Two Donkeys to Ride. Two Paths to Take.

Rev Dr Phil Wall

Reading: Luke 19:28-38 Margaret

‘Lions led by donkeys’. In the face of public service finger-pointing, test and trace chaos and the threat to break international law, this was one member’s critique of our current relationship with the Westminster Government last week, referring back to the phrase that was often used during the First World War to describe how brave young soldiers were being sent to their deaths by incompetent and indifferent leaders. Whether or not you concur with such a view or knew of the phrase before, we all know that calling someone a donkey is not a term of endearment. From Aesop to Shakespeare, Pinocchio to Shrek, the donkey or ass has long been a symbol of stupidity across the artistic spectrum (The culturally curious and not easily offended among us might like to look up the Italian, Afghan and Ethiopian sayings about donkeys to confirm this very point!).

In our scriptures, however, their portrayal could not be more different for, as we’re told in the book of Job, God gave the donkey ‘the rolling plains and wide-open spaces’ (Job 39:5-7). The noble donkey, then, is an animal considered important enough to appear two of the ten commandments (Deuteronomy 5); an animal that God commands us to help if it’s overloaded…even if it belongs to an enemy (Exodus 23:5); an animal which saves his master’s life in today’s rather bizarre Hebrew Testament reading.

But before we get to it, let’s orient ourselves. Last week we had Moses and the Israelites grabbing a drink in the wilderness, having been freed from slavery in Egypt. Fast-forward a few years and they’re nearing the River Jordan crossing ready to take the land of milk and honey for themselves. The fact that there are already people in the land is proving to be a small setback and by the time a prophet called Balaam comes on the scene, the Israelites have already had a couple of military victories. Unsurprisingly, the neighbouring kingdoms are getting a little nervous and so Balak, King of the Moabite people, realizing that he needs all the help he can get, employs Balaam to go and curse the Israelites. That’s where we join Balaam now…

Reading: Numbers 22:21-35 Michael

I told you it was a bit weird. But I often find that God talks through the more unusual stories…and people! Essentially though, what did we have there? Balaam had set off on a journey with financial gain as incentive and the cursing of others as the intended end result so God decides to warn him off in a fairly blunt fashion. Balaam can’t see that death awaits him if he continues on the path he’s on but his trusted donkey can. She tries to warn him and take him off on a different path three times and gets beaten for her trouble. Eventually, Balaam sees what’s staring him in the face, bows before the angel of the Lord, realizes his sin and from that point on can only speak blessing on the Israelites.

And isn’t that just the perfect analogy for our place in creation today? For we are on a path of destruction born from financial greed and which will bring curses to others as our obsession with consumption strips the world of the brilliant biodiversity that God created. As was noted in ‘Extinction’ the powerful David Attenborough documentary that was aired last Sunday and is still on iplayer, out of the eight or so million species on Earth, today one million of them are threatened by extinction and we are the asteroid that’s causing such destruction. Death awaits us – and many others – on the path ahead and yet many refuse to see the signs. Like Balaam’s donkey, our animal friends are trying to warning us. The bees and birds, reptiles and river-dwellers are all joining in with the canary’s ominous tune which we decide to tune out amidst the competing clamour of the materialistic machine. And nature’s divine warning’s not just for others. It’s not just for the sake of our animal friends – it’s about our future well being too. The current pandemic tells us, all too clearly, of the danger to our way of life if we continue to upset the balance of the ecosystem and we’d do well to remember that three quarters of the world’s food crops rely, at least in part, on pollination as our actions continue to decimate insect populations.

And so, just as to Balaam, God says to us today;

‘Why are you mistreating my creations? Why are you ignoring the signs that the animals are giving?
I am here to oppose you for your path is a reckless one that will lead to death. Listen to me.
Heed the signs the creatures are giving. It’s not yet too late to take the path that leads to blessing’.

In Balaam, we see the image of humanity we so often are. In Christ we see the image of humanity we’re called to be. For Jesus spoke of God’s care for all creation. He spent time delighting in it. He read signs of God’s love within it. He told stories about it that spoke of our need to care for all. He partnered with it in his journey to Jerusalem as he lampooned the world of power and privilege, empire and excess calling us, instead, to join in his procession of compassion, humility and hope for all creation.

So we have a choice before us. Do we, like Balaam, see our animal friends as something to serve us, mistreating them when they do not act as we would like and ignoring their warning about our path to destruction? Or might we listen to the signs they are giving us? Might we heed the divine message they bring? Might we even dare to believe that they could be bearers of Christ in our lives, whether that be the unconditional love of a pet; the vulnerability of the endangered; the call to change our ways given by all? One path leads to death and destruction. The other to blessing and transformation. Which shall we now choose? Amen.

Response

Once again, for those who would like to reflect further on the individual actions they can take to help tackle climate change, I recommend looking at the UN’s Act Now campaign[1] which highlights ten easy actions – from unplugging unused devices to eating more plant-based meals – that can make a real difference. For now though, we’re going to take a minute to reflect upon our place in God’s creation as we pause and listen to it. Perhaps you’ll hear the rustle of trees and the rumble of a car going by. Perhaps you’ll hear birdsong, a dog’s bark or an insect’s buzz. For this moment, then, just be still and be open to God’s presence in creation all around you.

[1] https://www.un.org/en/actnow

Blessing Our Pets

In our reflection today, we spoke of how we can choose a path of destruction of one of blessing. Well, we’re just going to take a moment to practice the latter as we say a blessing over our pets. During the last few months as our movements and interactions have been restricted, many people have told me how they’ve appreciated their pets more than ever. Now, I don’t currently have any pets but having had a dog, guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, hamsters, gerbils and even stick insects in the past, I know something of the joy, companionship and comfort they can bring. Some of you have sent in photographs of pets past and present. Others have them nearby now – whether live or when watching this later. In either case, we don’t bring our animals before God much because we think they need a special blessing from God – We bring them because we have been blessed by them and we want to say a thanks to them and to God.

For some of us know the blessing of a tail wagging when we return home, the blessing of whiskers twitching and ears turning to our voice. We know the blessing of bird song in the morning and hamster wheels spinning at night. We might know the blessing of a nose nudging our hand for a treat, a mane brushing our face. We know the blessing of company, of trust, of playfulness, and of the responsibility to care and feed and love something that cannot speak words but speaks daily to our hearts.

So we are ready to say thanks today. But we are also aware that we have blessing work to do. We come because we want to be a blessing. We want to provide sanctuary to creatures losing their homes to our overdevelopment of the land and resources. We want to protect the fragile ecosystems that are home to rich bio-diversity. We want to take good care of our pets, treating them with kindness and love.

So we come today to be a blessing. Let us share in the words of thanksgiving, reading responsively. If you have your pet with you, I invite you to place your hand on the animal you love, or its photo or soft toy, as we express our thanks.

For all the animals in creation,
We give thanks!
For all the fun and friendship we have with animals,
We give thanks!
For the animals we have loved, and for those we continue to love,
We give thanks!

And so we say to Seren, Mrs Tegwen Wiggle Bottom and Emlyn; Bella and Llew; to Scaly and Tim-Tam; Pip and Taff; Missy and Charlie; JJ, Bella & Aunty Mollie, Princessa and Abby; Garfield & Atlas; Eira and Winston; to all budgies and bettas; new puppies, old nags and pets everywhere; we say –

You are one of God’s family. May you be blessed with safety and love. Amen[2].

[2] This blessing was adapted from a service by Ana Gobledale which was, in turn, adapted from resources from United Church of Christ Worship Ways, http://www.webofcreation.org/SeasonofCreation/animalblessing.html

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Prayers of intercession Claire

Creator God, for your creation, we give you thanks. We hear the hum of tiny insect wings, the skitter of insect legs and even the slither of the snake or the slug – we admit that sometimes these things scare us, repulse us or just plain freak us out. But we know they are part of our planet’s delicate balance and we give thanks for creation’s diversity and richness. We pray for those who are working at policy and project levels or in conservation work today.