Donkeys

This morning there was a story on Sky News about a retired British couple, who have sold up in the UK and moved to Delhi to rescue donkeys who work on the various construction sites in that city. My original reaction was that this was typical British sentimentality about animals, and couldn't they use their time, money and efforts on helping people.

But the more I thought about this story, I realised that the absurdity of their lavishing love on poor dumb animals should make me think of the lavishness of our prodigal God, who sent His only Son to die for us and rescue us from our sins, when we are completely helpless to do anything about our predicament.

In one passage of the news clip, the lady tells how she was only allowed by its owner to take away a particularly weak donkey, if she brought back a donkey she had earlier rescued, and which was now recovering well. Our rescue is not cost-free exercise either. In the song, "Isn't it love", there is this:

Isn't it love to look down from the sky
And see Your only Son on the cross asking "Why?"
And somehow let Him die that way

So as I drove in to work thinking about this lavish love of God, my mind wanders as it does. In referring to World War I, you often hear the expression "lions led by donkeys", but in our case we are donkeys (or stupid sheep) rescued by the Lion of Judah, the lion who C.S. Lewis' badger tells us "is not tame, but he is good".

One final thought, St Paul's is proud to support the work of International Justice Mission in working to set slaves free in India. IJM has as its mission statement Isaiah 1:17 "Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless,plead the case of the widow." You can find out more about their work at an Indian evening, which we will hold in May.