{"id":2828,"date":"2011-09-27T07:05:31","date_gmt":"2011-09-27T12:05:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/?p=2828"},"modified":"2011-09-19T10:20:57","modified_gmt":"2011-09-19T15:20:57","slug":"october-2-2001-blessing-of-the-animals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-2-2001-blessing-of-the-animals\/","title":{"rendered":"October 2, 2001&#8211;Blessing of the Animals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Warm-up Question<\/h3>\n<p>What is your favorite animal?\u00a0 Why?<\/p>\n<h3>Blessing of the Animals<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2011\/09\/shutterstock_53792359edit.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-2865\" style=\"margin: 5px\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2011\/09\/shutterstock_53792359edit.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"275\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2011\/09\/shutterstock_53792359edit.jpg 275w, https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2011\/09\/shutterstock_53792359edit-253x300.jpg 253w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><\/a>According to the<a href=\"http:\/\/www.humanesociety.org\/issues\/pet_overpopulation\/facts\/pet_ownership_statistics.html\"> Humane Society,<\/a> there are over 164.6 million cats and dogs living as household pets in the United States. For many, pets are a beloved member of the family.\u00a0 Today, on the Sunday closest to October 4, churches around the country will hold Blessing of the Animals services as a way for Christians to give thanks to God for the joy and love that pets bring to the lives of their owners.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The love of pets and animals is neither new nor exclusive to the United States.\u00a0 People have loved and cared for animals as a part of God\u2019s creation for centuries.\u00a0 One of the most famous animal lovers was <a href=\"\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Francis_of_Assisi#cite_ref-b78_30-0\">St. Francis of Assisi <\/a>who referred to the animals as his brothers and sisters.\u00a0 Once, according tradition, Francis was once traveling with some companions and they happened upon a place in the road where birds filled the trees on either side. Francis told his companions, &#8220;Wait for me while I go to preach to my sisters the birds.&#8221; \u00a0 On another occasion, Francis supposedly persuaded a wolf to stop attacking some locals if they agreed to feed the wolf.\u00a0Given Francis\u2019 connection to animals and the fact that the church commemorates (remembers) Francis of Assisi on October 4, the Sunday closest to October 4 seems like a perfect time to celebrate the Blessing of the Animals.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In addition to his love of animals and all of creation, Francis was known for his devotion to the poor.\u00a0 Though born into a wealthy family, he gave up his inheritance to serve the poor and founded the Franciscans, a monastic order. Francis believed that it was important for his faith to bear fruit in the world, so he took a vow of poverty, worked with lepers, acted as a peacemaker, and inspired others to adopt a way of life focused on serving God and others.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Discussion Questions<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Why do you think people participate in a Blessing of the Animals Service?\u00a0 What do you think a Blessing of the Animals Service says about our relationship to creation?<\/li>\n<li>Francis of Assisi famously said, \u201cGo and preach the Gospel.\u00a0 Use words if necessary.\u201d\u00a0 Can you think of a time when you or someone else shared the Gospel\u2014the good news about God\u2019s love for the world in Jesus Christ\u2014without using words?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Scripture Texts (NRSV) for Sunday, October 2, 2011 (Sixteenth Sunday After Pentecost)<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=183101364\">Isaiah 5:1-7<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=183101404\">Philippians 3:4b-14<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/?ql=183101447\">Matthew 21:33-46<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>(Text links are to <a href=\"http:\/\/bible.oremus.org\/\">Oremus Bible Browser<\/a>. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year C at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.elca.org\/Growing-In-Faith\/Worship\/Lectionary.aspx\">Lectionary Readings<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic <a href=\"http:\/\/www.agnusday.org\/\">Agnus Day.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Gospel Reflection<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For Francis of Assisi, it wasn\u2019t enough to study about God.\u00a0 He wanted to bear the fruit of God\u2019s love by living out his faith through his actions in the world.\u00a0 Francis took seriously the call to serve others.\u00a0 He devoted his life to caring for the sick and those in need.\u00a0 He rejected the world\u2019s obsession with stuff and chose a path of simplicity and poverty.\u00a0 He cared about creation and loved the world around him.\u00a0 \u201cGo and preach the Gospel.\u00a0 Use words if necessary.\u201d was not simply a slogan, it was a way of life.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For some people, there is a disconnect between what they say that they believe and how they act in their daily lives.\u00a0 They may speak about the importance of loving their neighbor, but when their neighbor is in need, they turn their back.\u00a0 They may talk about following Jesus\u2019 example, but somehow they never manage to move beyond fulfilling their own selfish desires.\u00a0 According to our reading from Matthew, the chief priests and the Pharisees are just this type of person.\u00a0 They know the story of God\u2019s relationship with God\u2019s people, but it doesn\u2019t seem to influence how they treat others and the world around them.\u00a0 They appear to be more concerned about themselves than about bearing the fruit of God\u2019s love in the world.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In an effort to help the chief priests and the Pharisees understand the gap between what God does for them and their actions, Jesus shares this parable of the vineyard.\u00a0 In the parable, the tenants disobey their Lord, murder his messengers, and ultimately reject and kill his son.\u00a0 Upon hearing the story, the Chief Priests and Pharisees are enraged.\u00a0 How could anyone act this way toward their master?\u00a0 They quickly declare that these disobedient tenants should be punished and that the punishment should be death. As Jesus continues to speak, the Chief Priests and the Pharisees begin to understand that this is not a random story, but a story about them and the way they are living as God\u2019s people in the world.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now, in fairness to the chief priests and the Pharisees, I imagine that they truly believed that they were acting faithfully and that Jesus was the one being unfaithful to God.\u00a0\u00a0 As we look back, however, it appears that these men failed to grasp that they, like all of God\u2019s children, are caretakers of the gifts God has given us, and that we are all called to use those gifts in God\u2019s service in the world, not simply to hoard them for themselves.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>A great deal has changed in the centuries since Jesus first shared this parable, but the call for God\u2019s people remains to build our lives on the cornerstone of Jesus, to bear fruit, to live out our faith in daily life, and to do God\u2019s work with our hands.\u00a0\u00a0 What will the fruit you bear look like? Only you can know the answer to that question, but God has given you a variety of gifts and the key is to claim the gifts God has given you and to look for ways to use those gifts to help others know the good news of God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n<h3>Discussion Questions<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How do you think the chief priests and the Pharisees felt when Jesus finished sharing the parable?<\/li>\n<li>Instead of learning from Jesus and admitting their mistake, the chief priests and the Pharisees get more angry and more upset with Jesus.\u00a0 Why do you think they refused to learn and change?<\/li>\n<li>What is a cornerstone?\u00a0 What does it mean to have Jesus as a cornerstone in our lives?<\/li>\n<li>Name one gift or talent God has given you.\u00a0 How can you use that gift in God\u2019s service in the world?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Activity Suggestions<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Invite the group to identify two gifts or talents that God has given each person who is present.\u00a0 Work together to discover ways that those talents can be used to bear the fruit of God\u2019s love in the world.<\/li>\n<li>Make a banner or art display that depicts a tree bearing fruit.\u00a0 Give each worshiper (or participant in your group) a slip of paper shaped like a piece of fruit and invite them to identify one gift or talent God has given them and write it on their fruit.\u00a0 Collect all the \u2018fruits\u2019 and hang them on the tree.<\/li>\n<li>As a group, volunteer at a local animal shelter.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3>Closing Prayer<\/h3>\n<p>Loving God, through your teaching you help us to understand more fully how you want us to live as your people in the world.\u00a0 Inspire us to claim the gifts and talents you have given us and to use those blessings to bear the fruit of your love through our words and our actions.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contributed by John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA &nbsp; Warm-up Question What is your favorite animal?\u00a0 Why? Blessing of the Animals &nbsp; According to the Humane Society, there are over 164.6 million cats and dogs living as household pets in the United States. For many, pets are a beloved member of the family.\u00a0 Today, on the Sunday [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1400],"tags":[6001,379,334,390,394,434,385,953,76,544,513,358,6002,469,331],"class_list":["post-2828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post","tag-animals","tag-compassion","tag-disciple","tag-generosity","tag-gods-love","tag-humility","tag-love","tag-poor","tag-poverty","tag-sacrifice","tag-servant","tag-service","tag-st-francis","tag-trust","tag-witness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>October 2, 2001-Blessing of the Animals - Faith Lens<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/faithlens\/october-2-2001-blessing-of-the-animals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"October 2, 2001-Blessing of the Animals - Faith Lens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contributed by John Wertz, Blacksburg, VA &nbsp; Warm-up Question What is your favorite animal?\u00a0 Why? 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