“And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:24-25).
God created humans with the intention of taking care of all creation, including animals. Over the centuries, theologians have found this important. Various Saints have taken it upon themselves to care for animals. Most famously, this includes St. Francis of Assisi. Many famous statues include an image of St. Francis holding animals, a sign of his love for all of God’s creation.
This coming Sunday, October 3, at 4:00 p.m. we will have a blessing of the animals at St. Dunstan’s. We will begin the day with a check in followed by a blessing. Animals are a great blessing to us. When I served as a chaplain, there was a service dog that would visit and immediately cheer up the patients. I have read stories about soldiers having dogs with them in war torn countries. These dogs bring incredible comfort to those serving.1
It is important for us, as a church to lift up the animals who bring joy and comfort to our lives. I have heard many stories about how some of your pets truly bless your life. I have heard how they snuggle and greet you. This experience leads me to hope for more stories from you.
I so enjoy learning about you and so I am going to share with you a story of how animals bless my life. I hope, when you have a chance, you will share ways in which animals bless your life now or how they have blessed you in the past.
In the Spring of 2021, I was feeling a bit disoriented. I had read some seminary class work that left me shaken and vulnerable. I missed my friends and not having received the COVID vaccine yet, we were still pretty cautious. David asked what I would like for my graduation gift and I told him a puppy. He scoured the shelters with the intent to find the appropriate breed for our family.2 Soon after my graduation, in mid-June, we brought home a sweet Maltese puppy named Sugar. Honestly, Sugar can be a handful as she has more than a very bad habits. However, more often than not, she warms my heart. When I come home after a long day, it’s great to take a walk with Sugar. When she and my daughters cuddle together, my heart smiles. For our nine year old, Grace, her confidence grows through training Sugar. At each of these moments, and many more, I am reminded of the words of the hymn, “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.” This Sunday, when we bless the animals, may your heart be filled with joy.
1 To read about military service dogs go to: https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/what-are-military-workingdogs/
2 David and Faith both have allergies necessitating a dog that is hypoallergenic. We also wanted a smaller dog, but not so small that the dog would be harmed by our active three year old.
