Sophie certainly stole the show this morning, and coped remarkably well both with being cooped up in her carrier and with the 'oohs' and 'ahs' of more than thirty humans as she was lifted up at the start of my talk (this photo was taken before the service when there was no-one else there).  We had around thirty folk present, more visitors than regulars, and a few sought out Sophie for a bit of fuss before they left!

The not-a-sermon talked about christingles (the vet, the family who arrived late) about stars (Sasha going out at 5am this morning and me seeing the star-spangled sky) and the God who is present in it all.

And this poem...

Cat in the Manger, U A Fanthorpe

In the story, I'm not there.
Ox and ass, arranged at prayer
But me? Nowhere.

Anti-cat evangelists
How on earth could you have missed
Such an obvious and able
Occupant of any stable?

Who excluded mouse and rat?
The harmless necessary cat.
Who snuggled in with the holy pair?
Me. And my purr.

Matthew, Mark and Luke and John,
(Who got it wrong, Who left out the cat)
Remember that,
Wherever He went in this great affair 
I was there.