When there is temptation to crush yourself for societal approval into the minister you think others expect you to be, we commission you to be genuine and honest, integrated and authentic. We commission you to laugh, to be joyful, and to take delight in God’s world.

Do this, as often as you drink it, 
Because it is in that moment that I will be with you again.

God of all things, we hold these two together, 
The beauty and tragedy of life, 
As we lay hands on the candidate. 

We ordain them to a ministry of beauty: 
May they share it and may they make it, 
Always pointing back to you. 

I have never once heard a bishop preach on the word “today” in Luke 4.

I only want to be seen.

May this ordination not be an end, but a beginning—
A sacred vow to walk gently and firmly,
To lift others with humility,
And to restore what has been broken,
With courage, prayer, and community.

As you participate in the service today, consider how you can bring healing and justice, knowing what you know about this land and its people. It is not within our power to heal everything and bring justice everywhere. But there is still much we can do.

Love isn’t sentimental or a fleeting passion: it’s a commitment to choose one another, to never abandon each other, and to stand side by side with each other. That’s why these three remain. 

A dance to science.

We commission you to face the world’s suffering, to see it and bear witness, and to meet it with Christ’s compassion.

When there is temptation to crush yourself for societal approval into the minister you think others expect you to be, we commission you to be genuine and honest, integrated and authentic. We commission you to laugh, to be joyful, and to take delight in God’s world.