An article from the Cathedral Times
by the Very Reverend
Samuel G. Candler,
Dean of the Cathedral of St.
Philip
(These are the opening words of Sam Candler's sermon this past Sunday, as we observed the Feast of St. Francis and blessed animals. See the entire sermon, titled "Somebody to Love.")
I don't know who said it first: God or Grace Slick.
Grace Slick was the lead singer for the old rock band, Jefferson Airplane.
God was the being who created the world. I hope you all remember the story. God said "Let there be light." There was light, and God said it was good. God said, "Let there be night and day," and there was. God said it was good. God said, "Let there be animals and living creatures," and there were. God said it was good.
There was so much that was pronounced "Good" back in that primal time. In fact, everything was pronounced "Good." As we observe the Feast of St. Francis today, part of our celebration of creation is remembering the sheer goodness of all of God's creation. Creation is good!
That was all in Genesis, chapter one. But in Genesis, chapter two, an odd thing is said. There is something mentioned that is "Not Good." Very specifically, God looked at the creation of the first human and said this, "It is not good." "It is not good." What was God talking about?
"It is not good, " God said, ", for the human being to be alone." (Genesis 2:18)
It is not good for the human being to be alone. The man needs a companion. I think maybe God had already created Grace Slick, and she was singing that driving song of the 1960s, "Somebody to Love."
When the truth is found, to be lies,
And all the joy within you dies,
Don't you want somebody to love?
Don't you need somebody to love?
Wouldn't you love somebody to love,
You better find somebody to love.
Since then, all sorts of people have sung something like that, haven't they? Queen sings about somebody to love. Freddie Mercury needs somebody to love. Justin Bieber sings about needing somebody to love. Glee sings about somebody to love. We all sing about it. Wouldn't you love somebody to love? Yes, we would. Most of us would.
Because we were created for love. Companionship is designed and built into the human condition. God said, "It is not good for the human being to be alone." We were created for relationship. We were created for somebody to love.
As we bless these animals today, as we honor them by bringing them to church, one of the things we do is acknowledge that they are companions. They give us somebody to love. They give us relationship. And, indeed, we receive some sort of affection back. I believe they enjoy us!
But there is another feature to our animal blessing today. We are not simply blessing animals individually. We are also acknowledging the right relationship that all of us are supposed to live in, here on this earth. , (sermon continues here).
The Very Reverend Samuel G. Candler
Dean of the Cathedral of St. Philip