First Thursday after Pentecost
Lectionary Texts:
Genesis 1:20-23
Matthew 28:16-20
Thanks to Chris for his comment.The metanarrative does make sense when your read the Bible cover to cover, although I'm not at all sure that I think in metanarrative terms.
My apologies to same day readers for the lateness of the blog today. We have been entertaining houseguests and 40+ year friends, Nelson and Becky Green, who are Episcopalians and sometime blog readers from Athens, Tennessee, home of Tennessee Wesleyan College, where I taught and was Chaplain from 1979-1983.
Tomorrow Marianne and I are getting our new dog. She is, or at least looks like, a female version of our old dog Pretzel, who died last October. Like him, she is a black and tan dachschund. We have been thinking about a name. We have only till 1:00 pm Friday to decide. Dachshunds are a German breed, which led us to use the German word "Pretzel" for our former dog. "Struedel" I thought of yesterday. Yes, that would be two consecutive dogs named after German pastries. But tonight I thought of "Roxie", so she would be Roxie the Doxie. At this late moment (the rest of the household has gone to bed) I'm favoring "Roxie." If any of you would like to weigh in on this momentous decision, please do so before noon Friday.
This will be only my second dog in my 76 year lifespan, Pretzel the first. I'm a little nervous. I want her to love us as much as Pretzel did. We certainly have plenty of love to give to her. She is a rescue. They think she is about five years old. They know nothing of her former history.
Did I miss a lot by never having a pet when I was growing up? I never really wanted one. I'm sure that if I did, my parents would have gotten one. I was attacked by a German shepherd when I was eight and was taken the hospital. I got at least one shot, but I don't remember much more. It took me 20 years to get over my fear of dogs. I'm still not entirely comfortable around large dogs.
It's strange that no pets are ever mentioned in the Bible. Dogs are mentioned but almost always in a negative way--wild dogs. Cats are not mentioned. Sheep are in the Bible a lot, but they aren't really pets.
God of all creatures great and small,
We give you thanks for all the animals of your creation. In this age of extinction, help us to preserve the species of your earth. Help us to care for your living world, just as it cares for us. In the name of him who saw the beauty of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, Jesus, our Lord. Amen
Faithully,
Christian
1 comment:
Congratulations on the new pup. We also have adopted a rescue in the past (our breed of choice is mini schnauzer, another good German dog). It would be my advice to give the new girl a lot of love and attention. Dogs always respond to those things and return them to us in abundance.
I too was bit (just above the eye) by a German shepherd when I was a child. I had the complete round of rabies shots since the dog could not be found. Terrible experience. I prefer well behaved/controlled dogs.
The opening of your prayer this morning had me wondering if you watched All Creatures Great and Small on PBS this year. It is so well done and has become one of my favorite tv shows. Enjoy your new member of your family!
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