Commencement is an interesting word. Too many people think that it is the closing ceremony at the end of graduation. But it’s not. Ment is “the act of;” so commencement is “the act of commencing, or beginning.” Having rescued us from slavery to sin and redeemed us by the blood of the Lamb, our Heavenly Father expects us now to walk worthy of the calling we have received. He expects us to seek Him diligently that He may be found by us. And as we hit these milestones in our Christian walk [the sabbath, Passover, and Holy Days], we stop, consider where we’ve been and what comes next, and then start again with renewed dedication and devotion to God. We have, in a sense, a commencement.
In the middle of these holy days is a very special holy day that sometimes creeps up on us, catching us unawares because it’s only one day, because we’re so busy with life, and perhaps because we haven’t made a special effort to count. That’s unfortunate because this Feast which is rapidly approaching is also called the Feast of Firstfruits. We, the Church, the Bride of Christ, those who will be in the first resurrection, are the firstfruits. This holy day is all about God’s plan for us.
As you read the commencement remarks that I made, think about them in terms of where you are this Pentecost, what you’ve done and what God has done to bring you to this point, then focus your attention on your goal and commence again to reach it.
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Welcome to the commencement ceremony for the graduating class of 2022. We are sincerely glad you all came to join us in celebrating this milestone.
Well done, Graduates. Well done.
You have persevered along with your parents through years of education, attempting subjects you eventually came to love and discovering others you would rather never visit again. You explored and developed God-given talents, and you have made your parents, family, and friends very proud of you - in the right way. So well done, Graduates.
But this is not where your life ends. On the contrary, you are stepping today through a portal from being a high school student into having graduated from high school, ready to embrace whatever comes next. You’re making plans, but if we revisit this conversation in five years, many of you will have found that life took some turns you didn’t see coming. As I was contemplating this and thinking about commencement today, I thought of how grateful I am that God gives us object lessons to help grow us toward His kingdom. Consider three parallels between today’s graduation and the return of Jesus. These three are probably not the only analogies, of course.
First, you don’t know exactly what the future holds - either in the next five years or as Jesus sets up His kingdom. So it’s important to keep your eyes set on the goal. For the immediate future, it might be college or a job; for the ultimate future, it’s dwelling with God forever.
Secondly, what you’ve done over the past several years greatly impacts what will happen next, what you will be doing. If you were diligent to study and learn, you will be well-prepared for college. If you wasted your time, that’s time you can never get back. Similarly, your devotion to seeking God and His will in your life will have huge ramifications in His kingdom and the place that He is preparing for you.
And thirdly, you have been seeking to please your earthly parent, to come to this day when you have finished the course set before you and to hear, “Well done, son or daughter.” That feels pretty good, doesn’t it! Think of how wonderful it will be to hear that from your Heavenly Parent!! For each of you, you have come from a family whose
relationship with God is of paramount importance. Hold on to that as you step into this next phase of your life. For there is coming another portal that each of us will step through, sooner or later. As for me, I long to hear, “Well done, daughter.”
Today we celebrate your graduation from high school and your commencement into what comes next. Congratulations to each of you, and as you go forward, go with God.
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And similarly, to each of you, brothers and sisters in Christ, my spiritual family, stop and enjoy Pentecost as a commencement ceremony of sorts and then, going forward, go with God.