"I sing praise to You, my Lord, for all You have made, Especially for Brother Sun,Who brings the day and through whom You give us light." St. Francis of Assisi, 1181-1226

"The heavens are telling the glory of God and all Creation is shouting for joy. Come dance in the forest, come play in the field, and sing, sing to the glory of the Lord." These are the words we will sing this Sunday as we celebrate the Blessing of the Animals. The first Sunday of October is nearest to the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, birds and the environment. It has been our practice for several years now to open our doors and, as one person said, "invite the WHOLE family" to church. It is a glorious day in our sanctuary as dogs, cats, birds, guinea pigs, ferrets, snakes, spiders…..and oh, so many others, accompany their humans to worship.

We have found over the years that it is a particularly moving service for so many. I especially am moved as I hear the stories of the animals, as told by those who speak words, of how there has been joy, suffering, healing, and companionship between these animals and their owners. I am equally touched when a person brings the ashes of their pet to be blessed before they find their final resting place.There is great laughter in the service as well…..dogs love to join in the singing, cats are not shy about displaying their distaste of the canines, birds let their voices rise when the organ reaches a crescendo, and sometimes they form a choir to let the humans know….enough with the talking!

In the past we have hosted penguins(they rode in a refrigerated case), horses, a parade of helping dogs, llamas,camels, giraffes,cows, pigs,sheep, donkeys, even elephants.But my most vivid memory was what I now refer to as "The Year of the Yak."

We were focusing that year on the animals new to Minnesota and had learned that, with our growing Tibetan Buddhist community, there was actually a yak farmer who brought the magnificent animals to gatherings so people could get to know them. The plan was that during our final hymn , "All Creatures of the Earth and Sky", the yak and his handler would process down our center aisle and we would visually feast on the beauty and power of this animal held holy by our newest residents. (As I write this I can feel my blood pressure rise.)

The organ began…the people sang….the dogs howled….the farmer and the yak began their walk down the aisle. I don’t claim to be particularly intuitive when it comes to animals but standing in the front of the sanctuary, I looked into the eyes of this huge, horned beast, and said to myself "something is amiss". The yak processed with tentative dignity. The handler seemed in control but somehow I still felt uneasy. They continued down the aisle as people turned to behold the sheer beauty and size of this animal. Then my eyes fell on the front row where the Great Dane sat, regal, calm and sure that, indeed, it was the largest creature in the space…….until now. As the yak handler reached the end of the aisle, Yak and Dane looked into one another eyes. I looked into the eyes of the handler and we both knew….the best thing to do was to  make as gracious an exit as there had been an entrance. Turning the sleek, brown, beast around, they walked slowly out of the sanctuary. Humans took a collective breath, dogs settled back, cats peeked out, and we finished the last line of the hymn…..Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

To be fair, it seems the yak had had an unfortunate encounter with another animal on its way to our church and so was not in a very good mood. This Sunday we will gather with great joy, to celebrate the wonder of all God’s creatures, large and small. We will offer blessings and gratitude for the gifts of these animals as our companions, our amazement and our delight. And we will raise our voices together singing "Alleluia!"

Have a blessed weekend…………..