How Unlikely Is Your Love?

The best part of Superbowl are the commercials. We taped the game for the commercials and selected our favorite ads. The Doritos commercial featured a horse who shook his head in a gesture that said “no way” when the cowboy turned to him about doing a dance.

Our other winner was a Jeep commercial that featured the comedian Bill Murray running around with his ground hound. At the end of the commercial, Bill speaks to the ground hound and says: “I forget where I parked the car because I was following you.”

Having a sense of humor might be the secret in putting people back in the pews. It contagious that people will come back for the laughter and hear stories about Jesus’ compassionate love. 

For Christmas, I was given a book called “Unlikely Loves”, a collection of stories of animals who crossed the lines between species, to create bonds of love and friendship.

A Great Dane in Canada found an orphaned baby fawn near the house, and took charge of raising it till it was old enough to go back to the forest – but the grown deer came back for tender reunions every now and then.

A homeless dog in Florida found its way to a farm that rehabilitated abused horses, and took one particularly ill and beaten horse into its heart.  Together, they dug a hole under the fence that separated them, so the dog could lie near the horse and guard it, a relationship that lasted till the horse died, and then the dog accompanied the horse to its grave.

Jesus taught not to reject, insult, treat angrily, or murder one other, seems to fly in the face of reality, until we look at our animal examples of the behavior he is calling for, behavior which took place in situations where the humans would not have expected it, encouraged it, or objected to animal aloofness. 

Sadly, common is the hush with which people speak of a divorce, afraid if it were known in the congregation they would endure snubs, frosty looks, suspicion.  Once, before church, a person spouted off about ‘the trouble with the world today is divorce!’  I remember a long-divorced single mom of two, wilting in pain.  I spoke up, “Sometimes a divorce is the best thing to do – and some single moms are doing a fine job with their kids.” 

Divorce, in Jesus’ day, was different in that women had no ability to own homes or earn money, nor could they inherit any. Jesus, chastising men for divorce in the Sermon on the Mount, gave the first cup of eternal life to a woman who had had five husbands.  And Jesus, in his day, stood protectively within the stoning circle with an adulteress.

Who are we to withhold blessing for love avowed, and who are we to refuse the confession of those whose love has died?

Valentine’s Day brings these questions:
Who do you love?
Who will you let interrupt your life with their needs?
Who will you defend, in grave danger?
How unlikely is your love?