A Blessing for the Animals - and Us
This Sunday afternoon at 4:00 PM we'll see more animals at church in a short, half hour period of time, than we likely will over all the other days of the year combined. Apart from service animals, most churches only encourage animals to come to worship for an annual pet blessing usually near around the church's commemoration of St. Francis of Assisi. Why is that?
My guess is that the invitation to bring animals to church invites a certain amount of chaos that we aren't always used to. It's not a question of if, but when the barking will start. When the meowing will happen. When an animal will need comforted or calmed. Indeed, for some the thought of bringing animals to church is a crazy one, yet I dare say it's one from which we can all learn something.
To be sure, commemorating St. Francis and the animals he loved is risky, because we don't know what will happen. We can't predict how the service will go or who might "bark" first. But celebrating this special day with our animals makes us more aware that being in relationship always involves risk and that our God-the Creator of every living thing risked everything to be in relationship with us. It is this same God, who in spite of the risks, continually calls us into relationship with all of creation.
Many of you have probably seen the different signs, pictures and videos that remind us that "Dog" is "God" spelled backwards. The images associated with this revelation are usually meant to tug on our heartstrings. But the deeper truth is that these images, and frankly all images of our companion animals tug on our heartstrings because they remind us of the trusting relationship that bonds us to them. They remind us that the risk of entering into this loving relationship never outweighs the joy we receive from it. And so it is with our relationship with God.
I promise that there will be barking, meowing and probably all sorts of other animal sounds at church on Sunday afternoon. But I also promise that for those who risk coming the joy will be greater than the cacophony of sounds we hear. So I invite you to come, join the holy chaos this Sunday and remember with us the deep love God has for all of creation.