I woke before dawn and sleepily crawled down the hall to my chair under the light in the living room. I took up the revelation of God, the Scriptures, and turned on the switch. As I began to read and pray Napoleon began to crow. Napoleon is a Yellow Buff rooster living among ten hens in our backyard. He is a proud and beautiful bird among his harem. But what makes him crow and even before the Sun crests the horizon? With my eldest son missing from the home I set upon the quest to answer this question without his ready answers for all our fowl questions.
The answers that I discovered were varied but most all began with some form of “we really do not know”. I appreciate this when scientist admit their limits and allow us non-scientist to continue our musings. One of my favorite explanations came from a scientist of a particular class that would blame all the annoying troubles we face in life upon “testosterone”. This person blames their crowing upon their flaming testosterone levels in the morning as they lay claim to their hens under their watch. This leaves me with not a bit of wonder as to why my seven year old daughter would wake up this morning and with an angry countenance say, “Did you hear Napoleon this morning crowing for an hour?” However, my second favorite reason of uncertainty came from a scientist who said, “Roosters crow whenever they feel like it”. This scientist admits he does not know why they crow but is certain by observation that they do. Therefore it must be because they feel like it. This fits well with a manly worldview. Therefore my imaginary conversation with Napoleon goes something like this. “Napoleon, why are you choosing to crow before the sun has shown itself?” “Well Pastor, because I feel like it.” And with this explanation we can go about our independent autonomous lives doing whatever we feel like doing. After all we do rule the roost! But if you must know the truth I am not buying these reasoning’s. However, my musings ran wild with theological implications when I read another idea from a story told by the Hmong of Southeast Asia.
The story is told something like this: Long, long ago when the world was young, the sky played host to nine suns. The suns scorched the land, dried up the waters, and killed the crops. Therefore the people chose from among their host the most skilled archer to shoot the suns from the sky. The archer rose to his calling shooting arrows from his bow and began to rid the sky of these scorching sons. Finally the archer had rid the sky of eight menacing suns and only one fearful sun remained. This sun in her fright hid herself behind the highest mountain where the archer’s arrows would not reach her. The people were now in darkness and the land grew cold, the seeds did not sprout and the plants would not grow. The people were in dread of what they had done. They began to cry out from the earth in gentle tones hoping the sun would come forth to shine in her glory upon them. But she would not show her face. So they called upon the songbirds of the earth to sing sweet and delightful songs to her, but she would not respond to creations call. At last someone suggested that the brash and beautiful rooster should call to her with his tireless crow. The rooster rose to the occasion and called three times and the sun believing all was safe came forth from the mountain to shine in her glory upon the people and their land. And the sun graciously adorned the head of this gallant and gracious bird with a bit of her glory. Perhaps our scientists could use a dose of imagination like this to assist them in their musings when the answers do not clearly present themselves. But somehow I do not think this story would make it very far in a dissertation on animal behavior in the Poultry Science Department on Ag Hill at the University of Georgia. But for me a non-scientist looking for some enjoyment in the use of God’s revelation and my own musings it was just what I needed.
As I sat this morning under the light of the lamp that shed man made reflections upon the page of God’s revelation, the true light, I read, “the soul who sins shall die.” (Ezek.18:4). And then Napoleon crowed, and I knew I was guilty and justly deserving God’s wrath. And then I considered that Jesus Christ the Lord became sin for me (2Cor.5:21) and died for my sin to take the Fathers just condemnation upon himself to set me free (Rom.2:23-26), that he became a curse in my place that I may be justified before God by faith in Christ (Gal.3:13-14), and I knew and felt mercy, and basked in his grace and truth with my thoughts and affections. And then Napoleon crowed, and I knew that just as the sun crests the horizon every morning, so the mercies of God are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23). And I hear Napoleon crow during the day or at dusk and I am reminded that I am continually in need of the mercies of God toward me in Jesus Christ. When the rooster crowd Peter had denied knowing and enjoying the Lord of the universe and he went out of the presence of the people and wept bitterly. Why, because he needed mercy. The rooster’s crow was loud enough for us to hear from the pages of Scripture and so was Peter’s bitter cry.
I do not know why the rooster crows but I know that when he does I am reminded I need mercy. The Hmong people need the light of the sun to shine upon their faces and their land to live, they need the mercy of God who commands the sun, and so the rooster called for mercy. The Hmong people need the light of the glory of God in the face of Christ to shine in their faces because the “soul who sins shall die” and all have sinned falling short of the glory of God by exchanging the glory of the immortal God for the glory of the creation and the creature (Rom.3:23; 1:23). And it is the true story that informs all other stories whether they be in rebellion to that true story or somehow a reflection of the true story. Napoleon crows all the time in my backyard and I am reminded that I am continually in need of God’s abiding mercies in Christ Jesus and I will cry out in repentance and thanks for his mercies as I walk by faith in his grace.
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