Worship
Each Assembly is framed in the context of worship. We start with a celebration of the God who binds us together, and we end with a festival of sending. In between, from each morning’s beginning with Bible Study to the keynote presentations and workshops through to our evening worship, we are doing the work of the people. The worship experiences throughout the Assembly are designed to empower us for work which extends well beyond the walls of San Francisco State University through our homes into the Church and the world.
Assembly worship services will draw from a rich variety of traditions, including our Lutheran liturgy, while highlighting some of the gifts and talents of our own membership. From the deep roots of liturgical Lutheran services, to voices and music of our global family, the worship offerings will suit a variety of musical and liturgical tastes. The worship will be in a style that you will find comfortable, but will also push you to new experiences that may broaden your understanding of worship. The worship planning team is committed to using inclusive language. We embrace with humility and awe our ability to call upon God, in all God’s fullness, in our own finite language. It is our hope that you will have an encounter with God through one or more of the worship styles represented.
Thursday, July 3
Opening Eucharist
The opening worship will be an historic yet creative Eucharist. The Rev. Bradley Schmeling will preach.
Friday, July 4
Service of Healing and Reconciliation
On Friday, worship will focus on confession, healing, reconciliation, and absolution. We will pray for healing of our own hurts as we confess the ways in which we hurt one another. Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock will preach the Word. Dr. Brock is founding co-director of Faith Voices for the Common Good, an organization dedicated to creating a nationwide community of conscience. She was a Fellow at the Harvard Divinity School Center for Values in Public Life. She is author of Journeys By Heart: A Christology of Erotic Power, and co-author, with Susan Thistlethwaite, of Casting Stones: Prostitution and Liberation in Asia and the United States. She and Rebecca Parker published “Proverbs of Ashes: Violence, Redemptive Suffering, and the Search for What Saves Us” in 2002 and are currently at work on “Saving Paradise,” an investigation of early Christian ideas of paradise, holy war and violence. Music will be provided by Bread for the Journey, a group of singers and instrumentalists who specialize in presenting songs of faith, hope and justice from the Christian church near and far.
Sunday, July 6
Sending Service to Prepare to Engage the World
We will close our assembly with a worship service that sends us out into the world. We have walked along the Emmaus road together for a while. We have eaten with Jesus. Now, we are to go forth to share our encounter with Jesus with others. The Rev. Barbara Lundblad will bring the message.