Humpty had a dog on its lead. I’m not quite sure about the breed. It may have been a lurcher. Humpty would certainly be traditional in his choice of animals. And a lurcher is traditional. It has been said that its dark coat provides good camouflage when out with poachers at night. Not that Humpty would get up to anything like that, of course.
Seeing Humpty with a dog reminds me that I'm becoming quite a canine connoisseur, though it is a long time since I had one of my own. But I'm impressed. Every day I see affectionate dog-owners passing by. With clockwork regularity they exercise their retired grey-hounds, their dachshunds, westies, dalmatians and dogs that look as though they are dreaming of pulling a sledge in the Yukon. There is a daily discipline about this that makes me think of parents looking after their offspring.
There is the same bond between the loyal dog and its conscientious owner as is seen in a mother looking after her infant 24/7. We recognise responsiveness. We also notice the obligation to look after the ultimate waste-product of the canine digestive system. Dog-ownership has its romantic aspect (expressive canine eyes) but it also has its domestic chores (carrying a plastic bag with intent).
Dogs do not get a good press as far as the Bible is concerned. The word is used with contempt for the most part. The Preacher concedes that a living dog is better than a dead lion (Ecclesiastes 9.4) but that is about it. I suppose there were working dogs in those days but the idea of a dog as a pet seems not to have occurred to any of the biblical writers. I guess the same could be said about cats.
Be that as it may, there is a way of thinking about dogs that may help us to think about God. A dog cannot speak. It cannot say 'I love you.' But it can respond to its owner. And that can be seen in the eyes. and the way it dusts itself down and picks itself up for an outing that promises to be on the cards. If we picture ourselves in the position of dogs responding to their owner, we are halfway to understanding what worship is all about. We cannot tell God anything he does not know already but we can express thankfulness and gratitude. That is what we do when we sing hymns or repeat prayers. We are creatures of the God who stretched out the universe and has a place in his purposes for each of us. All we need to do is respond.
At this point Humpty’s lurcher gave a cheerful bark.
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