TUESDAY, MARCH 17
John Wesley “I believe in my heart that faith in Jesus Christ can and will lead us beyond an exclusive concern for the well-being of other human beings to the broader concern for the well-being of the birds in our back yards, the fish in our rivers, and every living creature on the face of the earth.”
Sitting in our living room with snow everywhere, I look beyond the picture window and a temperature only slightly above zero, and I see a squirrel busy climbing the oak tree with several dried leaves in its mouth. Soon it returns and does another lap with more leaves. It isn't hard to know why it is doing that. A nest is being constructed up there in the tree so baby squirrels can be born without threat of predatory raccoons eating them for lunch. Speaking of lunch, our cat Stormy is watching the arctic drama with interest, longing for a lunch of her own, kept from that feast by a quarter inch of plate glass.
I recall a picture kept for posterity showing my grandson Jeff at age four hugging a trout he caught in the Au Sable river. Can you imagine a human being hugging a flopping slimy fish? Speaking of lunch, that trout was destined for a frying pan and lunch for a family of four. But meanwhile, I have never seen a grin like the one on the face of that boy.
My mind returns to the evening of January 27 in a seating alcove at First Pres when a peaceful moment was being shared after "lunch" by Mary Austin, Chris Gannon, Cindy Merten, and Obie. Obie represents the third generation of Lab puppies nurtured in the Merten household in preparation for going to work. Grown up and well trained as a leader dog, Obie will be earning his lunch getting non-sighted people to and from lunch and countless other places they will need to go. In the meantime Obie is a cute little ball of fur. I hunker down, reach out my hand and place it under his muzzle so he can decide whether or not to relate to me. He starts to lick my fingers, not for his lunch although he nibbles on my middle finger just a bit. That little furry one has fed me in a way I cannot describe, other than that it was "of God."
Prayer: We offer thanks for creatures you send to teach us about your boundless grace and convince us of the basic goodness of your creation. Give us the willingness and resources to support and love these creatures and receive them as our partners and friends. In the name of Christ our eternal friend. Amen.
Henry C. Borchardt
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