The Interrupting Chicken

I'm told I need to pick my children up in the sanctuary after their first day of Vacation Bible School.  It's a ranch theme, and I'm already smiling at the teenage helpers dressed in overalls, bandanas, and cowboy boots.  I'm a little early, so I sneak in to see the skit that one group performs on the stage.

I can hardly hear them speaking because of the chickens. 

Yes, chickens.

On the corner of the stage--as decoration in a nice cage--three chickens squawk as loud as they can.  Somebody thought that chickens would be a nice touch, I'm sure.  Somebody had to pull some serious strings to get live chickens in the sanctuary.

The chickens sit on that stage and squawk so loudly at the exact moment anybody tries to speak.

I start laughing.  The other parents coming in behind me start laughing.  Then, all the children are laughing.  They call the chickens the "interrupting chickens," and it's obvious who steals the spotlight.  

It's never a good idea to use creatures as decoration, and apparently, you can cage their bodies but not their voices.  Those chickens took down a room full of humans.  I imagine some disgruntled volunteer went and released them.

Meanwhile, I'm asking my children about God, what they learned about the Bible, and what sort of ways they might have developed good character this morning.  They stare at me, wide-eyed, and announce that they actually witnessed interrupting chickens.

Chicken in a cage flair.   If only I could be so confident in the power of my own voice.