This last Sunday was one of the most meaningful worship experience of this year, with the blessing of our pets celebration. Although I have been a part of this type of celebration for many years in Seattle, WA, this is a fairly new concept for folks in Rock Springs, WY. Last year was the first celebration in worship for this congregation and we had a pretty fair turn out with six dogs, six cats, and one gold fish. This year, we had a much larger turn out with fiftenn dogs and seven cats. I regret to report that the gold fish didn't make it through this past year. I am posting the meditational thoughts that I used for this celebration which I hope will be of inspiration to you who read this blog and help you in your developing relationship with our God, Creator Parent.
Another Connection to GodBy Rev Steven R Mitchell
First Congregational UCC, Rock Springs, WY 10/17/10
Based on Genesis 1:24-31; Psalm 104: 10-34; and Luke 12:22-30
I have probably shared this story with many of you, but when I was in seminary, there was a standing reference by most of the faculty, of one of my pastoral mentors, Dr. Rev. Roger Fredrickson, saying, “That Roger could have a religious experience just walking across the golf course.” As I grow older, I appreciate more and more this back-handed compliment and hope that someday; I too, might be referred to in this manner, because this refers to the depth of my mentor’s Spiritual awareness.
There is another person that the wider church looks to as being a person who could have a spiritual experience by just walking across a field or through the simple act of observing nature. We acknowledge that man this morning as we celebrate worship with the focus on “blessing our pets.” For some of you, this might be the first worship service that you have experienced where we take time out to thank God for our pets and give a blessing to them and you might not understand “why” we do this or even if it is really “Christian”. Then there might be those of you who were here last year when we had our first service of blessing our pets and not really understand “why” we do this, especially during worship.
The person that I am speaking about is Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone, more commonly known as St. Francis of Assisi. He was the founder of the Order of Friars Minor, more commonly known as the Franciscans. Francis is known as the patron saint of animals and of the environment. It has been customary for Anglican and Roman Catholic churches to hold ceremonies blessing animals on his feast day of 4 October, and as we become more aware of our relationship with our environment and a broaden understanding of an all encompassing Creator, more and more Protestant denominations are also taking part in this celebration.[3] Wikipedia
As I was reflecting on the First chapter of Genesis and the portion that we read this morning, I looked at a large number of translations to see what words were most commonly used that might have lead to we human’s misunderstanding of our role within God’s creation. The verse that most speaks to our perceptions of responsibility comes in verse 28, “God blessed woman and man, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." In general the most common words used in a variety of translations are words like: reign, dominion, rule, and subdue. All of these words, on face value imply that we have power over creation and can be thought of as being solely for our use and abuse. There is little reference here that would lead us to think in terms of working alongside or of giving equal value to those other creatures that God placed here on earth.
However in Eugene Peterson’s translation we read a very different understanding. “God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.” Here Peterson uses the phrase “Be responsible for…” This gives a whole new perspective as to how we as “humans” are to relate with the rest of God’s creation.
We are to be “responsible!” Isn’t that one of the first things we learn as children, when we are adopting our first pet, be it a gold fish or a puppy or a rabbit; to be responsible to it. This means, feed it on a regular basis, change its litter box, make sure it has water, or change the water in the case of fish, and to show love toward it. These are basically the same things that we do as parents with our children, so why would it seem odd to think of our pets as any different as one of the members of our family unit?
There is this huge theological debate as to whether or not humans are the only creatures that has a sole, which then allows us to think of anything not human as less than human. We do this with people groups actually. That was one of the arguments as to justify people as slaves, especially black folks; they were less than human somehow, which then allowed us to place them in positions lower than ourselves. Through St. Francis’ spiritual growth, he began to recognize the sacredness of animals, which allowed him then to have conversations with them, as indicated in his sermon “Peace, bird, peace.” For St. Francis, it became another way of connecting with God and with God’s creation over all.
Jesus a millennium before St. Francis, spoke about this same awareness and connectedness with God’s creation, as he dealt with the anxiety of daily living. "Don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or if the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the ravens, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, carefree in the care of God. And you count far more.”
When I am in a public setting, not knowing anyone, it isn’t unusual for strangers to pick me out in a crowd and start up a conversation with me. Most people think this is because I have that look of “accessibility”, but when I ask these people “why” did they chose me to visit with out of all the other people who are in that gathering, the majority tell me it was because I looked like I was “present.” What that means is that I was a person who seemed aware of what was going on at that particular time and place.
I think this is what Jesus was speaking about to his audience. Don’t let the worries of tomorrow occupy your mind, because if you do, you will miss what is going on right now. If you are always thinking about the future or even the past for that matter, you are not living in the “present” and you will not be receiving the full benefit of what it has to offer. Animals live very much in the present. They don’t worry about what they should wear, or about planting food, all that stuff will be taken care of by God. St. Francis noted this, and we do also to some extent when we take the time to observe what our pets have to offer us, especially when it comes as total unconditional love. Living in the present, in the moment, if you will, is another connection to God.
I would like to close these thoughts with something that was sent to me some years ago by e-mail, titled, “Things I learned from my Dog”
• 1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
• 2. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• 3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• 4. When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.
• 5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
• 6. Take naps and stretch before rising.
• 7. Run, romp, and play daily.
• 8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
• 9. Be loyal.
• 10. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• 11. When someone is having a bad day, be silent. Sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
• 12. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• 13. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• 14. When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• 15. No matter how often you’re scolded, don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout…. run right back and make friends
• 16. Delight in the simple joys of a long walk.
Let us realize through our pets, “Another Connection to God!” Amen
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