“I am the way and the truth.” (John 14:6)
Cisco and her dog are now certified as a therapy team. That means our church council member and her dog can go to pretty much any facility and allow students, residents, and patients to experience the healing interaction with a calm animal companion. They get to pet the dog and feel the comfort that comes with that. In clinical environments it is important for people to stay connected to their outside “normal life” reality. Residents may miss their pets. So a therapy dog can bring familiarity, allow touch and connection or bring back childhood memories.
The love that a dog provides is great. I am just learning that myself with our new puppy at home. It only makes sense that our church’s Family Ministry has now invited Cisco and Emmett to join us when we bring communion to the residents in various local care facilities.
You may wonder what does a therapy dog have to do with holy communion?
Quite truthfully: Everything!
Communion is all about love:
– The love of God entering our bodies represented in bread and wine.
– Our love for one another by sharing this time and place together.
When Jesus says he is the way and the truth that connects us with God and one another, there is a direct link to Cisco’s therapy dog. His name is Emmett, which in Hebrew is spelled אמת and means TRUTH!