On Sunday, October 8, St. John in the Wilderness will offer a Blessing of the Animals at 4:00pm in the Parish House parking lot on the back side of the Parish Hall (1905 Greenville Highway, Flat Rock). Furry, feathered, and scaly companions are invited to this special service to receive a blessing. Cats, dogs, snakes, chickens, horses, birds and goats are all welcome! You may also bring a stuffed animal or photo of an animal to be blessed. Our outdoor meeting space will mean a lively Eucharist for all creatures involved.
The service comes a few days after the annual Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, a man with a true spirit of love and peace that could have only come from God. He turned the cerebral, inward-leaning theology and scholasticism of the Middle Ages on its head by his radical commitment to living a life of poverty and service in the pattern of Jesus of Nazareth.
Those who encountered St. Francis were drawn into the peaceable Kingdom of God to know more fully the Prince of Peace. Even animals, it is said, were attracted to his Christ-like gentleness. In one story, he preaches to a flock of birds. In another, he makes peace with a wolf that had been terrorizing a village, calling the creature “Brother Wolf” and reconciling him to the village.
As we thank God for the animals in our lives, we pray that the reconciling work of Jesus Christ might extend beyond our relationship with God to include all creation. We hope you will join us on October 8 at 4:00pm with your animal companions for this fun outdoor worship service. In the event of rain, we will move the service inside our Parish Hall.
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