Gills and Gulls...

Imagine dawn on creation's fifth day. Our world had plants and trees. Earth experienced its first sunrise. The moon disappeared in the brightness of an empty blue sky. Oceans were still and lifeless. Not a sound was heard except for the whisper of the wind through the trees.

Earth was, well, quiet.

Quite. Quiet.

No living creature inhabited the water. No winged bird soared in the sky. No bug crawled the ground. No bee buzzed the air.

The earth was still.

And then God, the greatest conductor in the world's finest symphony, spoke.

"Swarm, Ocean, with fish and sea life! Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!"

And God began the business of creating the host of sea life and the vast array of winged birds:

"God created the huge whales, all the swarm of life in the waters. And every kind and species of flying birds. God saw that it was good." 

God, in his infinite wisdom, created the octopus and the squid. God created the whale and the barracuda. The seagull and the pelican. The owl and the woodpecker.

Noise, Movement. Life. God filled the water. He filled the sky. And for the first time, on Day Five, God blessed his creation:

God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean! Birds, reproduce on Earth!"

Not only did God create marine life and aves, he intricately designed their bodies to reproduce and populate his world. God blessed his creation and commanded them to grow vigorously and multiply.

 As the sun sets on Day Five, the earth moves with energy. The ocean teems. Sounds are heard: the owl's hoot, the woodpecker's hammering pound, the dove's coo. We feel the building excitement - the edge of your seat eagerness for what it yet to come. Day Five leaves us breathless with anticipation for the Grand Finale!

It was evening, it was morning - Day Five. 

Scripture from Genesis 1:20-23 (The Message)