The Rooster We Share

What’s up with the bird? Great question.

Our logo is a crowned rooster taking up the cross. The Rooster is a universally recognized image. Drawing on the Scriptures, the rooster kindles holy imagination. It evokes sacred remembrance of Jesus’ grace to sinners, of the certainty and joy of our sharing in his resurrection and serves as a herald of The New Day that is still to come when Jesus returns to make all things new.

Our Rooster reminds us that Jesus died for sinners. It takes us to Jesus’ dark night of betrayal and desertion by his disciples. It reminds us of Peter’s failure as he denied his Lord three times before the cock crowed. Days later, the resurrected Lord met Peter one morning on the seashore. Surely a rooster was crowing in the background. His shame triggered. His sin remembered. The Savior shows up. In that encounter, Jesus pointedly asked Peter three times if he loved him. Our Rooster reminds us of Jesus deep love for sinners, that He is the King of Love.

Our Rooster retells of Jesus’ triumph in His glorious resurrection. Roosters cannot help themselves. They always announce the break of day. Most likely one was ushering in the dawn as The First New Day broke, as Jesus, the Lord of Life, was brought back from the dead. Because Jesus has been raised, we now share in His righteousness, are already raised ourselves to a new life, and await our own blessed resurrection that He has pledged to do for us too.

Our Rooster relays The Great New Day to come. Deep down, we know that things are not as they should be. We are broken. The world is fractured. Creation groans. A new day has dawned in Jesus death and resurrection. The penalty for sin has been paid. The power of sin has been broken and greatly diminished. Yet the nagging presence of sin still haunts us and all creation. Come Lord Jesus. Come King of glory. Come and dry every tear! Come and heal the nations! Come restore fully your rule and reign. Come and make us and all things new!

Our Rooster rejoins us together as the new people of God. Just as a rooster gathers, watches over and protects his brood, Jesus does the same for his. He is gathering together a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language. As we read into Acts and beyond, we see the beginning of this new community. Disciples, like Peter and Paul, transformed. Like them, we too take up our cross and follow Jesus, moment by moment, learning to live in the power of the gospel and in dependence upon the grace of the Holy Spirit. Always together. Together under the banner of The Good Shepherd. Together in worship. Together in mission. Together to the end.

Finally, a few other remarks on our rooster. Historically, many Protestant churches in Europe placed a rooster atop their steeples to distinguish them from Catholic Churches. Culturally, the rooster is synonymous with the rich rural farm land that surrounds us here. It fits the Lakeway area. This particular logo was gifted to us by City Pres in Oklahoma City, a church within our denomination. We have made a few small modifications to the original.