Liturgical Moment of the Week: The Dismissal

By Fr. Brian+

Saying goodbye is just as important as saying hello, in my book.

As I write my last liturgical moment for you, it is fitting that the topic is The Dismissal.

If you know me by now, you know that I try not to take anything for granted. You wouldn’t be surprised that one of my little quirks is greetings. I love to greet people (not just church people but in everyday life: store clerks, people on the street, etc.). I taught my sons that when someone enters the room, stand up, offer your hand, look them in the eye, and say, “hello, my name is ___. Similarly, I take goodbyes just as importantly, especially with the people I love.

When I leave my house, I always give Dona a hug and a kiss. When I leave the office, I try to say goodbye. When you leave the church building, I am at the door wishing you well. 

I never know when I will see that person again.

And so we come to the very last part of the Episcopal Service: the dismissal. At Grace Church, our deacon gets the last word. It is a word of encouragement and hope, and no service is complete without it.

Although we use only one of them, we have four dismissal sentences, all of them responded to by the congregation with the words, “Thanks be to God.”

Here are the four dismissals:

“Let us go forth in the name of Christ.”

“Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.”

“Let us go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.”

“Let us bless the Lord.”

This Sunday is my last Sunday at Grace Church. I won’t see most of you again this side of eternity. 

Just moments ago, I gave the dismissal for our noonday service. It was tough to get the words out. I was looking at friends. Encouraging friends. For the last time. 

Through tears and a crackly voice, I gave them the words for which I now leave to you:

Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.