Seriously?

While driving today I passed a local Episcopal church with a message on their marquee:

Animal Blessings Oct 4.

I don't think they meant saying grace before eating a steak dinner.

On the day they bless animals I'm gonna round up all the neighbor kids.

Maybe they mean Animal from the muppets!

I've seen this in action: It's a literal animal blessing service. People bring in pets and farm animals to be blessed. I don't really understand it, but there you go.

Do the animals have to be alive?

Could they bless my burger?

Or my tri-tip? Im thanking god for the blessing of food and eating a blessed cow? Wow max you're on to something!

My old Lutheran high school had an animal blessing service last week. I saw a couple photos and honestly, I was weirded out by the concept. I just seems like a strange thing to do. I'm all for thanking God for animals etc. but this just seemed a little... I don't know, shallow maybe. The high school now has a primary school attached to it. Both are Christian, but I'd say the primary school is far more Christ-orientated.

THE BLESSING OF EACH PET (INDIVIDUALLY)

The blessing is usually done with the sprinkling of water over the animal and the owner.
"N., (name of animal, i.e. "Smokey", not cat/dog) may you be blessed in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May you and (the name of the "owner") enjoy life together and find joy with the God who created you."
or this
"N., may you be blessed in the Name of God who created you, and may you and (owner’s name) enjoy life together with our God."


or this


May you be blessed in the Name God, the Creator, Redeemer and of the Sustainer. May you and your animals enjoy life together and find joy with the God who created you. Amen.

THE BLESSING PRAYER
Most high, almighty Lord, our Creator, yours are the praise, the glory, the honour and all blessings! To you alone do all things belong. Be praised for giving us the animals, birds and fish which fill your world. May we think of you and thank you when we play with and care for our pets. Be praised for making us so happy to have our pets and to have them to play with. We ask you, Lord, that we may be good to our pets always, so that they may be happy also. Help us always to take care of them so that they will be healthy. O God, your world is wonderful. May we all come into your even greater world of the kingdom of heaven where we shall see even more wonderful things and where we shall live and love for ever.
This we ask to your eternal praise, and to our
blessing.
Amen.

Adapted from The Liturgy Archive
s/animalblessing.htm

I have met a few people who prays for animals whenever they see animals being injured or hurt or even when they care for stray animals. After animals died, they pray for them as they bury them and that the animals will be in Heaven with God.

I have a classmate whom is a vet and we were in the Spiritual Warfare class. He shared with me that, there are occasions he encountered animals that are demon possessed, which is very possible and very true because Jesus allowed the demons to enter the pigs when they got out of that demon possessed man. Although mankind is created to rule over the animals, God still cares for these animals that He fed them, provided for their needs. In the Creation story, God blesses both the animals and mankind to be fruitful and multiply too. Although it may sound pretty strange to have a session to bless the animals, I reckon, there is nothing wrong, really...

Sorry, I should have clarified myself. I see no problem praying for one's pets, none at all. I've done it a little. But when you have a service with a man in a fancy robe blessing hundreds of animals, it just strikes me as well... something that could easily become for show/mean nothing. Maybe not initially, but after blessing the 50th chicken it's probably difficult. Yes, it's true that animals seems to be able to sense the spiritual realm (that's actually a very common trope in horror fiction too). You're right about Balaam's donkey. Maybe I'm being too blah about all of this. Probably.

With liberals marching to save whales, monkeys, flies, donkey dung, etc. And now churches blessing pets, I think we’ve just about reached the condition condemned by Paul in Romans 1:21-22
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles."

Animal protective blessing from Magic Spells.com
Recite the following 3 times...
"'Bast of beauty and of grace,
Protectress of the animal race,
Shield {name of pet} from all hurt and harm,
And keep him/her always safe and warm.
Watch over {name of pet} from day to day,
And guide him/her home if he/she should stray.
And grant him/her much happiness,
And a good life free of strife and stress.'
Each time you say the spell drip 1 drop of Blessed Water/Holy Water on your animals forehead."

And Christians buy into this stupidity! Christianity is not of this world, folks.

This story reminds me of Proverbs 12:10a, "A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal". That said, I hope that congregation does something good with the occasion, like share the Gospel with all the pet owners. A little out there perhaps, but if you can't get them in the door with truth, lure them with other good things.

I think I'll suggest that my congregation offers free coffee, bacon, and chocolate... just stay for a five-minute talk....