Sermon- October 19, 2025

“The Lion and the Lamb”

Woody Allen once quipped “The lion and the calf shall lie down together, but the calf won’t get much sleep!”

That vision of the lion and the lamb laying together has been with me all week as we celebrate our pets today. You know the one – where they’re both laying in a beautiful green field, surrounded by golden flowers, blue sky. Very “The Lion King-esk” looking.

And I have found myself wondering – which one am I? The lion or the lamb? Which one are you? Which one would you prefer to be?

Tom and I moved to a new house this week – it’s much smaller, all on one floor, definitely a home to grow old – or older (!) in. Our dog Harley is a big ol beast, attacks anything that comes into the yard, will eat anything you put in front of him, and a loving, kind pet to anyone with 2 legs. 4 legs, not so much.

And this move has completely thrown him for a loop. If I leave the house, he whines and whimpers. When we come in the door, he’s like glued to our sides. He’s even sleeping in our bedroom at night, which is unusual for him. It is a real lesson for me on how dependent – emotionally – he is on us. And like our faith, how we have covenanted with him to be there for him and support and love him. And he has covenanted with us to protect us and love us back.

So when I think of that vision of the lion and the lamb, I find myself thinking about myself and Harley, or perhaps you and your pet? That symbolism of the strong and the gentle, the meek and the leader comes to mind.

And I can’t help but wonder – with everything that’s happening in our world today, does our faith as Unitarian Universalist call us to lay down with the lions in our lives? Does our faith expect us to not only tolerate, but perhaps forgive? 

I love our UU faith – I really do. It speaks clearly to me about the type of person I aspire to be and the types of people that share my values. But I continually struggle with our inherent worth and dignity, especially when I see actions that are a far cry from treating others with respect and dignity. How do I lay down with the lion, when I don’t especially like the lion, and have no desire to befriend them? As a matter of fact, I really don’t like that lion at all.

Now I understand that we are not being called to tolerate bad behavior, and we are challenged to call it out whenever we see or experience it. Just look at yesterday’s NoKings Rallies that happened all over the country! The voice of the people saying, “we will not tolerate this, this is not OK.” But where does forgiveness fit into this, where does forgiveness fit into our Unitarian Universalist faith?

In Esther Hurlburt’s “It’s Not Always Easy to Find Love at the Center” she writes:

It is not always easy to find love at the center.There is not a set of easy instructionsnumbered one through seven… or maybe eight.

It is not always easy to find love at the center.Today, in covenant, we celebrate our Living Traditionwhich invites us to take deep breaths offresh air into the newness of every dayso our minds, hearts, and spirits will be continually nourished.

It is not always easy to find love at the center.So for today we gather in covenant to celebrate the realitythat love is at the core of our beingsand that love will guide us if we open ourselvesto the challenges which love requires of us.May we accept this challenge with dignity and grace.

I believe our pets might hold the answer to that question – how do we find love at the center! They love us unconditionally, no matter what. Even pets who have been seriously abused, only want their owners to love them. It breaks my heart to even think about this, but it also gives me a glimmer of hope. Can I be that forgiving? Can I lay down with the lion that I actually despise?

Alexander the Great once supposedly said “I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.” Yesterday’s protests and rallies clearly show that we are not an army of sheep being led by the lion! We are an army of sheep trying our hardest to lead the lion.

Which brings me back to my beast Harley. When we go out for a walk, he pulls me towards a new smell and he’s the boss. When we need to cross the street, I lead him and I’m the boss. It is a mutual relationship grounded in love.

So perhaps what our faith is really asking of us is to always try. To always hold a space in our heart for the possibility of love, knowing that we are not always perfect, and at times we will fall. Our pets show us that day after day. It is not unthinkable for the lamb to lie with the lion. If we hold love at our center, anything is possible. For me, the jury is still out on lying with the lion that I despise, but I’m trying. 

So much damage has been done by our leadership with our personal relationships – between friends, family members. We have been relegated to either lions or lambs. This morning I pray that we take our marching orders from our pets. That we continue to strive to love unconditionally. That we continue to believe that the lion can indeed lie with the lamb, as hard as that may seem, and as far away we might seem to be from each other. Remember – we are connected and joined together, sometimes in ways that are not immediately apparent to us. 

May we hold our hearts open to being led when needed, and to lead when necessary. May the Harleys in our lives always remind us that we are all connected, vulnerable in our love, and steadfast in our commitment to each other.

May it be so.