Elephant Love

17 May 2023

Sand kicked in your face. Blaring trumpets. Huge trunks pushing and pulling you.

Being born a baby elephant is a rough and tumble experience. But a very loving one as well.

A friend of mine sent me a mini-video of an elephant birth from the Massai Mara in Africa’s Great Rift Valley. If you don’t have 3 mins and 45 seconds, you might want to at least quickly toggle through the video.

It starts with one mother. But immediately after the birth, several “aunties” rally to help. The baby is kicked with sand, according to one source, to protect its fragile skin from the sun. The newborn calf is pulled and prodded to stand on its feet, although watching it gently fall down once or twice is adorable. Trunks trumpet loudly in celebration. Toward the end of the video, you’ll notice big brothers and uncles creating a massive wall of ear-flapping protection, lest any tourist or predator get too close.

The video caught my eyes and heart for two reasons:

First, part of celebrating all our super-amazing biological moms this past Sunday, part of Mother’s Day was recognizing as well all the other aunts, uncles, and mother-figures “in the herd” God sends to support the mother and baby both! Father’s Day isn’t until next month, but some goes for all the tremendous father figures involved.

Secondly, related to this, is our upcoming celebration of our COS high school graduates. Back when these kids were baptized, all of us promised to play our parts in their faith formation. Maybe you didn’t use your trunks to throw sand on them or lift them to their feet. But you lifted them as their Sunday School teachers, confirmation teachers, and resource-providers for all kinds of mission trips. Through your creation of a strong faith community, you created a safe and powerful circle, just like those bull elephants circling up, to create a safe place for our children to ask hard life questions and figure out who they are God’s children now ready to be sent into the world in this next life chapter to fulfill God-given destinies.

One researcher argued that every elephant in the herd will “kiss” the newborn.

Thanks to all of you who in some form or fashion are intentional about offering kisses to God’s children coming after you. It’s important to you, because as you age, you’re able to appreciate more and more about the power of the kisses you first received yourselves.

In Christ’s hope,

Pastor Fritz

Question:

For whom am I thankful for pushing or pulling me in a helpful way, just like an elephant auntie or uncle?
What person is God giving me a chance to lift up these days?

Let us pray.

Dear God, can getting dirt kicked in my face actually be a blessing in disguise? Let me be open to the mystery of your ways.  Help me appreciate the power of herds, communities, and what our creed calls, “the communion of saints.” In Jesus’ name, Amen.