Blessing the Pets

I had heard about a service of Blessing for the Animals before, but had never had the chance to participate in one until last Sunday.

Traditionally a service of Blessing for the Animals happens the Sunday on or near October 4th, the birthday of Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Francis is known as the patron Saint of Animals, so performing a service of Blessing for the Animals is a way to honor him. It was fitting somehow that my first experience with a Pet Blessing was on October 4th.

I found a great deal of material on-line to help me in preparing for the service. Information for not only an order of worship, but helpful hints like having water bowls, treats, and litter bags handy.

I wasn't sure what to expect with so many animals coming together and was concerned about how they would interact. I'm glad to report that everyone involved behaved themselves and the Blessing was literally a howling success.

I particularly enjoyed singing one of my favorite songs "All God's Critters Got a Place in the Choir," but enjoyed it even more with the howling accompaniment.

We had mostly dogs present for the blessing, but one young man brought a picture of his cat because he knew it would not bless the cat to be present with all the dogs. Another boy brought his hermit crabs, Spiky and Shiny, and a young girl brought her pet chicken, Brownie.

I had a hoot, and was honored to hold each pet and bless it in the name of the One who created all creatures. I'm looking forward to doing this again next October, but have learned an important lesson in all of this as well - I need to wait until after the Pet Blessing before I have my robe dry cleaned.


PJ

A Balanced Life

Is your life in balance?

I shared in a recent church newsletter article that a team from this church went to a workshop called “Mastering the Middle.” The presenter, Rev. Doug Anderson, is a United Methodist pastor, district superintendent, and church development consultant. One of the many ideas he stressed in this workshop was that churches need to be encouraging “Balanced Discipleship.”

Rev. Anderson uses the membership vows of the United Methodist Church as a basis for determining what balanced discipleship is, and he suggests that if folks are attentive to all the areas identified in the vows, they are practicing balanced discipleship.

In the United Methodist vows for joining a local church, prospective members pledge to support the church with their prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Yet what tends to happen is that members place unequal emphasis on these areas of support. Doing so leaves us un-balanced as disciples. Rev. Anderson further indicates that one of the primary culprits for this is the church itself, because of the way it functions.

One of the examples he used to illustrate this point involved church groups that met on a weekly basis. He indicated what tended to happen with folks involved in these types of groups, was that they found they were so busy with their weekly meeting they didn’t have time for anything else church related. His suggestion was, that if group members found this to be the case, they should consider meeting on a twice a month basis, which would free up the other weeks to focus in other areas. I couldn’t help but wonder if this was part of the reason it is so difficult to get volunteers for church teams?

As I continued to reflect on what “Balanced Discipleship” might look like, it also occurred to me that the balance needs to extend beyond support of the church. We should be seeking balance in our work, family, and personal life as well. While I believe it is very important to be involved in activities that support the church’s ministry, I also know that even pastors are encouraged to attend to their family and self-care needs.

So, how balanced is your life?

I suspect you may discover as I have, that it’s a challenge to find balance. I invite you to prayerfully examine the various elements of your life and seek God’s discernment for what balanced discipleship looks like for you. Are there areas that have more emphasis than others? While it’s true that “all work and no play” is not healthy, so too, is “all play and no work.” As Disciples of Jesus, may we seek balance in our family, work, personal, and church life.

A Close Call

One thing many folks might not know about United Methodist pastors is that this time of year they get just a little antsy when the phone rings.

You see, United Methodist pastors serve churches at the discretion of the resident Bishop. Unlike congregational churches that call a pastor, UM pastors are appointed each year by the Bishop.

In the appointment process the Bishop works with a cabinet of district superintendents to match the gifts of a pastor with the needs of a particular church. They begin their appointment work around the first of the year and usually keep working right up until the annual conference in June, when the appointments are formally set.

So whenever the phone rings at this time of the year, pastors tend to wonder if it might be a call that will change their present situation.

So you can understand how my heart started racing when I recently received a call from my Bishop. I had never been called by a Bishop before.

Fortunately, it was not to ask me to consider another appointment, but rather to see if I would assist the Conference in it's annual meeting by coordinating the sessions for the meeting.

I gladly answered yes, but unfortunately I did not have the presence of mind to parley the request into a guarantee for several more years at my current appointment.

So - I still get a little nervous when the phone rings...

PJ

The Wonder and Mystery

I want to share a video with you that I used in my message on Christmas Eve.

I was sent this video by a friend and thought that it displayed in a wonderful and fun way the mystery we experience with Emmanuel - God with us. Not only do we have an eternal companion who is present with us in the midst of all of life's ups and downs, but this cosmic presence is also intimately dwelling within us. - A wonderful mystery.

The video is called "Stethoscope" and I hope you enjoy it.



May you be amazed by the wonder and mystery not only of God who took on the form of humanity, but God who dwells within!

Hallelujah!

PJ