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Dear
Resurrection Friends,
Sometimes it’s hard to
tell the difference between church-goers and dogs.
I should
explain that last week there were 15 dogs in church for our St.
Francis Blessing of the Animals (+ 2 fish and a toad). Sometimes
we’re like dogs because we’ve been trained to respond in certain
ways without even thinking about it. Tell a dog to sit, give
them a treat and you’ve made a friend for life.
Unfortunately,
sometimes we treat our relationship with God the same way. We
figure that if we sit when we’re told or don’t mess on the
carpet (metaphorically speaking) that we’ll get our reward in
heaven. But does God really care whether or not we’re
‘house-broken’ or that God’s house is filled with mercy, love,
and compassion?
Now,
obviously I don’t think we’re like dogs or that God wants us as
‘pets.’ But there is lots we could learn from their attitude of
joy and gratitude for our daily faith. Whenever we walk in the
door, our pets greet us with wet kisses and a wagging tail. Why?
What have we done? All we did was come home and they’re excited
to see us again. What would that look like in our relationship
with God?
Sometimes in
church, it’s seems as though we’ve been trained like dogs. For
example, if someone says, “Hear what the Spirit is saying to
God’s people,” at the end of scripture reading the immediate
response is, “Thanks be to God.” We don’t even think about it.
But sometimes I’m not thankful for what we just heard. Sometimes
the Word of God is challenging and disturbing. What can we say
then?
Thanksgiving
is an opportunity to examine our automatic response, “Thanks be
to God.”
Are we
comfortable saying it with a question mark at the end? Can we
say it while life is
hard for so many good people? Or when there are children
and families who go without food, while others have so much it
makes them sick? Are we able to say thanks when we don’t
understand all the reasons for some things?
Do we only
say thanks when God gives us some kind of treat? Or just because
God has walked in the door of our lives? When does our thanks
spring from our lips as an authentic response from the depths of
our hearts? And what would it be like to live a life full of
thankfulness?
I’m grateful
that we’ve got a holiday like Thanksgiving to pause and reflect
and learn new patterns of living. I’m grateful for the lessons
of animals. And I’m grateful for a community where I can say
with conviction, “thanks be to God.”
Peace,
Love and Blessings,
Stephen
Murray
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