What Does A Dismissal Do?

The Dismissal consists of those acts of worship that send out people from the assembly to love and serve God and their neighbors in the world. The fourth part of worship, the Dismissal, retains the celebrative mood of the Eucharist and adds to it the sense of being sent forth. Like any meeting, whether formal or informal, the Dismissal contains acts of departure or going forth. So naturally, public worship, which has a beginning, must also have an ending. Consequently, the acts of worship in the Dismissal simply send the people forth. For this reason the announcements are put by many worshiping communities after the Table worship at the beginning of the Dismissal. Because the announcements represent the ongoing activity of the worshiping community, their inclusion in the Dismissal is entirely appropriate. Naturally, announcements should be brief and to the point. Next, the blessing is said over the people. The blessing, or benediction, which is Jewish in origin, is an authoritative…