|
June 14, 2009: BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS
Genesis 9:8-17, Colossians 1:15-23, Psalm 8
Eileen Parfrey -- Springwater Presbyterian Church
As you may know, on my study leave last weekend, I helped lead a 4-day Franciscan Hermitage retreat. The Hermitage was developed to create a place to practice the presence of God, mostly by eliminating the distractions to that practice. Which means four days of silence. Many people fear such an extended period of silence is impossible for them. But you would be surprised what a gift it really is, once you are in the midst of this guided silence.
In the rhythm of Hermitage, the first day focuses on God’s good gift of creation. St Francis is famous for embracing all of creation in praising God. On Earth Day this year, I used the Godly Play story-telling method to teach the children Francis’ Canticle of the Creatures—Praise to you, O Lord, through our Brother Son and Sister Moon. Most people are familiar with Francis’ relationship with animals—the garden statue of the guy in the robe with birds on his hands and shoulders. This comes from the stories of Francis preaching to the birds, which I used to think that was sentimental whimsy, until I read today’s passage from Colossians, in which Paul claims to be a servant of the gospel which is reconciling to God everything on earth and heaven. For Paul this means, therefore, that the gospel is proclaimed to every living creature. Francis’ interpretation of Paul is perhaps a more literal than sentimental reading—“every” meaning birds and wolves as well as people.
Well, whether or not you think you could be silent for four days, I know you would have liked the explanation on the first day, as to why creation. You may have seen Rublev’s icon of the Trinity, arguably one of the most famous icons ever written. In this icon, the three Persons of the Trinity sit in a circle, with the fourth side left open for us. Embraced by this circle of love, we learn that, because there was so much love between the Persons of the Trinity, the natural consequence is creation. God creates out of the overflowing of Trinitarian love. Once there is creation, God is concerned to show love to creation. So it was that God became Love Visible, the Creator in creation, God incarnate, and by this act (as Colossians tells us), reconciling to God’s self all things, whether on earth or in heaven.
I had a radical thought this week, as the image of Rublev’s icon grew and bore fruit in me. As a Reformed theologian, I hold to the notion of God’s perfect freedom. Because God has perfect freedom to love, God’s desire for us is our perfect freedom to love God back. God never forces or requires our love. It is only love if it is freely given. Given freedom to love, we humans, apparently, exercised our option. The choice to not love God is what we call “sin.” God remains steadfast in the declaration that creation is “very good.” We are still in the image and likeness of God. This is why our Quaker brothers and sisters say there is “that of God” in all of us.
It strikes me that, we here in Springwater live by the notion that there is “that of God” in all creation. I see it in the conscientious care our tree farmers and foresters exhibit, it’s in the stewardship you show toward the soil and water, it’s in your support of the Green Team here at church. It’s more than an appreciation for the long-term financial rewards of good stewardship of resources. It looks to me like an expression of gratitude for the gift you’ve received, a desire to pass it on to your children and grandchildren. There is a spiritual element to your earth values, as if caring for Mother Earth is part of your relationship with God.
So we come today to bless the animals. Many of you have brought your pets with you. This act of blessing is a corporate expression of our relationship with God, a realization that God wants to be in loving relationship with all of creation, not just humans, and that God uses all of creation to let us know that. Especially our pets. When Rick and I first got Sadie the talented sheltie and pastor’s Prayer Puppy, you knew right away, because suddenly the sermons were illustrated with lots of dog stories.
When I say that, out of love for creation the Trinity made a visible expression of love by becoming incarnate, you know I mean Jesus. By our reckoning, that was 2,000 years ago. But we dog owners know God also granted a small and simple parable of love still visible today. Some days I think God gave us dogs to teach us about loyal, unconditional love. Those are the days when I return home, and Sadie turns inside-out for joy that I wasn’t eaten by a predator and have once again returned to the pack. But dog-love goes the other way, too, as if it’s a parable, not just for God’s loyalty to us, but a parable for how we relate to God. Feed me, play with me, scratch my ears, let me love you, teach me tricks, discipline my digging through the garbage, help me overcome my need to bark at squirrels. Like all metaphors, this one breaks down. Does God worry about my shedding and make sure I get my vaccinations? But surely God metaphorically grooms and protects us—helping us with rough spots in our character, pointing out traits that need fine tuning.
Perhaps, rather than a dog parable, we can call to mind people who practice seeing “that of God” in us. If you participated in any of artist Melanie Weidner’s activities during the sabbatical, or again in May of this year, you can appreciate that there are humans who respectfully and lovingly look for “that of God” in you, making room for you to see it as well, helping you clear the path to nurturing those traits. This discovery —“that of God” in ourselves—is so we can pass it along. When we know there is “that of the Creator” in ourselves, when we know we ourselves are natural consequences of the love that flows so freely and powerfully between the Persons of the Trinity, the way is clearer for us to see that in others, to embrace it even in Brother Dog, Sister Cat, Brother Hamster, Sister Snake. Let us all join together in praising our God who creates in the freedom of love.
|