Matthew 6.25-33                                                                                    13 September 2009

“CONSIDER THE PETS OF THE FIELD”

I want to begin this morning by inviting you to remember your trusty pet at home.  Or if you don’t have a pet now, like me, remember your favorite pet from the past.

For how many of us is that current or favorite pet some form of feline like a cat? For how many of us that pet a bird like a parrot or a parakeet?  For how many of us is that a gerbil, a hamster, a guinea pig or a ferret?  For how many is that pet a turtle or a fish, a lizard or another reptile? I begin by remembering these pets because we are about to bless all manner of pets out on the village green after worship today. And before we bless these beloved pets, we do well to pause and remember how our pets have blessed us. They are the glory of God’s creation come back to reflect the beauty and variety of our loving Creator. Jesus invited us to consider the birds of the air or the lilies of the meadow.  Today we consider the pets of the field to find our rightful place in the order of God’s belovedness.

Of course, the one pet I left off my list moments ago is the most popular of all: the family dog.  How many of you have for a current or a favorite pet who is a dog?  That is the case for me. In fact, I have here in my wallet a photo of my Irish Setter named Griffin who lived to almost 17 years.  Where did I put that?  Oh, here it is.

I rescued Griffin as they were ready to destroy the last two pups who didn’t sell from a litter of eleven.  I put him on my lap at six weeks old and drove him home.   Then I carried him on my lap to the veterinarian as he said goodbye to this world.

What is it about pets in general and dogs in particular that evokes such a positive response? How are they able to provide such comfort and reassurance? Therapy Dogs International screens dogs for personality, obedience and training. They provide certification for more than 4,500 pet partners who provide service for 350,000 patients in the United States. Whatever it is, we know that dogs demonstrate loyalty and obedience, and offer comfort and a sense of well-being.

Companionship is maybe the most underestimated word in the English language.   One pastor had a young man come and talk to him about getting married.  “Why are you getting married?” he asked him.  “Well, I’m lonely,” he said. “I need some company.”  The pastor’s eyebrows shot up.  “Lonely? Then why get married?  You should get a dog.” The point is for a companion, you can’t improve on a dog.

I heard on the radio that we have more dogs in this land than we have children.  Our dogs have a place in our heart that is almost as precious and no less a part of our family. Let’s recount how our pets bless us on our way. My message today is to share seven dog blessings with which we might bless others on their way.

Number one: always, always greet loved ones with a wagging tail.  As a pastor, I ponder the relationships that fade and fail because of how we take each other for granted. Griffin never did that. He fell all over himself making me feel welcome. And he did it with fresh enthusiasm every day as though it were the first time!  For the first 15 minutes inside the door, his tail was like rhythmic applause on the floor. I confess, I would tease him and delight my family by turning, gradually inclining toward Griffin, as he watched my every inflection with razor sharp focus.

The more I turned, the louder the thump, thump, thump.  I turned away it almost faded.  I turned and faced him fully, it was like the bass drum in a parade. Noth-ing is more important than feeling loved. And there's no creature on the planet that does it better than a dog. The wagging tail affirms that this is where we be-long.  This is our home, where we live, where we are safe and where we're loved.

Number two: enjoy your food with gusto and enthusiasm.   Sometimes when we eat together, especially with strangers, we are guarded.  We partake cautiously. After all, the simple act of eating together reflects that we are all needy creatures. Acknowledging our neediness can make us self-conscious.  And the joy of being provided for and sharing with one another—pure joys of being alive—gets buried and lost. But how many dogs have you met inhibited and self-conscious like this?  

Griffin would first salivate like he had never seen food before. Then he’d nose the bowl all the way across the floor.  Finally, he would lick his jowls for minutes with this stricken look, “Mmm. No more?”  Dogs know that eating is a celebration of life.  Breaking bread together is holy. Nourishing the body is not a chore, but a sacrament. Imagine, animosities are dissipated at meals, barriers broken down, friendships renewed and strengthened. So let us eat with gusto and rejoice in life.

Number three: on hot days, drink lots of water and lie still under a shady tree. Re-lax, slow down and enjoy. Give yourself a time out. Opt out, unplug, and get lazy.  Do you ever have trouble giving yourself permission like this?  “I need to be pro-ductive, I need to be busy, I must prove my worth.”  Now, how many of you have ever owned a dog that was embarrassed about getting all of his rest? Our family used to look at Griffin, think of the guy who coined the term—“it’s a dog’s life”—to describe life’s toil and tedium.  And say that guy must have never owned a dog!

Number four: make sure you run, romp, and play every day.  Just as dogs make sure to get their rest, they also have a moment when the light comes on and they jump, play, chase, and romp.  For some dogs it is after their dinner.  For Griffin it was unpredictable.  But he would get that sock with a tennis ball in it and shake it within an inch of his life.  Or he would put a slobbery stick on my lap and dare me to throw it.  Or he would beg me to let him off his chain so to chase the rabbits and squirrels who were taunting him.  Here’s another thing: did you ever notice how they know to stretch as soon as they wake up and before they start running?  I am not that smart.  I need a physical therapist to tell me to stretch, especially as I get older.  Dogs bless us by reminding us that when we stretch and play and get some exercise we feel more like ourselves, we feel better from the inside out.

Number five: if someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close, and nuzzle gently.  One Friday I had played ice hockey with some undergrads half my age at Ohio State University. I tore a ligament in my knee. It was so painful I didn’t sleep one wink. And I had to preach to a few hundred wider church guests at our church the next day. I don’t know that I’ve ever felt so alone. When no other hu-man knew about my troubles in the dark of that lonely night, Griffin came up from downstairs to my bedroom. He stayed up all night with me. I will never forget that.  Dogs have an instinct for when to be excited and when to just be there alongside us.  We should do so well as to gain this sense!  Words are not always needed, or even helpful to convey empathy; at times a gentle nuzzle is more than enough.

Number six: when you are happy, dance around and show it.  Why is it that we fail to celebrate so often when we have more than ample cause to do so?  Dogs are way ahead of us here.  When Grif-dog was six weeks, a strawberry blonde Irish Setter pup—we would take him to church youth group meetings.  He was so happy to be around fawning high school kids, he would spring straight up in the air.  Kyle Huber, who also had an Irish Setter, said, “You said your Setter was pure bred.  I don’t believe it.  I think he has a little bit of rabbit in him!” Celebration is a powerful dynamic for living the lives God meant us to live.  It affirms the basic goodness of life.  Those highs seem to pick us up from hitting the inevitable lows.

Number seven: if you can’t be anything else, at least be loyal.  Have you noticed how loyalty has hit hard times? But when we experience it in another, it is golden. As in Golden Retriever. As for Griffin, we had him before we ever had children. Once the girls arrived, he knew he’d slipped a notch or two in the family pecking order.  His attitude toward us never changed though.  Our girls would ride him or tug on his ears. He would merely roll his eyes at them. Or go to another room if they were too hard on them.  He never snapped at them.  Loyalty is a good thing. It’s a key element of discipleship, an essential, unforgettable way to bless others.

Today before we bless the animals, we first pause to take stock of how they have blessed us.  And in my final story I want to move in the direction of Heifer Project International.  It is a Christian ministry of outreach that gives female animals of various species—cow, goat, bees, sheep—to the poor.  It has touched 8.5 million families like this around the world. And the only repayment required of them is to give back the first female born from that animal so that Heifer can keep on giving.

Anyway, I knew one such family in the mountains of Honduras back in 1984. A group of us was touring the mission partnerships of the UCC. One day we went to a dirt-poor village where for the first day they had running water out of faucets.  No more hiking back and forth to the well! They were so happy and excited, they could hardly speak: songs and chants and prayers were lifted.  The exhilaration was palpable. One man, caught up in the moment, spontaneously offered his testimony. He picked up a young female goat.  It didn’t look that much bigger than a kid.  He held it aloft and said, “I have had five children.  But my youngest girl is the first one to get enough milk.  And that because of this Heifer Project goat.”  We all responded with applause. Some of us quietly shed a tear at his joy.

How many ways has God blessed us through his creatures?  It seems to me that this Sunday of returning that blessing is way overdue.  Let the celebration begin. Please give generously to Heifer as we offer generous blessings upon your pet.  Amen.  

I wish to acknowledge the Rev. Dr. Wesley Taylor of Tualatin United Methodist Church in Tualatin, Oregon, for the conceptual framework of this material.