“In the midst of transition (or change) the work is going to be about creation…about cooperating with God in re-creating ourselves…about becoming more fully what God calls us to be.”
— Debra K Farrington, The Seasons of a Restless Heart, as quoted in Mother Shelley’s sermon on Stewardship, Sunday, Oct. 19, 2014.
Listen to the sermon preached by the Rev. Liz Maxwell on the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, October 5, 2025.
This week, Mother Liz invites us to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis with the Blessing of the Animals following the 11 am service on Sunday. All creatures are welcome — whether in person, through photos, or even in beloved stuffed form — as we give thanks for their companionship, joy, and mystery. In blessing them, we recognize their place in God’s creation, their role in awakening our compassion and wonder, and our kinship with them as fellow creatures. May we cherish and protect them, and remember that we too are animals, blessed to be a blessing.