Christians Sing the Song of Hope
I recently saw an internet meme on Twitter poking fun at a man’s stoicism toward the movie Titanic, but being deeply moved emotionally by the recording of a bird from 1987. Curiosity claimed me, and as the trope goes, curiosity kills the cat. And, in this case, it brought a real ache to my heart and a longing for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. Allow me to explain:
The recorded bird call, from the meme, was of the now-extinct Kaua’i ōō (oh-oh) bird. This specific species was located in the Hawaiian Islands; and, if you do decide to go and listen to that bird’s song, it is actually quite pleasing. Disappointingly, the song of the male ōō bird is incomplete due to that, when recorded in 1987, it was the very last bird of the Kaua’i ōōs left in existence. The recording is of the bird attempting to attract the female of the species with its song. In this bird species, the birds would sing a duet and mate for life. This last bird’s song will forever be incomplete, for the bird sings for another that will never hear, never respond, and never arrive. The male would eventually die, and the ōō’s would become officially extinct in 2000.
That reality, though the internet meme was meant for some kind of comedy, is quite sad. And, for myself, also very moving. I believe it is so moving because it speaks to the human condition. I investigated, meaning I googled, the reason why the ōōs went extinct, and it was due to the introduction of foreign species that destroyed their habitat. An invader, something foreign, came and destroyed the life of this species, and so it is the same reality for humanity.
Man, at one point, dwelt in peace and prosperity with our creator God. We worshiped and sang in God’s very presence and it was very good, but something foreign was introduced. Sin was brought into the cosmos and like an invasive species, it destroyed Man. Now, because of sin, man dwells in a wrecked world, but not one without worship or song. Man sings to things, like the Kaua’i ōō that will never hear, never respond, and never arrive. Just as the psalmist writes in Psalm 135:17-18,
“They have mouths, but do not speak;
they have eyes, but do not see;
they have ears, but do not hear,
nor is there any breath in their mouths.
Those who make them become like them,
so do all who trust in them.”
Man, in his carnality, sings a solo unto the grave, for there is nothing that can join in to make the song of man complete. This is what the apostle Paul means in Romans 1, that Man has, “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Rom. 1:25)
But this is not so for the Christian, the new man created in Jesus Christ. For by the Lord Jesus, the Christian sings a new song unto the Lord. And we, as the cherished bride of Christ await the day that Jesus, our bridegroom, joins us once more. As he speaks through the Prophet Jeremiah, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jer. 33:3)
The bride of Christ does not sing her song to any but the Lord of glory, and he has promised that his joy will be made complete in us. We do not sing anymore as those who have no hope of life beyond the grave, we do not sing as the Gentiles do, who are strangers to the promises of God that are Yes and Amen in Christ Jesus! No, we sing defiantly, we sing boldly, we sing with exuberance, we sing with eternal hope. The bride of Christ waits and sings knowing that one day our joy will be made complete in the return of our King and that we will never be put to shame.
Christian, our end is not that of the ōō that lived and died. Our end is to sing to God, worship him, and enjoy him forever.
