what do we know about the way the pigs praise?

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.”  “Do not stop him,” Jesus said.  “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us.  Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward.”  John 9:38-41

                     What do we know about the way the pigs praise?
                               We can hear them squeal and oink,
                                   watch them rolling in the muck,
                                       eating slop from a trough,
                                                     and think,
                                       “I do not behave that way.
                                             No, I would never!”
                                    And yet the swine is behaving
                                as God made the swine to behave.

                              And what do we know about the way
                                     an alpaca delivers adoration?
                                      She can bat her lovely eyes
                                        and then spit in your face.
                                  Is the soulful look a righteous act,
                                      and the spit a malicious sin?

                                  What do we know about the way
                                         the black man praises,
                                     or the Lutheran, the Baptist,
                                        the trans, the Afrikaans?
                           Do we know the longings of their hearts,
                                       or are we as unattuned to
                                 the deep currents of God in them
                                        as we are to the alpaca,
                           the ferret, the rhino, the barnyard beast?
                         Is the song of the lark more precious than
                                   the oink, the squeal or the spit?

                       If God is speaking to them and through them,
                                    can we be given ears to hear?
                        Or will we insist that anyone who is singing
                                     a different tune is dissonant?

                           All God’s children have a place in the choir.
                                  It is not in unison, but in harmony
                             that we just might hear the grace notes.
                                               Liz McFadzean 

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Praise him all creatures here below.”        Thomas Ken