Dear Graduates,

Graduating is an achievement worth celebrating. Whether it’s high school, college, junior high, vocational training, middle school, kindergarten, or another certificate or degree, you and your families have worked hard and persevered. It’s good to feel proud, as you thank God for blessing and sustaining you along the way.

And there’s more to it. I remember nearing my own high school graduation and learning that the word “commencement” means beginning, not ending. God is leading you on a further journey, through your plans and desires.

It takes courage to want something you don’t now have, to try something you’ve never done before, to go somewhere you’ve maybe only visited, to find and offer belonging to people you’ve never met. We celebrate you for this too. We thank God for raising you up as on eagle’s wings. We’re sad to see you go, if you’re going and if you haven’t left already, and we’re honored to go with you, as members the great cloud of witnesses, as your spiritual cheerleaders, your home community no matter how far you roam.

Adam, Carter, Colin, Emily, Katey, Maria, Sarah, and Torrin: Zion is proud of you. We celebrate you and thank God for you!

There are of course many others we are remembering and celebrating today, from our families, friend-groups, and neighborhoods. God bless and keep them, guide and flourish them too.

We are all students of Love. There aren’t many parties and speeches when it comes to Love’s graduations. Love’s milestones involve grief, loss, letting go, and suffering, with unspeakable joys and unforeseen resurrections and promises of yet greater things.

We’re all together students of life. The Holy Spirit is our Teacher, and always will be.

Thanks be to God.

Pastor Clark Olson-Smith