From the Rector: Blessing for a New Name
Friends, we are about to do a new thing together, and I am overjoyed. I experience the assurance that God is making all things new as an anchor point here at Resurrection — it’s carved into our altar, and I think for many of us, it’s marked on our hearts. And trusting in this new life that God is continually bringing, it’s time to celebrate again.
After we make Eucharist and share in coffee hour on August 21st, we’ll gather again in the sanctuary to join in a rite of renaming and blessing for a beloved child of God who has come to know himself more fully with a new name and gender. Many of you heard on of our youth’s beautiful sermon on Trinity Sunday, sharing some of his wisdom in coming to see the connections between his transgender identity and the ways the Holy Spirit leads us into change. If you missed it, I encourage you listen now — the sermon starts about 22 minutes into this livestream.
This renaming rite is grounded in one of our fundamental beliefs: that all people bear the image of God. Every single person. We look back to the story of creation in Genesis 1:26, when “God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness.’” Humanity reflects the diversity of our God, and this is very good indeed. We bind ourselves to this truth in baptism, vowing to “respect the dignity of every human being,” and to “seek and serve Christ in all persons.” This commitment to find the image of God in all people stands as the foundation for our common life.
We’re also part of a rich tradition of names being changed as the faithful follow God. Abraham and Sarah received new names as they listened to God’s call and journeyed into new lands. Jacob wrestled God’s angel through the night, and emerged with a blessing, and the new name of Israel. After much angst, Saul heard God in a new way, changed course, and over time became known as Paul. Embracing revelation and leaning into new understandings of our identity as beloved of God is an age-old part of who we are as Christians.
Earlier this year, this youth and his parents asked if we could celebrate his new name in church, and I was honored to say yes. In part, I was delighted by the request because I’ve seen how beautiful it can be to mark this moment as a faith community. Five years ago, I celebrated this rite with a young person and his family at All Souls in Berkeley. At the time, no such rite existed, and so in collaboration with Bishop Marc, I created one. I want to be clear that this is not a rebaptism — our tradition holds that God is present in baptism, and that one baptism seals us with Christ, no matter how we may come to understand ourselves differently later in life.
Thanks be to God, our primary leaders of the Episcopal Church have been guiding us in this work with clarity and purpose. Writing to the whole church in 2016, the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, and the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, President of the House of Deputies, put it this way: “When we are born anew through baptism, we promise to respect the dignity of every human being. Today, transgender people and, indeed, the entire LGBT community, need us to keep that promise. By doing so, we can bear witness to the world that Jesus has shown us another way—the way of love.” On the local level, our Vestry here at Resurrection has set being more explicitly welcoming of LGBTQ+ people as one of our key priorities as a congregation. Here is one chance for us to do just that.
When we gather to celebrate after coffee hour on the 21st, I will ask, “Will all you here present do all in your power to love and support this person in his newly revealed life in Christ?” In response, we will take all the love and faith we have and give voice to it in just two words: “We will!” I believe that these words can move mountains; they join in God’s work of making all things new.
I ask you to think on these two words, “we will.” Pray them, and reflect on them. What do you mean with these words? What support and love are we pledging? Pray these words in the coming days. If you have questions about what we’re doing, I invite you to come directly to me with them, so that this youth and his family can simply celebrate this day, without having to also play the role of educators for the community. If you’d like to learn more about transgender identity, you could start by reading this helpful primer from PFLAG, or this interview in Sojourners about why I led the renaming rite back in 2017. And then, on the 21st, if you’re not sure what to say, know that a simple, “congratulations, we love you!” is a great place to start.
Pray, and learn, and then come, ready to offer your voice and support for this beloved child of God. Let our response resound on August 21st and then reecho through our congregation, our community, our world. Let this be where we place our trust: that God is here, that the Spirit is leading, and amazing new things are upon us.
Peace, Liz+