Sincerely Ask Animals
An all-creatures Bible Message

Sincerely Ask Animals
 
A Sermon Delivered at the
University of Pittsburgh Chapel
Johnstown, PA @ 6:30 AM
 
8 July 2018
 
Frank L. Hoffman, Pastor
Music Ministry: Beth Ertz and the Barnett Family

Scripture References

Job 12:7-8

Prelude:
 
Welcome and Opening Prayer:
 
Hymn: Morning Has Broken
 
Memorial Offerings by the Congregation:
 
Music Interlude:
 
Sermon: Sincerely Ask Animals
 
Sincerely ask animals means that we are asking in such a way that we really expect an answer, and it’s something that we all should be doing, but don’t expect them to answer you in a spoken English voice, for God hasn’t given them that ability.
 
But even without a spoken voice, they can answer us in other ways: their body language, their expression, and the way they look at us and other things can tell us a lot, if we are really observant and have empathy.
 
Haven’t we seen a dog or cat tilt their head when talking to them?
 
That usually means that they can’t understand.
 
Haven’t we seen animals making up games and playing with one another?
 
Isn’t that also what our children do?
 
This shows that the animals have souls and spirits just as we do.
 
We have a video of a young moose jumping in a puddle and having a great time, just like we’ve seen human children do.
 
Animals love one another and some of them even love us, and we’ve also seem them deeply mourn the loss of a loved one, just as humans do.
 
When we sincerely ask animals and listen with our heart and soul, we quickly discern that they have the same emotional feelings that we do.
 
And this is confirmed in the Hebrew Bible where we are told that God created all the animals and us as living souls.
 
So with these things in mind, let’s think about what we are told in Job 12:7-8…

7. "But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
 
8. or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.
NIV

We can’t do this unless we sincerely ask animals and expect an answer.
 
But we can’t stop here; we need to hear the whole of God’s creation.
 
As I was putting together this sermon, and contemplating these things, I kept hearing in my mind the Christmas song “Do You Hear What I Hear”, which was written in October 1962 with lyrics by Noel Regney and music written by Gloria Shayne Baker, a husband and wife team, who wrote the song as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
 
Do we feel the immense sadness that God feels over the corrupt state of the world?
 
We should, if we truly love Him and honor Him, and the whole of His creation (humans, animals, and the environment in which we all live).

Said the Lord God to His little child,
 
Do you see as I see?
Everywhere you look, little child,
Do you see what I see?

The pain, the pain, that never goes away,
Do you feel as I feel?
Do you feel as they feel?

All we have to do is stop eating animal flesh and their bodily secretions, and return to God’s original intent of eating only a plant based diet.
 
By doing this, we would also eliminate most of our air, soil and water pollution, and the immense suffering of billions of animals.

Their screams, their screams, ringing in My ears;
Do you hear what I hear?
Do you hear what I hear?

And where are the churches and other religious communities in all of this?
 
Unfortunately, the vast majority are contributing to the problem instead of solving it.

Will you bring joy to God, little child?
Will you do what God wants?
 
Will you end the suffering, my child?
Will you do what God wants?
 
Will you help change this world, little child?
Will you do what God wants?
Will WE do what God wants?

We need to sincerely ask animals.
 
I remember seeing an undercover video of a man kicking a dairy cow in the face, simply because she was too slow in responding to what he wanted her to do.
 
She recoiled from the kick, because it obviously hurt, but she showed no signs of anger or retaliation; all she did was look at him with an expression that seemed to ask: “Why are you doing this?”
 
His only response was to kick her in the face again.
 
But all she did was look at him again with the expression that asked: “Why do you keep doing this?”
 
It's time we speak out about these and other evils in our world.
 
It's time we answer the call of God to us to end our silence and speak out the truths that will end the evil and violence in this world.
 
It's time for each of us to say, "Here I am, Lord."
 
Amen?
 
Amen.
 
Hymn: Here I Am, Lord
 
Benediction:
 
Postlude:

See: Our Readers' Comments
Return to: Sermons Archive