Even the Blobfish

Have you ever seen a blobfish? They are a deep-sea fish that live mainly off the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. The first thing you will notice when you see a picture of a blobfish is that they are ugly, and I’m not even saying that to be mean. In 2013 the Ugly Animal Preservation Society voted it the “world’s ugliest animal”. To be fair some of its perceived ugliness is only because it’s body changes when you remove it from its high pressure home 3,000 ft underwater and place it on the surface. Even then though it’s a face not even a mother could love. Except someone does love the blob fish (well to be fair a lot of people love the blob fish since its rise to internet meme fame but pretend you don’t know that) and that someone is God.

Yes I know it’s a bit of a Sunday School or Children’s sermon answer but the readings for this week hammer home the point that nothing and no one are outside the bounds of God’s creation and love. In Acts, Peter recounts his vision of a blanket full of “unclean” food descending from the heavens and a voice commanding him to eat. After he refuses the voice proclaims “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” Illustrating a point about Gentiles inclusion in the new church. The Psalmist exhorts all of creation to sing God's praises because we all were created by and belong to God. Finally, in the Gospel Jesus commands us to Love one another as he, the embodiment of God on Earth, has loved us. With no exceptions or rules or stipulations about who should and could receive this love. No, instead we are commanded to give it to everything and everyone just as Jesus would. So go and Love (which can mean many things but that’s a different blog post) everyone. Go and love even the ugly little blob fish.

Amen,

Pastor Corey