The Worship Council had originally planned a Spring Pet Blessing for this coming Sunday, but we have now rescheduled it for Sunday, May 5 at 3:00 pm. The reason for this is that there is just too much going on in our community this Sunday at 3:00 pm. The Hike for Hospice is at that time. The matinee performance of Tarzan at Miami-Trace High School is at that time. The Fayette County Concert Series at the old Washington Middle School is at that time as well. Fayette County isn’t quite the Vegas Strip; we can’t support that many shows at the same time. So we’ve moved it back a week. The weather will be a little bit warmer, which will be nice. If it rains we’ll find another date for it. No big deal.
Most churches that have pet blessings do it in the fall as close to October 4 as possible. October 4 is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. He loved nature and animals and is, I believe, the patron saint of animal lovers. I think that St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church here in town has a Blessing of the Animals during the fall. So we decided to do one in the spring instead. We’re Presbyterians, anyway, so we’re not bound by saints days of any kind. We’re free to do it whenever it makes sense for us. I don’t know about you, but one of the things I think about when I think of spring is animals. Spring reminds us of new life and the beauty of God’s creation. We get out and take a long hike with the dog. The cat chases a butterfly through the yard. So why not have our pet blessing in spring? It’s not the normal thing to do, but who ever said that we’re normal?
I guess the biggest question of all is why we would ever bless animals in the first place. I remember sitting in an introductory theology course in seminary during which the topic of animal blessings came up. One of my classmates said something to the effect of, “What’s the point? Animals don’t have souls. They don’t sin. They can’t forgive or be forgiven. They’re just animals. Really, what’s the point?” I won’t take the time to get into the questions that deal with animals and eternity. If you’re interested in that you can look through the blog archives to find my post from February 14, 2012 entitled “All Dogs Go to Heaven (or do they?)” Although I’m not going to get into the theological or metaphysical arguments regarding the eternal destinies of animals, my classmate’s comments really do raise a get question: why bother having a pet blessing? Here’s my answer to this question: it isn’t really for the animals; it’s for us.
Will it do a dog any good to have someone put a hand on their head and pronounce a blessing on them? Maybe not. Do they really need it? Who knows? They praise God just by being alive. You see, animals are able to do something that we are not able to do—they are able to be who they were made to be. My dog, Eli, is exactly who he was made to be. So are my cat, Romy, and our fish, O.J. Being who God made you to be is what being blessed is all about. Really, what a pet blessing is meant to achieve is that, even more than blessing the animals, it is a blessing of that part of our lives. It is a claiming of that relationship between us and our pets as something that is of God. In 1 John we read, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.” Of course, John was referring to love of one person for another, but isn’t all love from God when it is genuine, self-giving love that glorifies our God? A pet blessing says, “You are created and loved by God. Your pets are created and loved by God. Your love and care for your pets glorifies the God who is love. Your pets love and loyalty to you is a blessing to you and to the animal and it glorifies God too. These animals are holy because they were made by a holy God. You have been given the job by the Creator of caring for all of creation. This is a part of that. Do it with love and grace and mercy and peace in your hearts! ‘Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’ (Colossians 3:17). When we follow God’s ways that he has given us in the Scriptures and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit all of life is blessed, including Eli and Romy and O.J.!
I hope you will join us in the manse backyard on May 5 at 3 pm (weather permitting). It will be extremely fun, informal, noisy, smelly, and holy all at the same time. See you then!
