All Creatures and Critters: Animal Blessing
Presented by Rev. Carol Bodeau

Our service begins at 10 a.m. Outdoors at Westside
Live streamed to Zoom
Coffee Hour to follow on Zoom, ≈ 11 a.m.
Animals are a part of all of our lives.  Whether we have personal pets or not, we all encounter living creatures from other species every day--the birds outside our windows, the wildlife we revere in our local national park, the annoying neighborhood dog or cat or coyote, the mosquitos and flies and ants at the picnic, and even the creatures living in our soil that bring nutrients into our food.  We are truly part of an interdependent web of life.  This week, we honor the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi by blessing all the animals in our lives. 

You're listening to the podcast for Westside Unitarian Universalist Church. in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Your kind donations help make this podcast possible, as well as support the community work of Westside. To donate, visit https://www.westsideuuc.org/donate Thank you!

Gordon Light's well-known song encourages us to 'draw the circle wide, draw it wider still' so that 'no one stands alone.'  How wide are our circles of community, care and action?  Today we kick off a year of answering the call from our denomination to draw the circle wider, and we begin by exploring our own personal circles of connection and covenant.

You're listening to the podcast for Westside Unitarian Universalist Church. in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Your kind donations help make this podcast possible, as well as support the community work of Westside. www. westsideuuc.org/donate

*NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included.

In December of 1776, Revolutionary activist Thomas Paine published the first of a series of pamphlets which, all together, were called "The American Crisis" (or sometimes just "The Crisis").  They were designed to rally the American people and the Continental army during the hard beginning of the American Revolutionary War.  Paine's opening remarks may be familiar: "These are the times that try men's souls..." 
Paine's urging that the people not give up hope, that justice takes a long time coming, and that proper dedication of energy and resources is needed to counter tyranny of all sorts, might still ring true for us today.  As we mark the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, let us look back through history at a few other trying times for encouragement and inspiration.

*NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included.

Please support our podcast by donating to Westside. Visit www.westsideuuc.org/donate

Human beings love to understand our world in terms of time.  We mark out the turning of the seasons by days, weeks, and months, all of which have their own particular 'tasks' or activities.  We mark out individual days by hourly markers which determine what sorts of food we eat, who we are with, and how relaxed we can expect to be. And we understand the arc of our lives in a linear, beginning-middle-end kind of way.  Timelines, to-do lists, and graphics that show 'progress' or change over time help us feel secure and clear about our place in our world.  But doesn't life just have a way of messing with all that tidy, organized perspective?  How can we understand 'time' in a new way that gives us more freedom and flexibility?

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*NOTICE* In most cases, the podcast consists only of the primary presentation. From time to time, our “Story For All Ages” is also included; a question and answer period is sometimes included as well. Due to copyright law regarding music performances, music is never included.