Blessing of the Animals

Once a quarter PB UMC celebrates worship outdoors in our lovely courtyard. This fall everyone was invited to bring their pets for a special blessing.

The Prayer of Blessing

"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all"

Dear God,

Thank you for giving us these animals as companions to our days and nights; thank you for allowing us to share our lives with them. We ask your blessing upon each cat, each dog, each tortoise, fish, hamster, guinea pig, and bird. Their antics delight us, their mysterious ways amaze us, their presence comforts us. Our pets mean a great deal to us, Lord, and we know that they depend on us as well. May the special relationship we have with our animals continue to be a source of encouragement, hope, faith, and love.

As the hands which care for these creatures rest upon their heads and hearts, we thank you again for the variety and beauty of your creation, and for our place in it. May the bonds between creatures never be broken. May we deserve the trust that you, and the animals, have placed in us.

Through Christ we pray, amen.