Pet Blessing Service

Sun 25th September 2022
15:00 pm

The Gathering

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Informal welcome

Hymn: All creatures of our God and King

All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and with us sing,
Alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam:

O praise him, O praise him,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Thou rushing wind that art so strong,
ye clouds that sail in heaven along,
O praise him, alleluia!
Thou rising morn, in praise rejoice;

ye lights of evening, find a voice:

Thou flowing water, pure and clear,

make music for thy Lord to hear,

Alleluia, alleluia!

Thou fire, so masterful and bright,

that givest us both warmth and light:

Dear mother earth, who day by day
unfoldest blessings on our way,
O praise him, alleluia!
The flowers and fruits that in thee grow,
let them his glory also show:

Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship Him in humbleness;
O praise him, alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, Three in One:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And God said

‘Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,

and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.’

And God said,

‘Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:

cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth.’

And so, among the creatures God created were:

Goats and hamsters, fish and rats,

Rabbits, snakes and gerbils,

Guinea pigs and birds and cats,

Budgies, dogs and beetles!

And God saw that it was so good that he also created:

Tortoises and geese and bees,

Terrapins and donkeys,

Stick insects and mice and fleas,

Parrots, ducks and ponies!

And God saw that it was very good.

And God saw that it was very, very good.

The Readings

We listen to the readings appointed for the day. At the end of each the following is said:

This is the word of the Lord

Thanks be to God

Sermon

Prayers of Intercessions

All sit for the prayers, which are led by a member of the congregation. The following response will be used.

Lord in your mercy

Hear our prayer.

The prayers conclude with these words:

Merciful Father,

Accept these prayers

For the sake of your Son,

Our saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen

Hymn: O God your creatures fill the earth

O God, your creatures fill the earth with wonder and delight,

And every living thing has worth and beauty in your sight.

So playful dolphins dance and swim; Your sheep bow down and graze.

Your songbirds share a morning hymn To offer you their praise.

You made the pets we welcome in — They’re wondrous blessings, too.

With paws and whiskers, wings and fins, They offer praise to you.

O Lord, you call us to embrace These creatures in our care.

May we show kindness, love and grace To all pets everywhere.

Your creatures live in every land; They fill the sky and sea.

O Lord, you give us your command To love them tenderly.

We’re called to have dominion here — To care for them always.

By loving creatures you hold dear, We offer you our praise.

Blessing of the animals: The Minister will move around and bless each animal. When all have been blessed, they will pray:

And so we pray for God’s blessing upon animals everywhere:

Faithful one, whose word is life: come with saving power

to free our praise, inspire our prayer and shape our lives

for the kingdom of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Let us give thanks to God our Creator for all his gifts, for the beauty of the earth and the wonder of his creation, in earth and sea and sky;

We thank you.

For all creatures and animals that breathe, and move, and have life;

We thank you.

For all of our pets, of all different shapes, sizes and colours and for the joy and friendship they give to us;

We thank you.

For vets, veterinary nurses and for all those who work in animal sanctuaries.

We thank you.

For all our pets living and departed who have brought so much joy into our lives;

We thank you.

For the times we have passed by and turned away from those creatures weaker and poorer than ourselves, and from those we fear:

We are sorry.

For the times we have been blind and deaf to their pain because of our indifference, greed and carelessness

We are sorry.

For the times we have polluted and abused our environment:

We are sorry.

We receive God’s forgiveness, and make an Act of Commitment to respect and care for all animals in the future:

Lord God our creator,

we praise you for the love and friendship of these animals.

We promise that we will do our best to care for them, and to treat them and all your creatures with the respect that is their due.

Help us to keep this promise and to work with you to maintain the beauty and wonder of your creation, we ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We say this prayer together, each in our own language.

As our saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,

Hallowed be Your name,

Your Kingdom come,

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Forgive us our sins

As we forgive those who sin against us

Lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil.

For the Kingdom the power and the glory are Yours

Now and for ever.

Amen.

The Blessing

May God who clothes the lilies and feeds the birds of the sky,

Who leads the lamb to pasture and the deer to water,

Who multiplied loaves and fishes and changed water into wine,

Lead us, feed us, multiply us,

And change us to reflect the glory of our creator

Through all eternity;

And the blessing of God the Father,

God the Son and God the Holy Spirit be with you all, evermore.

Amen.

Hymn: All things bright and beautiful

All things bright and beautiful,

all creatures great and small,

all things wise and wonderful,

the Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,

each little bird that sings,

he made their glowing colours,

he made their tiny wings:

The purple-headed mountain,

the river running by,

the sunset and the morning

that brightens up the sky:

The cold wind in the winter,

the pleasant summer sun,

the ripe fruits in the garden,

he made them every one:

He gave us eyes to see them,

and lips that we may tell

how great is God Almighty,

who has made all things well:

Be good stewards of Creation.

Live in harmony with all things living and go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen

Photographs at the end of the service