"Love of God; love of neighbor – that is what this parable lifts up. That is what it calls us to do. So ultimately it is not about the fear of hell, but it is a call to love, to listen to the challenge of scripture and love god, love your neighbor.
Now, I know that there is a strong tradition in religion that uses fear – fear of hell, fear of punishment – as motivation for people. And I know that there are times in scripture where hard punishments are meted out. Yet, when all is said and done, Jesus who reveals God to us most clearly is all about love. This parable is an urgent call to love God by loving those who cry out for help.
You all know this event is jointly sponsored by GHTC and the Richmond SPCA. The Richmond SPCA has a no-kill policy, but they also have a 'don't kill the joy' policy when it comes to training animals. I was talking this week to Sarah Babcock who is in charge of teaching training. She told me that when she was growing up, training was all about choke collars and inflicting punishment. When it came time for training and she got the collar out, she said her puppy ran and hid.
You see, here's the thing. Sarah agreed that you can get your dog to do what you want by using punishment, but what you lose is the relationship, the intimacy, the connection that the animal can have with its humans. Sure, there are times, just like with a toddler about to wander into traffic, where you do whatever you need to do to maintain safety, but as a general principle, the positive approach is the way to go.
There is gospel in this! God does not use a choke collar on us. God loves us and wants a relationship with us. When God shows up, he likes to be met with the uncontrolled joy that is so clearly seen in our beloved animals.
Let us celebrate that love today, with each other, with the world, with the feathered and furry members of God's beloved creation who count on our love and care and kindness."
This Sunday, September 29, pets of all kinds are welcome to the Sixth Annual Blessing of the Animals in Monroe park. From 10 a.m. until noon, pets and their guardians are welcome for a service and blessing to be held in the park, right across from Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal church.
This joint event is hosted by Grace & Holy Trinity Episcopal Church and the Richmond SPCA and coincides with the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi on October 4. St. Francis' love for all creatures is traditionally celebrated in the church with a blessing of animals great and small. Several years ago, this wonderful sentiment led the Rector of Grace & Holy Trinity, Reverend Bollin Millner, to approach a member of his congregation, Robin Robertson Starr the CEO of the Richmond SPCA, about collaborating on a pet-friendly annual outdoor service near the beginning of October.
Attendance at the blessing service has grown each year and members of the community bring their dogs as well as a number of cats and other small animals such as bunnies, geckos, hens and even fish.
The service celebrates the bond between people and companion animals, a core tenet of the Richmond SPCA's mission. Following the service, visitors are encouraged to meet pets available for adoption on our Tail Wag'N. Don't miss this fun annual event!
If you've lived in Richmond for any length of time, then it's very likely that you shopped at Ukrop's, enjoyed their local produce, rainbow cookies and smiling cashiers, and felt a sense of uncertainty when the news hit that they were being purchased by another company. We, at the Richmond SPCA, were no different. After all, Ukrop's had generously supplied all of the food and litter for our shelter pets since 2002, thereby enabling us to focus our financial resources directly on our lifesaving programs and services. When we learned that MARTIN'S would be replacing Ukrop's, we were hopeful that they would continue this amazing partnership, but we could not be certain. Our worries were in vain.