Lindy was going through a divorce. The decision had been many years in the making. She decided to change her first and last name and asked if we could mark the change during worship at church.
In the Bible, God gives people new names when they are taking on a new mission or a new aspect of their identity. Like Abraham, Sarah, Peter and Paul, Lindy was taking on more than a name – she was developing, with God’s help, a new sense of identity and way of relating to the world.
We adapted a liturgical naming rite for transgender church members from the House for All Sinners and Saints. The rite, which honors the old name while clearly and fully taking on the new name, was a gift to Lindy, her family, and the whole congregation.
As Christians, we have resources for navigating these often-difficult transitions together, whether it be a breakup, the end of employment, moving away, divorce or dying. Rituals provide space for healing, hope and community support.
This message is excerpted from the “Rituals for saying (and meaning) goodbye” by Anne Edison-Albright in the May 2016 Café online magazine. Today we commemorate Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, 1153.
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