Liturgy School students leading Pet Blessing

Oct 4th is the feast of St Francis of Assisi and here at St Philip's we celebrated by having a pet blessing during our Sunday service this past week. The service was also our first intergenerational one of the year and so we had some new faces from our liturgy school class helping as worship leaders.

Congratulations to Norah, Reagan, Pieter and Marna who were reading in worship for the first time this past Sunday! They all did a wonderful job, along with our more veteran leaders - Lindsay, Graeme and Jack. Also, a huge thank you to those children and youth who joined the choir for this special service. It is wonderful to see so many people of different ages making beautiful music together.

Though I neglected to mention it in the bulletin last week, I want to note that the Opening Invocation and Prayer after Communion which we used for the service were both written by our second year liturgy school students. I have included them below along with some of the pictures from this year's service.

We saw many familiar animal faces at this year's service - along with their human companions. It is always so exciting and wonderful to include these important members of the wider earth community in our worship. It is a reminder to us that humanity is just one small part of a huge, interconnected web of created life in our universe. We are called, as people of faith, to recall with humility, that all of creation is sacred and it is through our relationship with other organisms that God continues to give us life. The fifth mark of mission calls us to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and renew and maintain the life of the earth. As we live in this world which God has made and sustains, I hope that we continue to respond to this call.

Come all land animals and sea creatures!
All creatures are welcome in the house of God.

Come all small creatures and big creatures!
All creatures are welcome in the house of God.

Come all birds of land, sea and sky!
All creatures are welcome in the house of God.

Come all trees and weeds!
All creatures are welcome in the house of God.

Come all angels and mortals!
All creatures are welcome in the house of God.

Come all cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, people and turtles!
All creatures are welcome in the house of God.

Creator God,
you spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai
and gave us the ways of love,
Help us:
to know that you are God;
to follow your ways;
to respect your name;
to rest in your presence;
to live as the family of God;
to care for creation;
to love everyone;
to tell the truth;
to give thanks for what we have,
and to give thanks for what others have.
we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
who walked these ways of love.
Amen.