All Creatures Great And Small…
All things bright and beautiful
all creatures great and small
all things wise and wonderful
the Lord God made them all
Last week’s blessing of pets at Robina Common was a wonderful opportunity to make space in our lives for giving thanks for our pets and all living creatures that enrich our lives, and to ask God’s blessing on them as we share our lives with them.
People came along with their pets of various shapes, sizes and personalities.
It was a beautiful afternoon to be in the park. We had lovely shade and a cool breeze as we looked out over the water from our spot adjacent to the dog park. There were lots of other people out and about in the park, so our gathering had a real community feel about it.
The Young family – Brooke, Jason, Sidney and Amy (and Summer who was on a Duke of Ed camp last weekend) – are part of our 9.30 worshipping community and contribute in lots of ways to the life of our church family. It was great to see them at the pet blessing with their beautiful dogs …
We came along to the Pet Blessing because our pets are part of our family and we wanted to introduce them to our church family. As a family, it is important for us to explore our faith together, thus we were thrilled to be able to experience this opportunity with our boys (Winston and Arthur).
During our time with the Robina Anglican Church we have each appreciated the fellowship that the Church offers and feel very blessed to be part of this community.
Here are the words of blessing offered to Winston and Arthur, along with their new friends Dane, Rufus, and Star – and also Trixie, Loretta, Pudgie, Blue Boy, Tweetie, Luna, Leo and Poppy who were not able to be present.
May this blessing from Christ fill you with life,
strengthen your bond with your human carer,
and lead you to praise God who made us all. Amen.
We prayed together:
Loving God,
You made animals as our companions,
that in caring for them
we might learn to love and care
for all your creatures,
and find in them a sign of your grace.
As we fulfil this calling
may we draw close to you
the giver of all life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
We will hold a Blessing of Pets again next year, so plan to come along! It’s a great opportunity for your family and friends to connect with our church community in real and meaningful ways in the midst of everyday life – where God becomes possible through experiencing the love and goodness gifted to us through connection with our animal friends.
Blessings for the week ahead, Mary-Anne