Robin Mathews-Johnson                                                                                                                                   Isaiah 11:6-9

“All Creatures Great and Small”

LOVE THE ANIMALS

I don’t know about you, but I love animals.  As a Navy brat growing up, we moved so often that we usually couldn’t have pets, but when I became a mom, that all changed. 

When they were old enough, I pretty much let my kids have one of any kind of creature they desired.  You want a what?  Okay!  Over the years we had a rabbit, a cat, a dog, rats, lizards, a guinea pig, birds and even a hatchling tortoise.  In fact, the first memorial service I ever did was for one of our precious little beasts. 

Of course, my oldest tells me that we went overboard with our pets, and maybe she’s right.  But I sure like all creatures, great and small.

We have a tradition of caring for animals in church, too.  The founder of Methodism, John Wesley, preached on behalf of their humane treatment, and we honor St. Francis of Assisi on this special Sunday.  He was real big on loving every living thing.

There’s also quite a biblical history with many different critters—starting with Genesis when it all started, through Noah, and on from there.  This makes sense because we know animals, just like us, are all part of God’s wonderful design.  

Speaking of pets reminds me of the story of about the priest, who was driving down the freeway with two penguins sitting in the back seat of his car.  A police officer pulled the priest over for speeding, and upon seeing the penguins, said to the priest, “What do you think you’re doing with those penguins?  Take them to a zoo right away.”  Then the officer let the priest go with a warning.

The next day, the officer saw the priest drive by again, with the penguins.  The officer pulled the priest over.  This time the officer saw that the penguins had sunglasses on.  He said to the priest, “I told you yesterday to take those penguins to the zoo.”  The priest replied, “I took them to the zoo yesterday.  Today we’re going to the beach.”

I know that animals—especially big, loud or jumpy ones, can be annoying.  Like kids, they can get under foot and cry for attention.  They often need a lot of care.  But they say having a pet keeps you young, and oh look at what we get back when they tag along with us. 

Nothing is as devoted as a loving pet.   

On this day we remember the pets of our childhood, and we’re grateful for the animals that are still a part of our lives.  They remind us that the divine nature of things is not limited to humans.[i]  All life is sacred, and what a gift!

O LORD OUR GOD

As it says in the eighth Psalm, “O Lord our God, how wonderful is your name in all the earth.  O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is your name over all the earth!  You have exalted your majesty above the heavens.”[ii]

And that kind of majesty shows up in every living thing. 

Of course, that’s why we’re blessing the animals here today.  To give a blessing means we ask God’s favor upon that which receives it, and today we’ve brought a few of our own favorite friends—our dogs, cats and all—to be given this gift. 

“The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.”  What a vision of harmony that is!  It’s hard to imagine all those wild animals sitting around not eating each other. 

Of course, that’s the point. 

According to the prophet Isaiah, this special kind of peace is one that will begin right here, if we’d only give it half a chance.  When you think about it, we humans can learn a lot from all creatures, great and small.  What we need to do is reshape our hearts, and live our lives as Jesus taught us: with compassion. 

And that kind of caring includes animals, too, like the ones we’ve brought here today.

ONE MORE STORY

Let me tell you one more story about an animal that illustrates what I mean.  A long-time veterinarian once explained that the hardest part of his job was spending time with families when he had to put their pets to sleep.[iii]  If living became a burden for the animal, whether from pain or loss of normal functioning, he would help the owners by ensuring that their beloved pet died easily. 

He knew that making the decision to put a pet down was a painful one.  He often felt powerless to comfort the grieving owners.  But that was before he met Shane.

He had been called to examine Brownie, a ten-year-old dog that had developed a serious health problem.[iv]  The dog’s owners and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Brownie, and they were hoping for a miracle. 

But when the vet examined the dog, he found that it was dying of cancer.  He explained to the family that there were no miracles left for Brownie, and he offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.  As he made the arrangements, the parents told the vet that they thought it would be good for their young son to be with them.  They felt that Shane could learn something from the experience.

The next day, the vet felt the familiar catch in his throat as Brownie’s family surrounded him.  Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time.  The vet wondered whether the boy understood what was going on.

Within a few minutes, the dog slipped peacefully away.  The little boy seemed to accept the dog’s transition without any difficulty or confusion.  They sat together for a while after Brownie’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. 

Suddenly, Shane who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”  Startled, they all turned to him.  What came out of his mouth next stunned them all—the vet had never heard a more comforting explanation. 

The boy explained it like this, “Everybody is born so that they can learn how to live a good life. Our job is loving everyone, and being nice, right?”  The little boy continued, “Well, animals already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Remember my friends, be kind to animals.  Under God’s reign, “[t]he world will be ordered so that the fragile and vulnerable can have their say and live their lives.”[v]  Let us make it so, for all creatures great and small, in the name of Christ, amen.