American god called by many different names by many different tribes. The symbolic meaning of the Raven in Native American lore describes the raven as a creature of metamorphosis and symbolizes change/transformation.”

This definition provides the logic for choosing the raven as the symbol for the Holy Spirit.  When we receive the Holy Spirit we change; we are transformed.   The Holy Spirit is the third part of our image of God – the Holy Trinity. 

So, next time we think of the Holy Spirit as a white, passive bird, consider the alternative: a black, smart, and aggressive bird – the one that flew back-and-forth; the one that led the way.   When we receive the Holy Spirit, we are supposed to be leaders and the ones who lead the unfortunate and lost to dry land and safety.

Deacon David Pierce