How George the Iguana Converted the Preacher
There I was: the clergy guy, officiating at the first-ever blessing of the animals in our church, but doing so much against my will. It wasn’t that I disliked animals. I had grown up with dogs, cats, birds, and tropical fish in our house. It was just that such a Sunday morning service seemed trendy to me, rather than necessary. More like entertainment than worship.
The idea had come from our worship committee that had dutifully done research on why some congregations were growing with new and younger members while others were wilting with long-term and elderly members.
“We have to be more relevant to what people want,” said the head of the worship committee at a board meeting—in an attempt to convince its members to approve the service. “A Pet Blessing on a Sunday morning has been successful in other churches, so it should be a big success in ours, too!” concluded the chair. And so, the board agreed, and passed on the responsibility for making it happen to me.
It didn’t seem to matter to anyone what I thought of the idea. I was just an employee of the church, after all, and I had to follow the decisions of those who paid my salary. At least that is how a liberal church goes. So, I did what I was asked to do, without making a big deal of it.
The day arrived, and with it came lots of barking and meowing, and hissing and screeching. A virtual animal speaking-in-tongues fiesta.
I began the service by welcoming “all creatures great and small,” and said something about how all of us life forms are equal—you know, about all God’s critters having a place in the choir. I had barely gotten through a minute’s worth of greeting, when I noticed that what had been a cacophony had ceased! Except for my voice, it was totally silent in that room! For a moment I wondered if I were the reincarnated Moses parting the Red Sea! Or if, upon hearing my voice through a microphone that echoed and reverberated sound beyond human comprehension, the animals believed they were listening to God on high! Muffled but omnipresent.
My actual sermon was brief, because I really didn’t want to prolong any discomfort the animals might have. And that went for human animal discomfort, as well. Including mine!
And then God’s critters were brought down the aisle to me by their human loved ones! My brain reminded me that I was a mere mortal who was going through the motions, pretending that I had some divine power to dole out blessings. But suddenly, I realized that I was not blessing the animals; but that the animals were blessing me! Especially that iguana a little boy was holding. I was scared of the thing at first!
“Wanna hold him?” the kid asked me.
“What’s his name?”
“George!” the boy answered.
“And what’s your name?” I asked when the boy was handing the iguana to me.
“George,” answered the kid. “I named him after me!”
And suddenly I was holding an iguana and realizing that the animal was not scary to me anymore! Nor did I seem to bother him in the least! And I wondered at the marvel of the various textures of his skin: not just the parts that were dry and scaly to my touch, but the smooth ones.
“He likes his massage!” the boy told me. “He’s smiling!” the boy added.
I smiled, too, and suddenly Iguana George and I were looking into each other’s eyes and then BINGO! We connected: man and beast!
I was part of another existence. I realized then that all of us in that sanctuary were dancing with the magic of life, swirling together in the vortex of creation. We were equal. We were one!
I knew then that I was part of the herd; that I shared a common essence with all creatures that ever existed or would exist. I knew then that I would live the rest of my life more appreciative of the interdependent nature of all creation, something I hadn’t really done before I met George the iguana, and all those other beautiful animals on that memorable Sunday. Truly, George had converted the preacher!
We invite original essays of up to 700 words for Among Animals. Tell us about the creatures who share our lives—wild or domestic—and the ways they challenge, comfort, and change us. Email submissions to editorelojodellago@gmail.com with the subject line: “Among Animals.”
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