Mr. Puppy Dog
Mr. Puppy Dog
Genesis 2:18-24 King James Version (KJV)
18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
In our Bible readings for this coming Sunday, the link is quite clear between the Old Testament reading from Genesis, which is part of the second (but older) creation story, and the liturgical response to it, which is Psalm 8 (below). The Lord God (the title Yahweh Elohim, spoken as Adonai Elohim, that the writer uses for God in this second story -- the writer of the first story, Genesis 1, uses the title God, Elohim) -- the Lord God has created a human out of dirt (making the human an “earthling”) and now decides that he needs company, so creates furry friends; then finally sees that the human needs human company as well as all these pets. So woman is created in an imaginative campfire story. Later of course, the human, by now named “Adam” names the woman “Eve.”
In Old Testament ways, there is authority and dominion (which is “lordship”) in the power of naming something. So in this story not only is the man’s dominion meant to be shown over the animals that he names, but also in his naming the woman. There probably will not be many sermons about that aspect of the scenario.
In any event, Psalm 8 is a marvelous song of praise to God for creation and for giving us dominion over it and over its creatures. All of this came to realization in our blessing of the animals at the school yesterday morning. In blessing each one we asked the owner the pet’s name and said the name to God in the blessing. It was a reflection of our loving authority as the Lord God meant it to be.
Children, and adults, who couldn’t bring their pet brought a picture, some hard copies, most of them photos on a cell phone or iPad. Children who didn’t have a live pet brought a beloved stuffed animal. One adorable tiny boy, probably a kindergartener, brought his stuffed animal to show me, and when I admired it and asked its name he proudly, seriously, solemnly and confidently said, “Mister Puppy Dog.”
Bless + O Lord, Mister Puppy Dog, and keep its owner thankful for its being and for the love it brings into his life. Amen.
Tom+
Psalm 8 King James Version (KJV)
O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!