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A festival Eucharist celebrating the reception and reinstatement of pastors
from the roster of Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries onto the roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with prayer and the laying on of hands
HYMN OF THE DAY: THE LOVE BURNING DEEP
lyrics:
Come out of the darkness, come out of the shadow, come out of the endless night,
all you who are poor now, all you who are broken, all who are bowed by fight.
Come into the light of God's sacred intention, come under the shelter of her hand,
here you may find riches, here you may find healing, here you may rise and stand.
Come out from your prisons, come out from your ghettos, come out from behind your walls,
leave all your distractions, leave all your derisions, and answer her when she calls.
For she is your end as she was your beginning, she is the desire of all your days,
in her love is fullness, in her love is wholeness, holy will be all her ways.
No more will you rest now, no more take your ease now, no more let your life go by,
always you will seek her, forever desire her until the day you die.
Her love will consume you, blazing deep within you burning away all that is not true,
until you embrace her, in flesh and in spirit holy you and wholly you.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
(Spanish) O Morning Star, we awake to this new day with celebration and joy in our hearts. Bless Paul, Jeff, Craig, Dawn, Megan, Sharon, and Ross as they are welcomed onto the clergy roster of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and bless our church as we receive them more fully into partnership with us in our proclamation of the Gospel.
(Mandarin) O Gracious One, open our eyes to the delightful diversity of your creation. Open our hearts to your loving kindness. Open our lives to the grace we are called to share with all your human family.
O Sophia, Wisdom and Mother of us all, you are One with many names and images. May we see in all who are gathered here today your multiplicity of blessings. Today we honor your unlocking systems and practices that devalued and demeaned us for so many years and by putting your way of honoring people in its place.
Our offering today will be devoted entirely to the The Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholarship which supports openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender seminarians following a call to service as a rostered leader in the Lutheran church.
Joel Workin was one of the first openly gay Lutheran seminarians at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. Because of Joel's courageous act, his approval for ordination was vacated when ELCA bishops refused to place his name on the roster of approved candidates waiting for call. Joel was never ordained, but he lived a life of faithful ministry and service to people with HIV/AIDS until his death from the disease in 1995. The Joel R. Workin Memorial Scholarship was established by the generosity of Joel's family, colleagues and close friends and is administered by Extraordinary Lutheran Ministries.
Life-giving Mother, you make a home for us in the midst of our fear
you wipe away every debt and every tear.
Now heal us, free us and give us your power
that we may share your gifts with a hungry world:
Amen. Come Holy Spirit
The Prayer of Jesus
Now in union with our friend and lover Jesus, and in the language most familiar to you, let us pray:
Our Mother who is within us
 we celebrate your many names.
Your wisdom come, your will be done,
 unfolding from the depths within us.
Each day you give us all that we need.
You remind us of our limits and we let go.
You support us in our power
and we act in courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us,
now and forever. Amen.
Our Mother who is within us" has been written by Miriam Therese Winter and is a part of the Goddess Rosary offered at University Lutheran Chapel of Berkeley and Ebenezer/herchurch Lutheran in San Francisco.
Jesus welcomes everyone to this Table, so we offer everyone, without exception, the bread and wine, the body and blood of Christ.
Holy things for holy people!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Leaders of the Liturgy
Presiding Ministers
The Rev. Mark W. Holmerud, Bishop, Sierra Pacific Synod
The Rev. Nancy Nelson, Bishop's Associate, Sierra Pacific Synod
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