Proper 14C, 10 August 2025. The Rev. Dr. John D. Golenski.
Luke 12:32. Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock.”
The very first time I consciously witnessed a death was the day my dog Jet was fatally injured while chasing a car. We called him Jet because he was jet black, a fiercely loyal Cocker Spaniel, whom I had cared for since my parents brought him home in a basket. He was protective of our family in general, but he was truly my dog, patrolling our large yard and garden whenever I went out. Once in a while, when I opened the gate, he would fool me and zip through into the street. For some reason he was convinced that moving car tires posed an existential threat, so he had to chase them away. One summer day when I was eleven, Jet snuck out. I ran after him trying to distract him from the street traffic, but he must have slipped; somehow he was pulled under the moving tire. I watched in horror as the car rolled over him. The driver, a local mother with her infant in the car, ran up to me as Jet limped back to me, collapsed at my feet, and expired. Continue reading