God created an abundant world, filled with glorious creatures both large and small. As stewards of God’s Creation we are called to protect all life, to keep and care for the garden. The blessing of fruitfulness is given to all of Creation in Genesis, and it is our duty to ensure that all life is allowed the opportunity of fruitfulness. God blessed the Earth so that all living beings will prosper with great abundance and diversity.

The protection of biodiversity, or the diversity of all life, is an essential part of our roles as stewards of Creation.

Every year, October the 4th is recognized as St. Francis Day, and is often celebrated through a Blessing of the Animals Service.

The service recognizes the ideals of St. Francis of Assisi, who wrote a Canticle of the Creatures, an ode to God’s living things. “All praise to you, Oh Lord, for all these brother and sister creatures.” Christians everywhere celebrate the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 4 by blessing their pets in the spirit of this patron saint of animals and ecology.

In the Biblical story of Noah and the Ark, it is clear that God provided for the blessing of animals in the same way that God provided for people.

It is in that tradition that we pass God’s blessing onto other generations of animals, reminding ourselves that God is in covenant not just with us, but with all of Creation.

This St. Francis Day, we invite you to celebrate in two ways. First, by holding a Blessing of the Animals Service in your community. Click here to view an online resource, including basic how-to’s, along with worship and scriptural resources. Also, we encourage you to make the celebration of the biodiversity of God’s Creation an integral part of your church’s faith life, through our upcoming resource “Tending the Garden”. Click here to reserve your copy now, or check online for its availabilty in PDF form in the next 2 weeks.

The reference link is: http://www.nccecojustice.org/animalbless…

 http://www.nccecojustice.org/adamah.htm

 http://www.nccecojustice.org/landhome.ht…

 http://www.nccecojustice.org/landantholo…

The National Religious Partnership for the Environment -  http://www.nrpe.org/

Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, Protecting Creation, Generation to Generation. http://www.coejl.org/index.php

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