God Made the Animals

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father's care. (Matthew 10:29)

Earlier this year we took a trip to Sight and Sound to see the plan Noah. It had decent music, good acting, a surprisingly good script, and incredible special effects. But the most exciting part was the animals.

A week from tomorrow (Saturday, August 23, from 2 to 4 p.m.) is our annual Back to School Bash. We love inviting people from the neighborhood, and from all around the area, to enjoy the beautiful park that's right in our back yard. We'll have decent music, plenty of food and drinks, some surprisingly fun games, and generous gifts of school supplies. But the most exciting part will be the animals. There will be a petting zoo, and all the kids who attend will get a chance to feed and make friends with the animals.

God made the animals. When there was a flood, God warned Noah to save the animals. God cares about the big things in our life, faith and obedience and hearts and salvation. But God is sometimes especially obvious in the simple things, flowers and sunrise and stars and trees. And animals. Animals teach us of the Father's care (Matthew 6:26).

Most of us have a favorite pet. We know how they can cheer us up even when everything else is going wrong. On YouTube you can watch encouraging videos of animals interacting with each other in surprising combinations--cats and lambs, otters and puppies, hens and deer. When the ancient poet-prophet wanted to talk about the beautiful peace of God's coming Kingdom, he asked us to picture a wolf getting along with a lamb, a leopard with a baby goat, a calf with a lion.

Of course, it isn't just animals that God loves. Jesus tells us that we are worth more than the birds, that God is even more fond of us than of the animals that God made and cares for (Matthew 6:26; 10:31). The very first chapter of the Bible (Genesis 1) is all about how God views all creation as good--but has a special relationship with us humans, made in God's image.

God views all creation as good, but has a special relationship with us humans, made in God's image.

So come enjoy the animals next Saturday. (August 23, from 2 to 4 p.m.) Let the beauty of nature and the silliness of pets remind you of the loving Father who made every animal, and cares for them all. And also let it remind you that God made you, and cares for you, and wants a special relationship with you.

Every Sunday in our 10 a.m. worship service we try to focus together on God's loving relationship with us, and with all the ret of the world as well. Come join us, especially if you need a reminder. Mark your calendar for our upcoming Back to School Bash, Saturday, August 23, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. And if you'd lie a chance to get together mid-week to learn about the Bible with a small group, we're just starting our Creation to Christ Bible study on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

--Jonathan