The dog who had communion. I wish it were a joke!

Pleasing people
There is a cancer in the world wide Church: one which threatens to destroy true Christian worship. It may be called "people pleasing" because that is its operating principle.

Whatever people want, whatever makes them  happy, whatever has the democratic majority, whatever seems right to people: this will be the course charted for we people insist we know best and to offend a person, Christian or otherwise, is always considered wrong.

What about God?

Have we completely lost sight of whom we are to please first and foremost?

In fact, when does the Bible tell us our goal must be to please men? I can think of a few verses which hint at the idea.

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.(Romans 12:18)

Live in peace with each other.(1 Thessalonians 5:13)

Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

Close, but no bullseye there. Trying to live at peace with those around us is one thing, but it's another to say we should strive to be people pleasers.

Furthermore, what do you do with the verses which seem to say the opposite?

Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.(Galatians 1:10)

On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts.(1 Thessalonians 2:4)

All this leads me to wonder how far the Church will go trying to accommodate the world before it realises it has gone too far. Why do we all not agree on God's standards for his Church?

If the gospel itself is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16) then why do we have this tendancy to replace it with things we feel will attract more people? Do we no longer believe people are drawn to God by the preaching of his word?

Canine Communion
I was considering all this recently when I read a story which showed how loose the Church's boundaries are at times. It comes from Canada's thestar.com. You only need to read the headline to know what the problem is: Can a dog receive communion?

It seems a church in Toronto, St. Peter’s Anglican Church, allowed a man and his dog to come forward and participate in the Lord's Supper. The story should make Christians cringe in embarrassment as even the journalist saw the irony.

St. Peter’s Anglican Church has long been known as an open and inclusive place. So open, it seems, they won’t turn anyone away. Not even a dog. That’s how a blessed canine ended up receiving communion from interim priest Rev. Marguerite Rea during a morning service the last Sunday in June.

Disturbingly, many of those in attendance could not see a problem with it.

“But nobody felt like it was a big deal, because it wasn’t a big deal,” one said. "I think it was this natural reaction: here’s this dog, and he’s just looking up, and she’s giving the wafers to people and she just gave one to him,” said another. “Anybody might have done that. It’s not like she’s trying to create a revolution.”

Thankfully, at least some parishoners in attendance were concerned about the implications of the priests actions. Admittedly, many were upset that denominational rules were not followed (ie the dog had not been baptised!), but I think it's fair to say some of those who witnessed the incident saw it as bebasing the entire ritual.

In all honesty, this priest probably did it without thinking, but what she did showed all too well how she thinks and it is not Biblically.

The problem is that we have become people pleasers. At that crucial moment when the priest saw a man and his dog kneeling before her waiting for the bread and wine, the priests had to make a split-second decision. What to do?

The default position came to the fore: whatever happens, do not offend people!

And so the priest, in a fluster but using the default operating principle, gave the wafer to both person and pet.

There is the nub of the problem: our default position is to please people, not God. People must not be offended, insulted or made to feel unworthy because religion exists for their benefit. It is there to help them, to lift them up and to encourage them.

Actually, we worship God because he alone is worthy and it glorifies him. That is enough reason to fall on our knees in utter thankfulness that he sent his Son to die for our sins. Our feelings have nothing to do with it. God didn't do all this so that we would not be offended.

The Bible is clear: we are to attempt to live at "peace" with one another, but if we have as our operating principle the idea of "pleasing" one another, we are in serious trouble. Not because pleasing one another is intrinsically wrong, but because somewhere down the track we will choose to do what keeps people happy, not what honours the Saviour.

That's the sin nature.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.(1 Cor 10:31)

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:17)

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. (Col 3:23)