Sermon: More Dog Stories

Sermon Text: More Dog Stories

​When I got married all those years ago, I thought I was in charge.
 
As you can imagine, this was an illusion.
 
One of the things I thought I was in charge of was whether or not we’d have pets. I was not an animal guy. Pets are messy and need a lot of time and attention. I was a neatnik and had other plans for my time and attention.
 
I was not an animal guy. I have not always had great luck with animals.
 
In the first church I served, I visited an elderly woman. Her cat insisted on being in my lap. When I left that home, I had an itchy rash from the top of my clerical collar all the way up my chin.
 
In the next church I served, my whole family visited a member of the church who had horses. He wanted my little girl to try it out, and he put her up in the saddle. But the horse started to jump around a little bit, so I grabbed my little daughter to save her from the horse. And the horse stomped right on my foot. This smarted a bit, as you can imagine.
 
A week later, I visited the home of another parish family. They had a huge German shepherd. They said, “Oh, don’t worry — he’s fine.” Immediately the dog jumped up and bit me right in the chest. It drew blood and everything. This made me wonder if I’d chosen the right parish in Pennsylvania.
 
So I was not an animal guy, you know? But it turns out that I married Dr. Doolittle. She loves all critters. And even though, being in charge, I thought we should avoid pets, during our 43-year marriage there were maybe 3 years when we were animal-free. We’ve had guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, lizards, birds, cats and dogs.
 
Our current canine is third in a series. He’s seven years old, and his name is Jackson. And here’s the thing:  he’s pretty great. I’ve come around on the whole animal thing. My dog has taught me some really important stuff.
 
This time of year, a lot of churches have animal blessings. You see, it’s near the day in the church calendar honoring St. Francis. The tradition is that he loved animals and they loved him. This afternoon at 4:00, I’ll be here to bless all the animals that you bring. And so I thought this morning would be a good time for me to mention some of the really important stuff my dog has taught me.
 
These are just random lessons — maybe one or two of them will resonate with you, whether you have a pet or not. So here we go.
 
Joy is meant to be shared. A dog is always ready to celebrate. Time for a walk!  A treat!  A toy! A dog is a living exclamation point! Dogs know how to play, and that’s something I need to do more often.
 
Also, love is an action word. Dogs lift us up when we are down, and celebrate with us when we rejoice. That’s something Jesus told us to do, by the way.
 
And dogs are loyal to the end, and never withhold affection. I came across this quote in my reading:  “We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare, and love we can spare. In return, dogs give us their all. It’s the best deal humans have ever made.”
 
Another thing my dog has taught me never to turn down an opportunity to go for a walk. So my dog is as smart as Thomas Jefferson, who once said, “Of all exercises, walking is the best.”
 
And my dog appreciates the simple pleasures of life. A nap, some leftovers from last night’s dinner, a pat on the head, a gentle word — all of those and more can make a dog so happy. My dog seems to believe that every meal is the best meal ever! I would be a happier person if I learned that kind of appreciation.
 
I have also noticed that if I take a couple of moments to drop everything else and spend a little time petting my dog, my stress level goes down and I feel a little more peaceful. That’s hard for me to do as one of those busy, Type-A, get-it-done-now kind of people. But it’s worth it. And this is a great lesson my dog is teaching me.
 
But maybe the most important stuff my dog teaches me is about love. My dog loves me unconditionally. He doesn’t care what I look like. He doesn’t care how much money I have. He doesn’t care if I am a wildly successful anything. He just loves me — totally, and without reserve.
 
He loves me just as I am. Don’t you think that’s an amazing thing? Don’t you think that’s pretty wonderful? Don’t you think that’s a little like what we say in church about God’s love? I do.
 
So I want to sing you a song about this very love. It’s a song I learned on the internet, of all places. It’s a song by composer and singer Wendy Francisco.
 
I look up and I see God — I look down and see my dog
Simple spelling G O D — same word backwards, D O G
They would stay with me all day — I’m the one who walks away
But both of them just wait for me — and dance at my return with glee
Both love me no matter what — divine God and canine mutt
I take it hard each time I fail — but God forgives, dog wags his tail
God thought up and made the dog — dog reflects a part of God
I’ve seen love from both sides now — it’s everywhere, Amen, bow wow
I look up and I see God — I look down and see my dog
And in my human frailty — I can’t match their love for me