Commencement
I had a wonderful time last night. I had the honor of attending Furman's commencement service for the graduating class of 2005. Several friends I've made this past year received their degrees and were honored at the podium, and I was so proud of them. Furman's class of 1955 was also on hand as yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of their own graduation. That was nice of the university to invite them back and share a little bit of their history.
A common theme that kept coming up in the speeches delivered last night was September 11, 2001. Of course, on that date the graduates were only incoming freshmen attending classes at Furman University for the first time. It's hard to believe how quickly time passes. To start a whole new phase of your young life on a day in which the foundation of the country you live in gets shaken to the core. I felt that over the first several days of junior year at Shannon Forest, and I can imagine how difficult it was for those students.
I was glad, though, that President Shi and the rest chose not to devote their reflections to the horrors and terrible carnage of that day. We saw it all over TVs, listened to the news reports, read it in newspapers. Some of us had families and loved ones who worked in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We didn't need to relive that part of the tragedy; we already know it. Instead, we listened as they spoke about how the senior class chose to respond in the face of the disaster. I felt so thrilled and couldn't stop myself from smiling with joy as I heard what they did. Instead of caving in, students rallied around each other. They became unified as a body, sharing in their sorrow, grief, but above all, hope. They gathered for numerous prayer vigils and candlelight services all around campuse to lift up to God the dead, the suffering and the shaken. They lined up at clinics and at local hopitals to donate blood to the Red Cross. And in the span of nearly four years, with all that's happened to them up to this point, they remembered that day, 9/11/01, their first day as Furman students. And they made their senior class gift to Furman a check to initiate the construction of a 9/11 Memorial Plaza to be built in front of Furman Hall.
I don't know all of these students; not even close to half, to be honest. But I felt so moved listening to what they did in their careers as Furman students, beginning with September 11 and continuing up to last night, as well as their plans to make a difference in the world. My prayers are with them. It's a challenging world ahead of them. Few things will come easy, and some will require a deep search of the soul. But if their legacy at this university is any indication, I have no doubt that they are prepared to face the world. It's not that I don't expect them to be challenged or even taken off guard at several points in their lives. But I know the God of the universe who saw them through childhood and adolescence, from grade school through college, will continue to work in their lives. How comforting to know that God's daily presence in our lives never, ever changes. That by itself should inspire us to go out, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
To Ashley, Chris, EA, Kat, Justin, AmyJo, Walt, Alan, Megan, Jen, and the rest of you graduates ... thanks for the memories, and congratulations! Come back and visit sometime! I'll see you again!
Song of the Day: Michael W. Smith - "Lead You Home"
Verse of the Day: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:15-17
A common theme that kept coming up in the speeches delivered last night was September 11, 2001. Of course, on that date the graduates were only incoming freshmen attending classes at Furman University for the first time. It's hard to believe how quickly time passes. To start a whole new phase of your young life on a day in which the foundation of the country you live in gets shaken to the core. I felt that over the first several days of junior year at Shannon Forest, and I can imagine how difficult it was for those students.
I was glad, though, that President Shi and the rest chose not to devote their reflections to the horrors and terrible carnage of that day. We saw it all over TVs, listened to the news reports, read it in newspapers. Some of us had families and loved ones who worked in the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. We didn't need to relive that part of the tragedy; we already know it. Instead, we listened as they spoke about how the senior class chose to respond in the face of the disaster. I felt so thrilled and couldn't stop myself from smiling with joy as I heard what they did. Instead of caving in, students rallied around each other. They became unified as a body, sharing in their sorrow, grief, but above all, hope. They gathered for numerous prayer vigils and candlelight services all around campuse to lift up to God the dead, the suffering and the shaken. They lined up at clinics and at local hopitals to donate blood to the Red Cross. And in the span of nearly four years, with all that's happened to them up to this point, they remembered that day, 9/11/01, their first day as Furman students. And they made their senior class gift to Furman a check to initiate the construction of a 9/11 Memorial Plaza to be built in front of Furman Hall.
I don't know all of these students; not even close to half, to be honest. But I felt so moved listening to what they did in their careers as Furman students, beginning with September 11 and continuing up to last night, as well as their plans to make a difference in the world. My prayers are with them. It's a challenging world ahead of them. Few things will come easy, and some will require a deep search of the soul. But if their legacy at this university is any indication, I have no doubt that they are prepared to face the world. It's not that I don't expect them to be challenged or even taken off guard at several points in their lives. But I know the God of the universe who saw them through childhood and adolescence, from grade school through college, will continue to work in their lives. How comforting to know that God's daily presence in our lives never, ever changes. That by itself should inspire us to go out, “being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
To Ashley, Chris, EA, Kat, Justin, AmyJo, Walt, Alan, Megan, Jen, and the rest of you graduates ... thanks for the memories, and congratulations! Come back and visit sometime! I'll see you again!
Song of the Day: Michael W. Smith - "Lead You Home"
Verse of the Day: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." - Colossians 3:15-17
posted by david @ 3:12 PM
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