Forest Lake Talks

Text: Genesis 2: 19 (CEB version)

So the Lord God formed from the fertile land all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky and brought them to the human to see what he would name them. The human gave each living being its name.

Devotional:

In October's Stephen Ministry meeting, one of our Stephen Leaders mentioned the recent loss of Rico, a SLED K-9 that died during a manhunt in September. This member had a special connection to Rico’s handler, as do all of our law enforcement officers who have the privilege of working with K-9s. More than 100 service K-9s, their handlers, and other law enforcement officials attended Rico’s funeral. Our governor even honored Rico as a fallen hero.

A seminary professor of mine said, “Dogs are God’s perfect creatures.” While this theology never made it into any of his books, I have a hard time disagreeing (assuming our basset hound, Jack, doesn’t choose to bark inside the house when Sam is asleep). I grew up with dogs and know their companionship value, and I suspect many of you feel the same way.

Dogs are just one of God’s creatures. We’re one of God’s creatures, but so are all of our pets, cats included! And humanity has the responsibility for caring for God’s creation and giving thanks for the roles that God’s creatures play in our lives.

On Sunday at 4 PM, we’ll hold our Blessing of the Animals worship service in the field by the parlor. Join us as we give thanks for the animals in our lives. Furthermore, Sherriff Leon Lott has let us know some of the service K-9s will be attending, too. 

See you on Sunday, and thanks be to God for God’s creatures.

Prayer: Holy God, we give you thanks for your creation. Remind us, O Lord, that we are just one part of your majestic creation. And may your Spirit nudge us to do our part to care for it. Amen.