What About Those Pigs?

There’s a strange comic I saw around Christmastime of baby Jesus in the manger surrounded by animals. All the animals say something nice they want to do for baby Jesus. The camel says, “I will bear him gifts.” The lamb says, “I will warm him.” The cow says, “I will give him drink.” The donkey says, “I will carry him.” The dove says, “I will bless his baptism.” The pig says, “I’ll let him fill me with demons and jump off a cliff!” The animals look at the pig bewildered and say, “Wait, what?!?” The pig wasn’t wrong though, just look at this week’s Gospel story.

It’s a story of hope. An encounter of transformation through the touch and love of God. There is freedom from torment. There are people today who feel possessed, tossed aside, tormented, and are floundering.

As I sat with our Gospel story this week, I found myself thinking about pigs. Indeed, as I was looking into ‘pigs’, I found these words from Winston Churchill:

I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

Apparently, this is found in his autobiography, reflecting on a conversation he had with a grandson on their farm.

So, along with Churchill, there are many who would say that among mammals, which are not human, pigs do come pretty close. Did you know…

• That the average pig has the intelligence of a three-year-old child?
• That the pig’s best mode of defense is to run and that it can run at the pace of 7 mph?
• And, of course, that the pig’s heart is so close to a human heart that some of the parts are interchangeable? In fact, often people will opt for a pig’s valves over artificial ones when replacements are needed!

What about those pigs?

Look forward to worship together,

Ken