Summary: Down came the blanket with those creepy, crawling snakes and vultures and other weird animals on it. In fact, the heavenly blanket came down three times. And each time the blanket descended, Peter said, "No, not me!" Peter's response to God's picnic invitation was not mere squeamishness. Peter found the menu repulsing. None of those animals was acceptable food. Peter's "no" welled up from deep within him. An observant Jew, Peter had spent a lifetime trying to remain ritually clean. His "no" to the heavenly invitation was the visceral, reactive, reflexive result of years of religious conditioning. I learned a little bit about behavioral conditioning from our Golden Retriever, Bailey. And so I beg your indulgence of another sermon story about a family pet. Bailey is as lovely and true and kind as any best friend a family could ever have. An indoor/outdoor dog, Bailey spends most of her time on a porch we enclosed for her. Bailey's palace we call it. From this porch perch Bailey presides over all the goings-on in our wooded back yard. She also enjoys the freedom to slip through a doggie door whenever it suits her fancy, to chase a squirrel or answer nature's call. But there are bounds to Bailey's realm. Bailey is not allowed outside of the backyard. For beyond the backyard are the suburban perils of the street, getting lost, and the dreaded dogcatcher.
