Pet Day Service 20060910

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Organ music from Holy Trinity Cathedral,
played by
Eugene Lavery,
Assistant Organist

Pets: Servants of the Living God

The Rev’d Cate Thorn, Priest Associate
Pet Day Service, 10 September 2006

Readings: Genesis 1: 1- 2:2 (paraphrased), 1 Timothy 6: 6 - 10, 17 – 19, Matthew 11: 25 – 30

Today our pets have brought some of us to church, which is an interesting way of reminding us that having a pet is not just about us owning or having living animals that we care for, but also about what our pets give to us; that this arrangement is a two way thing.

Our first reading today tells us about the many and very different living creatures God created, and that when God saw everything he had made, God saw indeed it was very good.

In the light of the events of the past week, if your household has children anything like mine, this moment cannot pass by without making mention of the late Steve Irwin. Whether or not you liked his overwhelming enthusiasm, it was certainly unavoidable as was his evident passion for the marine, animal and reptilian world he opened for so many of us. I was particularly struck by two comments made during the week about Steve by people who had worked with him. On the evening of his death TV One news had a brief interview with Joanna Paul and she said Steve wanted to make the unloved of the animal kingdom loved. A day or so later an Australian zookeeper said he’d once asked Steve what he wanted to achieve in his life and Steve had replied that he hoped that for every animal he touched, someone’s heart would be touched. And it was reported that the filming he’d been engaged in around the time of his death was being done in order to demystify the most feared creatures of the sea.

Now I do not want to make Steve out to be some sort of saint but perhaps he exemplifies someone who sought to see and show to the world that indeed everything God created is good. Through revealing the particularity and uniqueness of creatures that we usually cast as dangerous, untouchable, and preferably avoidable, Steve allowed us to at least appreciate and respect them, even if most of us would still rather keep a respectful distance!!! I can’t help but reflect also the gospel imperatives revealed by those who observed him and in his confessed ambition.

Our second reading talks about the dangers of being distracted by money, the more usual words we use for this reading warns us against the love of money. Most of us know money of itself isn’t bad but the problem is that when we have a lot of it we can start to forget what’s really important about life. We can get distracted from the heart of things that really matter, not just in our world but about ourselves – about who we are and how God loves us just as we are. Anything, including the love of money that makes us forget or undervalue this is something to be warned against. If we have lots of money we can think it gives us the power, maybe even the right, to have and do what we want, when we want, and to make the world around as we’d like it to be. We might even forget how closely we’re connected to every part of our world and to all life in our world, and that what we do does somehow change something in our world, even if we can’t see that straight away.

So what has this to do with pets, you may well be asking. For those of us who have, or perhaps have had well-loved pets, it’s my experience that they can help remind us about what really matters. Pets have a habit of being just who or what they are, both the good bits and the bad. Greeting you when you come home, even if it may be because there’s a good chance this means food or exercise - they’re glad you’re there. Most are happy to be touched, stroked and spoken to; some are allowed to warm you on a cold night, and many will stay with you when you’re feeling low.

Pets will happily let you lay all your burdens down, listen to all your moans and complaints and equally will happily ignore you when you don’t feel like attending to their needs - drawing you out of yourself. Their simple needs, the constancy of their character and habits of their demands can be reassuring in an ever changing world. Pets can remind us and help us reconnect with the steady rhythms of life that continue despite the often hectic pace of the lives we lead - as the musical piece For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry¹, which the Choristars will sing at the end of the sermon, will speak of.

I think there’s a certain truth that what we see in someone else, whether we like it or not, we can most usually see because it reminds us of something in ourselves. I wonder whether this might be true about our pets as well. If so what is it that they might remind us of in ourselves? Perhaps it is that they help remind us that we’re needed, appreciated, celebrated even, that we’re trustworthy and dependable, and have the ability to be aware of the needs of others and to care for the well being of others.

Just in case, however, our pets consider getting any ideas above their station I’d like to conclude on a slightly lighter note and share with you something sent to me this week entitled ‘Pet Rules’ which is to be posted VERY LOW on the refrigerator door - nose height.

“Dear Dogs and Cats,

The dishes with the paw print are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Please note, placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Beating me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is not a secret exit from the bathroom. If by some miracle I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge and try to pull the door open. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -- canine or feline attendance is not required.

The proper order is kiss me, then go smell the other dog or cat's bottom. I cannot stress this enough!

To pacify you, my dear pets, I have posted the following message on our front door:
To All Non-Pet Owners Who Visit & Like to Complain About Our Pets:
They live here. You don't; if you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. (That's why they call it "fur"niture.); I like my pets a lot better than I like most people; To you, it's an animal. To me, he/she is an adopted son/daughter who is short, hairy, walks on all fours and doesn't speak clearly.

And a warning for all children here: remember dogs and cats are better than kids because they eat less; don't ask for money all the time; are easier to train; normally come when called; never ask to drive the car; don't hang out with drug-using friends; don't smoke or drink; don't have to buy the latest fashions; don't want to wear your clothes; don't need a gazillion dollars for tertiary education; and if they get pregnant, you can sell their children.”

1. An excerpt from a larger poem, Jubilate Agno, written by Christopher Smart (1722-1771), which begins:

For I will consider my Cat Jeoffry.
For he is the servant of the Living God duly and daily serving him.