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They bray … usually late in the afternoon. And they crow … usually in the morning. We live in the country where you can see the stars and hear the animals all around you. The donkeys live west of us and the chickens live next door. And several years ago, we drove into our driveway to find at least 50 or more turkeys in our backyard; they gobbled.

Wikipedia actually has a list of animal sounds and the words used to describe them. An alligator bellows or hisses. An antelope snorts. A badger growls. A ghost bat screeches. A grizzly bear growls. A cat meows and a dog barks. A chicken clucks or crows … early in the morning! And the donkeys bray … late in the afternoon!

Those are the sounds of life in the country, and it’s wonderful. It beats the honking of horns and the shrill cry of sirens and the endless sound of traffic. Cows moo. Cicadas chirp. Crows caw. And deer bellow (bucks) and bleat (does). Did you know a giraffe bleats?

Our scripture lesson is from 1 Corinthians 15:9-11 GNT, “[9] For I am the least of all the apostles – I do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted God’s church. [10] But by God’s grace I am what I am, and the grace that he gave me was not without effect. On the contrary, I have worked harder than any of the other apostles, although it was not really my own doing, but God’s grace working with me. [11] So then, whether it came from me or from them, this is what we all preach, and this is what you believe.”

I wrote last Sunday about the donkey’s role on Palm Sunday. He carried Jesus into Jerusalem without any recognition or reward. Next, I plan to write about Paul as God’s donkey. He did the work and said after it was done, “I do not even deserve to be called an apostle.” He worked harder and expected less than any of the apostles. We already have plenty of people who’ll work less and expect more; it’d be nice to have a few more “donkeys” in our world! Are there any Paul’s out there?