We have four dogs: Ralphie our newf above, Maggie our newf landseer, Bear our Bernese and Flora our beagle. My wife Sandy pictured above calls Ralphie our little love bug. He absolutely loves when company comes and is a greeter extraordinaire. He loves and greets everyone and always tries to give sloppy kisses. They are not just little pecks. This newf as you can see above lays in for deep licks up the side of your face almost in a massaging way. You can sense his deep love for you. He is a huge cuddler and especially loves to snuggle up with Sandy on the bed. His love is unconditional and profoundly deep and you can sense it in his eyes. I often think those dark eyes are penetrating to our hearts and telling us of his unconditional love.
Last weekend our congregation hosted an “Affirming Ministries” workshop for our Bay of Quinte Conference of the United Church of Canada to help us look at how we truly welcome members of the LGBT community in an inclusive way. 47 of us spent the day together, hearing stories, praying and singing and opening our hearts to God. I am formally from a Roman Catholic perspective and the church was less than inclusive in my opinion and experience in as much as they professed to be.
I believe in an inclusive God who welcomes us from the experience of psalm 139…a God who knew us in the womb and did not abandon us once we were born. I believe profoundly that God sings louder than us when we sing Marty Haugen’s wonderful refrain “All are welcome…all are welcome in this place”.
Ralphie reminds me of how I need to be unconditional in my love for God’s people, no matter who they are, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation or life story. I won’t greet them as Ralphie does but I will with the same deep respect and love. And so my prayer as we embrace this morning is thus:
O Holy One,
You formed me and love me no matter what.
May I return that love to those around me unconditionally this day. Amen!
