How do feathers make a noise?

The other day I took my dog for a walk. I looked up at the brilliant blue sky and noticed an enormous approaching flock of grackles and black birds that rose from our woods and headed south over our house. These flocks form every winter, disband every spring and are always impressive and awe-inspiring to watch as thousands of birds stretch in a huge black band across the sky. The flock moved as one body, rising, twisting, flowing, and sometimes descending on trees, shrubs and lawn with noisy squawking, clicking and chirping noise. I have often wondered which bird dictates their direction. It seems like some bird has to lead and some bird has to be last! Sometimes the middle of the flow bulges and forms a new direction that sort of sucks the ends along. Sometimes the entire flock reverses direction upon itself looking like a wave of the ocean hitting the beach and then receding; the following birds then become the leading birds. Is there purpose in their direction? Are they actually headed somewhere or do they fly for the sheer joy of being able to do so?

This particular day the flock flew directly overhead stretching across the sky like a black ribbon. There was no sound other than the combined whoosh of thousands of wings. Just how do feathers make such a noise anyway? Awestruck at the sound I wondered, would true worship look like this moving, shifting, flowing flock? Would true worship sound like the awesome noise made by something so fine?  Would true worship create a response in the observer of awe and wonder?

“And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech…” NRSV Ezekiel 1:24a.

           This feeling of being awestruck is similar to what I experience during camp worship, especially with the campers under the age of 12 years. Their worship is uninhibited, energetic, and pure. If the words say, “dance,” they obey! These youngest of worshipers, whose movements of praise appear like the moving, shifting, flowing flock of birds, are small in size, their hands and feet have trouble with rhythm, and their voices may not produce harmony, yet their praise is awesome. They worship for the sheer joy of being able to do so. And the Almighty Observer responds with sheer holy joy, and He dances with them.

“The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great joy in you. He will quiet you with His love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Zeph 3:17