*Chicken Sermon* at church this Sunday!?!

[StPaulieGirls]

Hello friends,

I've just found this board and am delighted to read about all of our shared chicken-inspired adventures. We got three chickens and have set up a coop in our St. Paul, MN backyard! Three cheers for city chickens!!!

Believe it or not, this Sunday I'll be preaching at my church and have decided to speak to the moral and spiritual motivations for and blessings from keeping a small flock of backyard chickens. For me, the whole thing - while plain fun and a little silly - speaks to my own desire to have a hand in some small but complete circle of life and in providing my own sustenance. Barbara Kingsolver has written that it almost takes something like religion for folks to make big moral choices about how and where their food is produced and then do something about the choices -- and I think that's exactly what's gone on for me. Something kind of religious.

I'm wondering if I'm alone in this sentiment or if any of you have stories of your moral motivations for keeping chickens or the nearly spiritual practice of the day-to-day of chicks, hens and eggs. Has your keeping chickens changed how you feel about food? About nature? About your neighbors? About animals? About your spouse or partner or kids? About the Spirit of love and mystery that some call God?

It's funny that this is my third post and it might well paint me as having gone right off the deep end. Oh, well.

I'll look forward to anything anyone wants to share. I feel as though I'll sort of be speaking for a lot of us when I'm with our congregation. Maybe you'll have something you need me to say...

Peace,
Kerri and the 3 St. Paul Girls (or maybe that buff Orp is a rooster...?)

 

[arwmommy]

JMHO,

I feel very strongly that Heavenly Father has given us dominion over His animals, but wants, and EXPECTS us to treat all His creations with love and respect. Yes, animals can give us food and clothing, but we should use them sparingly and with respect. I have been a vegetarian on and off for years because of the way factory farms raise their animals, not because I think we should *never* eat meat.

My answer is to raise spoiled rotten chickens that act like Heavenly Father wanted them to act-- that give us organic eggs (soon- I hope! They are only 14 weeks), that connect my children to the wonder of the creation of animals, their needs, personalities and feelings-- and when I buy meat to only buy Organic, Free Range meat, even if it costs more. This means we eat less meat than the average American (yeah!-- I don't believe Heavenly Father ever intended us to eat meat 3 meals a day!), and that we support farmers who are humane to their animals.

Raising chickens is an extension of my understanding of Heavenly Father's love for all His creations, and me doing my best to raise my children with this compassion for life.

 

[justusnak]

Well...I was raised as a " poor farm kid" We raised what we ate...and ate what we raised. We didnt have "what other kids had" But...we were all very happy kids...especially when we DID get some fancy new clothes, or shoes. Unfortunately my husband and I were not able to raise our children the same way. He went into the military 3 days after we were married. Now, kids are grown...and we just in the last 2 years have figured out our " place in life" We wanted to open a farm rescue...and wanted to call it Heavens Door Acres. While we were looking for the " perfect farm" I prayed.....Father, please let us find the farm we need to help these poor creatures" Well...we did, and you know what? There is a small country church across the road from us diagonally....there is also another church behind our 3 acres of woods...and the preacher lives on the south side of our property. A friend made a comment to me.... said we live in a Halo...surrounded by Gods love and guidance....this is where we are meant to be. I thank the Lord every day, for letting us find this little place...( only 5 acres but enough for us) We are not up and running as of yet...well, not formally...but have "rescued" a few animals...as income allowes. ( might be getting a few goats soon) We raise free rangeing chickens mostly for eggs...but a few were for the freezer. We have our own garden, grapes, apples, and multiple types of berries. Its not a "grand place" But...we know where most of our food comes from...and plan to raise beef and pork in the years to come. ( from bought animals, NOT rescues) There is a certain kind of peace of mind, that comes from knowing...the Lord has provided us with this opportunity to help ourselves.

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Dear Pastor Kerri:

I agree with the previous poster about "dominion over the earth", being not dominating and abusing it & its creatures, but being given the responsibility for CARING for it, which is much harder than dominating it. I researched this for our church's Earth Day celebration this past spring.

I also found something which could contribute to your sermon: it's from www.browneggblueegg.com/story... (sorry I cut off the rest of the address on my paper copy) and it's called "All I Need to Know I Learned From My Hens", by Michaele Oleson, reprinted from Countryside and Small Stock Journal May/June 2006. It's fantastic - I keep it in my calendar book to read from time to time.

Best of luck on Sunday!

 

[chicknmania]

A year ago we had a much-loved hen with a broken leg and dislocated hip. The vet (not our regular vet)couldn't do anything for her that we could afford, but basically said that she would form a false joint at her hip (I know this is true for other animals) and that he didn't think she was in a lot of pain and he discouraged us from putting her to sleep. This seemed odd to me, but we decided to wait for a couple weeks and see. Our church had a "Bubbles and Blessings" day designed to raise money for the local animal shelter. They gave baths and our pastor blessed whatever pets we wanted to bring. We brought our Red hen. Needless to say, she atttracted a lot of attention as she pecked at the grass. We prayed together for her recovery. Two days later I went to the barn to find her dead. The other chickens had knocked over her fan, and her water was knocked over. It was an extremely hot day. Although we were devastated, I can't help but think that our prayers were answered. She was out of her misery. It was odd, because our chickens have never knocked over another fan.

Two weeks later, our pastor decided to have 4-H day at the church. He asked us to bring our roosters who had recently won the crowing contest at the fair. We had a hilariously fun service as, even though the roosters were in another room during the service, they crowed all the way through it and everyone could hear them.. At the conclusion of the service, we brought them out, and my son held a Q & A session for everyone, which continued at lunch following the service.

They were both memorable days that we will never forget. I love that man!

God bless you for wanting to share your love of your birds. I'm sure your congregation will enjoy whatever you do.

 

[mom'sfolly]

I find my chickens calming. They are fun to watch, and to listen to. They have no agenda. They connect me to my food, to nature and to other people (everyone else loves to watch them too). They, with my other pets, help teach my children compassion and caring for other. I think it is good for my family to understand where our food comes from, and to make choices about our food based on how it is raised. I think pets teach children compassion, and give them responsibility for something other than themselves. My chhickens help with all that and they are fun, beautiful, and they make me laugh.

 

[chickbea]

The biggest benefit I get from my chickens is the same one I get from all my animals, and that is that they remind me that there are many other critters sharing the Earth with us, and that my needs, wants, opinions and feelings are not the only ones that matter.
Getting out of bed to feed the girls, bundling up in below freezing weather to clean and visit, it all helps to keep me connected with the one-ness of it all. I think humans are very attached to our feeling of superiority, and it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves that we are just one out of many. If we learned to be nicer to other species we might learn to be nicer to each other!

 

[RebelsHope]

I truly don't believe that God wants any of His animals to suffer. I knows if even one sparrow falls from the sky.

I have chickens and try not to eat chicken unless it is from an free range farm. I am new in this conviction and it is very hard to follow sometimes when I am on the run and want to get some KFC, but I think about how those chickens are kept, with beaks cut off and it just sickens me.

So I have started my small flock for eggs, I don't know if I am up to butchering chickens yet, but at least I know that my eggs will come from happy chickens who peck at the earth and roll in the dirt.

Besides I really hate ticks and hope they eat all the ticks from my yard.

 

[StPaulieGirls]

Bless you all for taking a moment to share these wonderful stories and thoughts with me. The things you have to say both echo the ideas in my sermon and make them that much richer with your own particular experiences.

Thanks - keep 'em comin' if you've got something to share - Sunday's still two days off!

P.S. REBELS - Oooooh, I hate* ticks, too. Ooooh!

In faith,

Kerri

*edited to say that 'hate' is a mighty strong word for anything in creation. I'm sure I don't mean 'hate'. Maybe I mean I really dislike how they infect us with nasty things by sticking their disgusting little heads in our flesh.

 

[Wolfpacker]

If you have Netflix, you can watch a documentary online called "The Natural History of the Chicken." The very last segment features a minister relating the moral implications he discovered by watching a chicken protecting her chicks from a hawk. Very moving.

Again, you can watch it online if you have Netflix.