Jesus and Garfield

Years ago, when my children were ages 3, 4 & 9 (our youngest wasn’t here yet), we had a cat named Garfield. During the winter, Garfield got something that began to look like mange. He started to lose all of his hair. Unfortunately, the cat was getting sicker and sicker, and frankly, we did not have the money for a hefty vet bill.

So, I decided during Holy Week, on Maundy Thursday, I would dispose of the cat. I was young and dumb, thinking, “How hard can this be? Dad did on the farm when I was growing up.”  So, I put Garfield in a box, put the box in my trunk, grabbed my shotgun, and drove off into the countryside. I drove about 10 miles because I did not want neighbors to see their pastor euthanizing a cat. To this day, I am confident that the cat knew that on this day, I was Dr. Kevorkian. He was having no part of it. He had gotten out of the box in transit, and the moment I opened the trunk, old Garfield took off as if his tail was on fire. I got off one shot as he went over a snowdrift, but I was confident that it was a good shot, and I had put Garfield out of his misery. In the evening, I explained to my children how Garfield had died, and Daddy took him out in the country and buried him. We then said a prayer for Garfield at supper.

On Easter morning, while we were having breakfast, I heard the distinct sound of a cat in the garage. Together, we went to the door to see. Sure enough, there sat Garfield, looking at me as if to say, “Loser!”  My four-year-old daughter was the first to proclaim the good news of Easter: “Daddy, Jesus raised Garfield from the dead!”

At that moment, you have choices to make. None of them are great. Tell the truth and bruise the child’s faith in you and God, or lie. I lied. I said, “Yes, he did.”  The next day, I took Garfield to the vet. I spent a few hundred dollars on an old cat because I did not want my four-year-old daughter to think that all Jesus had in his arsenal was a temporary fix. Garfield lived for some more years after his resurrection. However, he and I were never close after that.

Easter is the day that we proclaim the truth of the resurrection. Easter is the day we say that Christianity is more than just a walk down the path of “therapeutic deism” with the design to help us be kind people. Easter is the day we proclaim that Christ has the power to raise people, and maybe even cats named GARFIELD, from the dead because HE ROSE FROM THE DEAD! And praise God, we don’t have to lie.

Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed!

Have a Great Week!

-Pastor Corey