Joyful, Noisy and Furry
Excerpt from Psalm 66:1-12
“Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth; sing the glory of [God’s] name; give to [God] glorious praise.”
Reflection by Lillian Daniel
Last year our church had its first annual Blessing of the Animals service, on a lovely fall Saturday morning. Outside the chapel, greeters waited with dog biscuits, cat treats and bowls of water, as the pets and their human friends got to know one another.
Coming into the chapel was quite a scene, as pet owners struggled to keep their animals calm. Leashes were pulled tight but still the dogs wanted to sniff each other in a manner that was rather risqué for church. But after all, it was a first worship service for most of them and we decided to suspend the “no sniffing the other parishioners” rule that day.
Our associate minister began to preach his sermon, holding his darling little Persian cat in his arms, and I don’t know which one of them was cuter. But then that little blow-dried cat took one look at my huge slobbering lab mix mutt and she started hissing. Bruno responded with a cross between a growl and a tortured moan, which I translated as “Please, mommy, let me eat it!” And then all the animals were at it, chiming in with all kinds of strange noises that had not been heard in the chapel since the last senior high lock-in.
It remains in my memory one of the most joyful services I have ever attended. The animal noises made the human beings crack up in laughter and I think God delighted in the hilarity. We were making a joyful noise to the Lord.
Prayer
Woof, woof, meow, meow, sniff, sniff and Amen.
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