I Didn't Know This . . .

We get The Voice of the Martyrs magazine, which is an excellent publication, regarding the pursecution of churches throughout the world. A picture caught my eye, of a rooster weather vane on top of a church steeple. In the article it read " . . . today I learned that some courageous churches in Muslim-dominated Indonesia have a rooster on their steeple so they will remember not to deny Jesus as Peter did before the rooster crowed." I did a search on "rooster weather vanes" and found a place that sells rooster weather vanes, and gave a brief history of these rooster weather vanes which stated "According to legend, over 1,000 years ago, papal decree ordered that a symbol of the rooster be mounted on every church steeple in Christendom. The rooster was a reminder to the congregation not to deny their faith as the apostle Peter did when the cock crowed three times. By the 13th century these stationary roosters were made into mobile weathercocks. To this day the rooster weather vane is considered the most classic and popular of all." I learned too that Roman Catholic churches are no longer capped by weathervanes. Rooster weathervanes found today are generally on top of Protestant churches, both in Europe and America.

I had just picked up a beautiful little ceramic rooster at Good Will for 99 cents. It now has a new meaning. It will also be a new reminder whenever we see rooster weather vanes, and to be bold for Jesus, and even though we have "freedom of speech", we can still deny Him by things we don't say or stand up for.