Bishops Commend Swindell Committee's Liturgy of Lament, Longing and Hope

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

We write to introduce and invite you to share in a creative, expressive and deeply faithful liturgical offering for the season we find ourselves in as the fall approaches. A Liturgy of Lament, Longing and Hope is the gift of the Swindell Committee to our diocesan family as we continue to navigate the pandemic and find that the path forward is neither direct nor always clear. Especially as we begin a new school year and program year, we feel the shock and disappointment of the most recent spike in cases and hospitalizations.

This liturgy is designed to help us, and the communities of faith we serve, to remember and to be touched by the promises that remain constant even in times of uncertainty and loss: the loving presence of God, the safe space to express our hurt and grief and frustration, the gift we have been given in one another, and the opportunities and possibilities that emerge even in times of challenge, struggle and loss.

This liturgy helps us to experience the ways God’s love is holding us, Jesus is walking with us and the Holy Spirit is moving among us, even as our long journey continues with its twists and turns.

This liturgical offering will be featured on Sunday, September 12, as our diocesan-wide worship service. In the weeks that follow, we invite you to offer this liturgy in your own congregation on a Sunday morning or evening, or another time you decide on, for your community. This gift is offered with the hope that it will bring comfort, nurturing the resilience embedded in our faith, and provide space for lament, and healing, and renewal. Again we are deeply grateful to the members of the Swindell Committee for this offering of grace and love, and we commend it to you for your congregation.

Blessings and peace, and in thanksgiving for the communion that we share as beloved community,

The Rt. Rev. Samuel S. Rodman
Bishop, Diocese of North Carolina

The Rt. Rev. Anne E. Hodges-Copple
Bishop Suffragan, Diocese of North Carolina

RESOURCES

Watch the liturgy from Advocate, Chapel Hill (Sept. 12, 2021)

Liturgy of Lament, Longing and Hope (Eucharist)

Liturgy of Lament, Longing and Hope (Ante-Communion)