Christmas, Day 8
Turtle Doves at the Christmastide Pageant
When the eighth day came, it was time to circumcise the child, and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord”), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”
—Luke 2:21-24 (NRSVue)
The turtle dove is a rich biblical symbol and a beautiful addition to our Christmastide pageant.1
The Turtle Dove
The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion (New ed. thoroughly rev. and much enl.) #43
1.
Hark! don't you hear the turtle dove,
The token of redeeming love?
From hill to hill we hear the sound,
The neighboring valleys echo round.
O Zion, hear the turtle dove,
The token of your Savior's love!
She comes the desert …
