At graduation ceremonies and baccalaureate services all across our nation, valedictorians, salutatorians, guest speakers and countless politicians will address thousands of new graduates and attempt to “inspire” them with their own wise & enlightened thoughts and ideas or with the words of philosophers, poets, pop artists, celebrities, and supposedly revered politicians. I suspect many will quote Gandhi & Socrates, Kennedy & Lincoln, Franklin & Twain, and a whole host of other “great” people or thinkers. They will challenge the graduates to “be true to themselves,” to “look within themselves” for greatness, to reach for their dreams. Speakers will attempt to shape and mold the idealism of young graduates to suit their own ideas and agendas. Self, human achievement and will, and mankind’s ability to shape and control the future will be touted as these thousands of young people mark a milestone in their lives and prepare for the next step in their earthly pilgrimage.
In various ways many will attempt to “pray” at some of these events; to “pray” to some generic or unnamed “god” in a manner that appeases everybody and their religious or spiritual sensibilities. In large part, the true God that your parents, teachers, and pastors have worked so hard to show you will be “hidden” or lost amidst all the false gods and religious notions of modern, so-called enlightened people. In man’s quest to be “good” or even great, he “naturally” attempts to make god into our image rather than the other way around.
But not tonight, and God willing never at MELHS. Tonight our celebration oozes the one and only true God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We speak and sing and chant of His works and greatness. We celebrate the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of His Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. We celebrate the Holy Spirit and His work … His bringing you to faith and giving you the eyes to see God for who and what He truly is; eyes to behold and believe in a crucified, risen and ascended Lord; One who will return one day for the final judgment. The One whose name we Christians bear.
And yes, we celebrate your completion of high school and the ongoing work of MELHS … but what of the future? How will you meet it? How will you prosper and impact the world? How will your ideas and ideals help shape the world in the future? How can or should you get what you want? What does the future hold?
Well, God only knows. Some of you may have great plans all mapped out in your heads. Others may not have much of an idea what direction their lives might take. Some of your parents may have your futures all mapped out … and some of them may have no clue what or where your lives may take you. And while you must know that I personally desire only the best for you, for each of you, in the future, I also know that that “best” will involve trials, disappointments, and trouble. In addition to the many joys which await each of you, there will be tough times. Hey, you’ve just graduated … you really still don’t know everything … and the world and sin, Satan, and even God Himself have ways of really upsetting even the best laid plans.
And the world, lead by Satan, temps people to cling to all sorts of false gods for their hope for the future. Some cling to promises of hope and change. Our culture seeks to teach us that “tolerance,” “acceptance, and compromise” (generally to their way of thinking) are the real keys to future success and peace and happiness. Man claims to have all sorts of answers, but the way of this world is not God’s way. And yet it is so appealing to our sinful nature; it is oh so tempting to our sinful flesh, and our sinful world is a dangerous place for God’s people.
I suppose in a way you are all a little bit like the apostles in our readings for this evening. Their roughly 3-year training/schooling was now complete. They were soon to be “on their own” sent out into the big, bad world to answer their calling. I suspect some were more prepared than others, and I would bet that some were looking forward to what lay ahead more than the others, but I doubt that any of them had any idea what the future actually held for each of them.
And yet, as they prepared for the rest of their lives there that day, and just before Jesus ascended back into heaven, He gave them, and in turn us, each an incredible promise: “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the very end of the age.”
You see, He knew what lay ahead, and He knew that they, and we, would need to have such help and assurance. God Himself, promising to be with His people … this God who had suffered and died and rose was now ascending, departing for a time, if you will, but He was not leaving His people … for He had already promised the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who works tirelessly in the hearts of His people, and He had promised His body and blood in the Holy Supper of His Church. He may have departed, but He certainly had not “left” them … and He will not leave you ... and so He is the reason for our hope and confidence. Not you; not us; Him.
Now, can you chase Him away? I suppose, but it won’t be because He stopped seeking or calling you. He has promised to be there for you … with you … in His Word, in the Sacraments … listening, answering, comforting, guiding, forgiving, training, teaching, and preparing.
And He, my young friends, is the reason for my hope for you and for your futures. Will there be tears, disappointments, heartaches, worry, hurt? Yes … but He will not forsake you. Will plans get messed up, will people disappoint you, will your heart be broken? Yes … but He will always be there. Will you mess up, will you disappoint people, will you sin? Yes … but He stands there, scars on His hands and feet and side, ready to speak His words of forgiveness to you. So you can do whatever you want to do following your heart or your dreams or your wants or the things the world and Satan hold out as carrots before our earthly eyes? No, but so that you might endure in the faith to the end and so that on that last day, you along with the apostles might lift your eyes to the heavens again to behold Him when He returns … triumphant, accompanied by angels … glorious … coming to take you to be with Him forever.
That is how you begin your post-graduate life, with a promise from God to always be with you. All those others can have their poets and great historical figures … you get a guy (actually 4 guys) dressed in white, whom you’re looking up to this evening, telling you, reminding you that you are God’s dear children … and He’s not done with you yet. Your learning has not stopped, your education ended. You, like the apostles have so much still to learn and relearn and be reminded of … and He will teach you, He will show you, He will lead you, He will feed you.
You will be His witnesses … you, His dear and precious children.
Congratulations and God’s blessings to each of you.
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