[Prompter’s Note: When I love Jesus as much as my dog loves me, revival will have come.]

Write this as a dog expounding on the interdependence of love and obedience in John 14–15

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1. Prologue: A Big Dog with a Bigger Calling

Greetings, two-legged pupils. I, St. Bernard of the High Alps, certified expert in avalanche rescue and spiritual formation, have been tasked with teaching you the finest principles of obedience—not the kind that reduces humans to trembling servants, but the higher calling described by my Master in John 14–15.

You might think obedience school is for dogs.
But no: dogs already understand love.
It is humans who must learn.

Dogs already understand love.
It is humans who must learn.

2. Lesson One: “If You Love Me, Heel”

In John 14:15, the Master says:

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

This is not the bark of domination.
This is the invitation of a trusted Handler.

A good dog does not obey to avoid the rolled-up newspaper (perish the thought!).
A good dog obeys because:

• The Handler is wise.
• The Handler seeks the dog’s flourishing.
• The Handler’s voice brings safety, direction, and joy.

You humans often say you love your Master, but then wander into traffic, chase cars, and eat theological socks.
Thus, obedience school.

3. Lesson Two: Abiding Is the Leash of Love

In John 15:4 the Master teaches:

“Abide in me as I abide in you.”

To abide is to stay close enough to hear the softest whistle.
We dogs call this “maintaining line-of-sight.”
You call it “spiritual intimacy.”
But it amounts to the same thing.

To abide is to stay close enough to hear the softest whistle.

Abiding means:

• Matching your pace to the Master’s.
• Staying near even when the meadow smells interesting.
• Trusting that His path leads home.

The one who abides rarely needs to be corrected; proximity itself forms obedience.

The one who abides rarely needs to be corrected; proximity itself forms obedience.

4. Lesson Three: “You Are My Friends” — A Dog’s Highest Honor

In John 15:14–15 the Master astonishes us:

“You are my friends if you do what I command you.”
“I no longer call you servants…but friends.”

This is the point where even a seasoned rescue dog sits down in awe.

Friendship!
Not mere servanthood.

In the canine world, friendship means:

• Shared missions (pulling humans from snowbanks).
• Shared trust (I follow your voice; you follow my instincts).
• Shared life (I sleep by your fire; you walk my trails).

The Master promotes His followers—not from kennel to kennel, but from command-followers to purpose-sharers.

The Master promotes His followers—not from kennel to kennel, but from command-followers to purpose-sharers.

You humans are not asked simply to “sit” and “stay.”
You are invited into the Master’s rescue work.

5. Lesson Four: The Joy of a Well-Trained Heart

The Master adds in John 15:11:

“I have said these things so that my joy may be in you.”

This is the secret every dog knows:

Obedience is not drudgery.
It is the path to joy.

Obedience is not drudgery.
It is the path to joy.

A dog who ignores the Handler gets lost, frightened, hungry.
A dog who listens runs free, confident, purposeful.

Likewise, the Master’s commands are not fences—they are trails cleared for your flourishing.

6. Lesson Five: The Highest Command — Love

Finally, in John 15:12–13 the Master says:

“Love one another as I have loved you.”
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

We Saint Bernards know something about laying down our lives.
We plunge into storms, dig through snow, brave cliffs—because that is what love looks like in a dog’s body.

For humans, love looks like:

• Service without sulking.
• Loyalty without pride.
• Sacrifice without complaint.
• Obedience that flows from affection, not fear.

This is the final exam of obedience school.

Obedience that flows from affection, not fear… This is the final exam of obedience school.

7. Graduation: Becoming True Friends of the Master

When you keep the Master’s commands:

• You love Him.
• You abide with Him.
• You join His mission.
• You reflect His joy.
• You demonstrate His love.

At this point, you are no longer “trainees.”
You are His friends—partners in the Great Rescue.

And so, from one who has pulled many a wanderer from the snow, take this blessing:

Stay close to His voice.
Trust His path.
Love as He loves.
And you will become what He calls you to be.

A true friend of the Master.

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Appendix: The Historical St. Bernard(s) and His Canine Heirs

1. Bernard of Clairvaux: The Man Behind the Name

The historical St. Bernard is Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), a Cistercian monk and theologian whose writings shaped medieval Christian spirituality. Known for works like On Loving God and his sermons on the Song of Songs, he emphasized:

• Interior devotion
• Christ-centered love
• Obedience as joyful alignment with divine will

His influence was vast, though he had no direct connection to the dogs that later bore his name.

2. The Great St. Bernard Pass and Hospice

Long before Bernard of Clairvaux lived, monks operated a hospice on the dangerous Alpine route known as the Great St. Bernard Pass, named for an earlier saint, Bernard of Menthon. Travelers routinely perished in snow and avalanches, so the monks established a refuge of mercy.

The dogs came later.

3. The Dogs: Monastic Partners in Rescue

Beginning in the 17th century, the hospice monks bred large, gentle, powerful dogs to help locate and rescue lost travelers. These early Saint Bernards:

• Tracked scent under snow
• Dug out victims
• Carried warmth and companionship
• Assisted in message or supply transport

Their most famous hero, Barry (1800–1814), reportedly saved over 40 lives.

4. How the Dogs Got the Name

The breed took its name from the hospice at the Great St. Bernard Pass, which itself honored Bernard of Menthon. Over time, popular imagination blended both Bernards—Clairvaux and Menthon—under the shared symbol of compassionate rescue.

5. Symbolic Synthesis: Dogs, Saints, and Salvation

Whether by accident or providence, the Saint Bernard dog embodies themes resonant with Bernard of Clairvaux’s spirituality:

• Rescue of the lost
• Hospitality to the vulnerable
• Obedience rooted in love
• Strength expressed as gentleness

Thus the dog becomes a living parable of the theology:
strong but tender, obedient but free, faithful unto life-saving sacrifice.

A fitting companion to the Master’s commands in John 14–15.