“Can Humans Learn Anything From Animals?”
based upon Job 39:13-18 & 26-30 (page 462) and Luke 3:21-23 (page 891)
by
Rev. Dr. Paul A. Lance, Minister
First Congregational United Church of Christ
201 South Second Ave., Alpena, Michigan 49707
March 6, 2016
On this 4th Sunday in Lent, I continue to look at the animal stories
that are connected with Jesus’ life. Already we have spoken of the
brooding mother hen gathering her chicks under a sheltering wing, the
blood-thirsty fox on the prowl, and the camel that couldn’t fit through
the eye of a needle. All of them are represented on our “Living Lent”
banner, together with two sets of birds… the eagles and the doves.
We will talk about them in a moment. But, first, I want us to
engage the larger realm of “animal life” in general. Just last Saturday,
Paul Moceri and I attended a workshop in East Lansing about “Faith &
Sustainability.” The presenter pointed out that many Christians feel
either “disconnected” from the natural world (as though humanity is
“set apart” from plants & animals, rivers and rocks) or that we have
“dominion” over the rest of earth’s creatures, to use them as we see fit.
Ask yourself: Do not animals share with humanity the fate of life
on earth? Does not our human activity impact profoundly the lives of
our fellow creatures? And are they not a blessing to us, not only as pets
and companion animals, but as workhorses and (yes) even as our food.
When we read the prayer of confession, we were reminded that
God’s everlasting covenant (that is, God’s promise and blessing)
includes the animals – all flesh that is on the earth! That first, basic,
over-arching relationship with our Holy Creator God is not only with
you, and your children & grandchildren after you, but “with every living
creature that is with you: the birds, the domestic animals, and every
animal of the earth!” It’s in the Bible (Gen. 9:10)! We are connected.
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I cannot speak about animals in the Bible without, first, thinking
about pets -- their partnership with us, the special relationship between
us human animals and these other “animal peoples” who become part
of our lives -- the gift that pets are to us… as well as their place in the
world of nature which enriches us all.
As you all know, having a pet in the house (often for ten, fifteen,
twenty years) builds strong bonds of mutual affection, without which
our own lives (our familes!) would be poorer. Just this week Brian &
Belinda Hanna’s family, Lydia & Emeline, got a new black & white
border collie puppy (Apollo); he is beautiful, calm, and friendly, and fun.
Milan Kundera (the Czech novelist who wrote “The Unbearable
Lightness of Being”) says that “Dogs are our link to paradise. They
don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside
on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was
not boring – it was peace.”
Do the animals know God? I mean, we all know that these diverse
animals (represented on the banner and living with us in our homes) are
uniquely created flesh-and-blood, fur-and-bone packages of DNA (as are
we!) but… do they have anything to teach us about God, the Creator,
that universal divinity that loves unconditionally?
Well, yeah! The loving, forgiving, companionship of God is
perhaps no better experienced than in the prompt way our pets come to
us, greet us with a purr or a wag of the tail, or a sticky lippy slurpy kiss.
Job Chapter 35, verse 11 asks: “Who teaches us more than the
creatures of the earth? Who makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?”
The religious answer, I suppose, would be that “God makes us
wiser than them” -- putting the emphasis on humankind’s uniqueness as
being somehow “smarter than” the other species. But I hear the question
differently: Is there any experience in life that can teach us more than
what we can learn from observing the creatures of the earth?
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You might wonder: how can animals teach us anything if they
don’t speak our language? I’ll bet every one of you who has a pet (or
better yet, whose pet has you!) has found that non-verbal but deeply
meaningful way of communicating in animal-languages. Not a Dr.
DoLittle kind of “talking to the animals” -- mimicking their sounds as
though in dialog -- but the inherent eye-contact and gesture, the upticked ears or down-turned tail, that says so much. Martin Buber, the
Jewish philosopher, has said that “an animal’s eyes have the power to
speak a great language.” A horse’s eyes… a doe, a deer… your dog.
Our pets don’t need words to communicate their messages to us.
They let us know: I’m hungry; you wanna play?; get lost!
Patty and I have cats instead of dogs, and each one of ours has a
unique personality. If all dogs go to heaven, I’m sure cats will join us,
too. I think it was Anne Tyler, the novelist, who suggested that every
hotel ought to offer pets as an option, so the guest would feel more at
home. Just think: a cat to sleep on your bed at night, or a dog of some
kind to act pleased when you come in. Without them, a hotel room feels
so lifeless. I think: so would heaven!
Linda Blair, the child actress from “the Exorcist” who (as an adult)
has become an animal activist, writes: People always joke that “dog”
spells “god” backwards. They should consider that it might be The
Higher Power coming down to see just how well they do, what kind of
people they are. The animals are right here, right in front of us. And
how we treat these companions is a test.
Her words make me think of the “Parable of the Last Judgment”
that Jesus told (Matthew 25:35): I was hungry and you gave me food, I
was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and
you took me in… I was sick and you took care of me.” How we treat
not only our beloved pets, but the strays (and the other animals, who
differ from us humans) may be a measure of our basic righteousness in
God’s eyes! – God, our Creator, whose Covenant is not only with us, but
with all living creatures… ostriches, eagles, dogs, vultures, doves.
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Jim Jillson, who was a member of our Southern California Central
Association Executive Committee, had become active at the Arcadia
Congregational Church because their Minister, Rev. Jolene Cadenbach,
said it would be OK that his dog could come to worship with him.
When Jim’s beloved dog died, the church held a memorial service.
Beverly Warrenfeltz (a member of my former church in Torrance)
sent me an email with a photo of a little girl hugging a big black lab.
Here’s the story behind that picture (and I quote):
Our 14-year-old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after
she died, my four-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and
talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could
write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would
recognize her. I told her that I thought we could, so she dictated
these words:
“Dear God, Will you please take care of my dog? She died
yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much.
I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though
she got sick. I hope you will play with her. She likes to play
with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so
when you see her, you will know that she is my dog.
I really miss her. Love, Meredith.”
We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and
Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return
address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of
the envelope, because she said it would take a lot of stamps to get
the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon, she dropped it into
the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God
had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our
front porch addressed “To Meredith” in an unfamiliar hand.
Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mister Rogers called
“When a Pet Dies.” Taped to the inside front cover was the letter
we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite
page was the picture of Abbey and Meredith, and this note:
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“Dear Meredith, Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right
away. Abbey isn’t sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me
just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog.
“Since we don’t need our bodies here in heaven, I
don’t have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am
sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and
have something to remember Abbey by.
“Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your
mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What
a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for
you. I send my blessings every day, and remember that I
love you very much. By the way, I’m easy to find; I am
wherever there is love.
Love, God.”
Beverly’s email to me added: It is not known who
replied, but there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter
office of the U.S. Postal Service.
Pets in particular, but animals in general, too, are significant interrelated parts of life on earth, which belong in our theology as well as in
our ecology. The effort to relate our Christian faith with “sustainability”
was important enough to Paul Moceri & me to make the trek down to
the Michigan Conference UCC Office and back, and I’m glad we did it.
Now, on to the bird stories we heard this morning… First, the
more familiar picture of Jesus at his baptism, experiencing the Holy
Spirit coming down to rest on him like a dove coming home to roost.
Jesus, a perch for the Spirit of God.
“O holy Dove of God descending, you are the Love that knows no
ending. All of our shattered dreams you’re mending: Spirit, now
live in me.” (lyrics by Bryan Jeffrey Leech, 1976)
And a voice was heard from God, saying: “Thou art my beloved
Son; with thee I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)
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This happened, says Luke, when Jesus was about 30 years of age.
And the voice from heaven that called Jesus his beloved Son, was not
that of Joseph the son of Heli, the husband of Mary. No, it was God’s
own voice, speaking through the cooing of a dove.
It is a good thing to know that you have been blessed by a parent,
set free as a young adult to be yourself, and assured of continued love…
(My Mom Dodi & my Dad did it; yours did, too, I suppose.) How much
more significant it must be to have that parental blessing stated by God,
who says (in effect): “I’m proud of you.” The dove cooed and Jesus
heard God saying: “I love you.” And then he got started in his ministry.
The Old Testament reading from Job, Chapter 39, are also words
from God, but they speak of some very different kinds of birds: not a
cooing dove, but an ostrich, and then a hawk, an eagle, and vultures
(birds of prey). Church artists like to depict the “peaceful dove” as an
expression of God’s Holy Spirit, but there are few allusions to ostriches!
And to think we might learn something from birds of prey…? We just
don’t go there.
Here’s what God says about the ostrich: “The wings of the ostrich
wave proudly; but are they the pinions and plumage of love?” Actually,
no. God points out that “she leaves her eggs on the earth, and lets them
be warmed on the ground (instead of sitting on them); forgetting that a
foot may crush them and the wild beast may trample them.” Apparently,
God actually cares more about the well-being of ostrich chicks than
their own mother does! She struts, and fluffs her wings, and runs faster
than a horse and rider; but “she deals cruelly with her young, as if they
were not hers.” Is there a lesson for us in the behavior of that bird?
There’s too much of that ostrich-like behavior among us humans, too.
Then God points to the hawk, and asks: “Is it by your wisdom that
the hawk soars, and spreads its wings toward the south?” In other
words: have we human beings (who are so proud of our dominion over
the other animals) taught the birds how to fly so high and so far? Are
we the ones who programmed their GPS to fly south for the winter, and
come back in the spring? If not proud humanity, then who?
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“Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes its nest
on high,” asks God, “on the rocky crag? And given it eyes that can spy
out prey from high above and far away”
And the vultures… who suck up blood… “Where the slain are,
there is he!” says God. So, who gave the buzzard its bald head, so that
carrion would not stick to it, as they devoured a dead creature? Who
assigned such a low-down dirty job to so grand a wingspan, a direct
descendant from the dinosaur raptor? Are there lessons we humans can
learn from birds? In the wild, if it were not for the vultures, and other
death-eating dogs, the world would be knee-deep in carcasses. The
recycling of life needs those insects and animals that clean up our slain.
I do not intend to leave you with images of the more gruesome side
of life, but to make the point that God has an eye on all the creatures
and sees meaning in their behavior. Maybe we should ask ourselves:
“Who teaches us more than the creatures of the earth? Who makes us
wiser than the birds of heaven?” It’s through infinite variety & diversity
that God’s world functions to bring life to all and to assure continued
sustainability. God speaks to us not only through the dove, but through
all kinds of birds, if we have ears to hear.
To that end, I have arranged an essay by the Rev. Richard Grauman
into a responsive reading: The Holy Spirit is For the Birds. Let’s enjoy…
One:
All:
One:
All:
The Holy Spirit is a dove descending from heaven. (see Luke 3:22)
It is the wind beneath the wingspan of an eagle in flight.
It is the vibration of a hummingbird darting from flower to flower.
It is a roadrunner in the desert, preparing the Way for the Lord.
The Holy Spirit is in the war-cry of a hawk, the eagle of national pride,
and in the sparrow… of whom we are told “God’s eye” is upon it.
The Spirit is in the travels of ducks & geese as they fly south for the winter,
and also the same presence that guides their safe return.
It is in the rising of a phoenix from the ashes, and in a pigeon headed home.
It is in the stories of storks carrying babies. God is a life-bringer & a lover.
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The Spirit of God is in the song of a nightingale & the dance of a whooping crane.
It is in the wake-up call of a rooster, as Saint Peter was reminded.
God’s Spirit is with the penguins as they trek across the icy Antarctic,
belly-flop into the ocean, and torpedo through the water,
as well as when they stand guard over their eggs and chicks.
God is in the mother hen, keeping her brood safe from the foxes.
God’s Spirit is in the speed of a running ostrich and in the size of its egg.
It is in a healthy chicken’s egg and in the blue-speckled robin’s as well.
God’s Spirit is in the nest high in the branches of a tree, or on the craggy cliffs.
It nests in blades of grass on a savannah, in burrowed hole, or hollow tree.
It is in the cage of a parakeet, and in the tropics of a multi-colored toucan.
It is in the Michigan snow with the swans and in the barn with the owl.
The Spirit of God may perch on a statue’s head or roost on a building’s ledge.
It soars. It rests. It glides.
It hovers. It attacks. It dives.
It swoops. It sits. It swims.
It waddles. It walks. It hops.
It sings. It honks.
It warbles.
The Spirit screeches war. It coos peace.
It is large. It is small. It is peacock proud.
It is goldfinch beautiful. It is vulture ugly.
It gives. It takes. It provides. It flies. It is all this and more.
Yes, this is the Holy Spirit of God.
(adapted from “The Holy Spirit is for the Birds” by Richard C. Grauman,
Crossroads UCC, Lakewood, CA, Central Association UCC, Jan. 30, 2010)
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