Hello Gloria Dei
Way back in the early 13th Century, Saint Francis of Assisi wrote the lyrics to the hymn “All Creatures of Our God and King.” The first line of this wonderful hymn goes like this:
All Creatures of Our God and King; Lift up your voice with us and sing.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Our family used to have a Boxer dog named Brandy. Brandy loved to go out onto the lawn in our backyard, and she would stand in the early morning sunlight. After a few moments, she would proceed to look around and then take a few deep breaths. And then, suddenly, she would start barking. She barked for no apparent reason. She just looked up and barked. I think I know what she was doing. She was following Saint Francis’ mandate. She was lifting up her voice in praise of God.
God has blessed this world with many gifts. One of those gifts is our pets and animals.
So, this Sunday at the 10:30 a.m. service, we will have a Pet Blessing. That’s right! Our second annual Pet Blessing. We will gather outside on the lawn with whoever wants to come… and bring your pets. This will be in place of the normal 10:30 a.m. worship service that day. Bring lawn chairs/blankets and be sure to have your pet on a leash or in a carrier. We’ll sing some songs, say some prayers, and bless our pets. From 10 a.m. – 12 p.m., the SDSU Ice Cream truck will be on hand selling shakes, cones, pup cups for the dogs, and all things ice cream.
If you don’t have a pet to bring, no worries. Come and enjoy God’s creatures as we all lift our voices in praise.
***We will have our normal worship services in the sanctuary on Saturday, July 22, at 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday, July 23, at 9:00 a.m.
As you give thanks to God for the many blessings of life, take time to say thanks to God for animals and pets. They are a blessing.
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
