What in the world does this text have to do with the blessing of the animals? [re-tell?] It’s our assigned Gospel reading for the day…AND I THINK IT’S PERFECT…as we reflect not just on how cute our little critters are, but as we consider again the ways that God has “leased” them and all creation to us human beings.
God is the land owner; we are the part-time tenants of this planet. And when the produce comes – how we tend to want to hog it all for ourselves! How we can be fooled into believing it’s all rightfully ours…and not God’s, the land owners…
So God sends servants to ask us to share – Martin Luther King, Jr., Oscar Romero, Francis of Assisi, Mother Theresa – and we call one a communist, another a lunatic and off his rocker, we assassinate another, and we let the last do her crazy work in some far off land, where we “admire” her from a distance, claiming that we could never do that…
So God sends more servants – children, animals – and how we can treat them in similar ways…Using them for our own purposes…
“Serve me, pet! Make me laugh. Comfort me, children, make me feel loved. Provide something for me.”
That’s my tendency…rather than letting children and animals teach me about God. About trusting God with everything. Children and pets can teach us that. They can teach me about knowing that all is in God’s hands. They’re not clueless and dumb. In the trusting of the trees and the children and the animals, lies the wisdom of God.
A day of Blessing of the Animals, really goes both ways. We can pronounce God’s blessing on these animals, but they don’t really need that from us. Like we said in the Psalm, they live their lives in a way that truly expresses God’s love and blessing for them. What’s really happening on this exciting day is that we are remembering that the animals are blessing us, with their wisdom, their ability to trust God.
And God, the land owner, who seems out of his mind – I mean, why does the land owner keep sending messengers to get killed? – but God, the land owner, keeps trying to get through to us: SHARE!
Share what you have. It’s not yours to begin with. Share with one another, and there will be enough to go around. I think that’s at the heart of Jesus’ instruction here. Take a longer view…and share.
Those wicked tenants, we wicked tenants, I’m afraid want it all and we want it now. The real sin of those tenants is that they have no vision and no ability to trust that they are in God’s hands, and so they try to take matters into their own hands, as if it’s their land.
As we reflect on God’s planet, how might we let the animals bless us, and teach us to have a greater vision, to see far in front of us? Native Americans talk/think regularly about 7 generations past themselves. How will their actions affect 7 generations beyond themselves? That kind of thinking might radically change our decisions.
Here’s the gift. God keeps sending messengers and as we look around this morning, we can see evidence of that – both human messengers and non-human! God is still trying to get through to us, God even sends his only Son to us. And even if he too was executed, not even death could stop him…and Christ is still coming into the vineyards we’re renting. Asking us to share, and loving us regardless. Calling us to be faithful, and accepting us even when we’re not. God is so generous – these animals are a sign of that. God is so faithful. And again asking us simply to trust.
Today’s a hard day for my family, because we miss Oscar, who was here this time last year...
Leave you with an image—Oscar trusting. On his back, loved to have his belly rubbed. Contrast that with Luther's definition of sin: self curve inward, unable to trust anyone, see much farther than yourself. But Oscar taught us about trusting completely.
May we too be so trusting. Because no matter what, God holds us, and comforts us…and always will. Amen.
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