"You'll Never Graduate" (Bulletin Article for May 20)
[NOTE: On Sunday, May 20, as so many other congregations do, the 9th Avenue church of Christ will be honoring our young people graduating from high school. This article was written with that in mind. It is a brief outline of one of the first sermons I ever preached in Somerville, Tennessee, when I served as the youth minister there.]
Nearly every TV show has had a character who heard the words that every high school student is afraid of: “You’ll never graduate.”
Graduation is simply a movement from one phase to another. It is as much a beginning as an ending. We all graduate many times in life. We graduate from childhood to adulthood; from single to married; from having children to the “empty nest.”
There are, however, some things from which we never graduate. What are they? Here are just a few:
- Responsibility. Even as children, we have responsibilities around the house, whether it’s cleaning our room or taking out the trash. As young people we have school responsibilities. As adults, we are responsible for so much (our work, our family’s safety, the mortgage payments, etc.). Some people don’t want any responsibilities, but they assume a responsibility by doing that! We must be responsible people.
- The need to pray. Little children are (hopefully) taught to pray by their parents. As adults, we like to think we have it all under control, but we really don’t. We, very often, need to turn things over to God. We need to praise Him in prayer, and we need to let the worries of our life go up to Him. The more responsibility we assume, the more we need to pray.
- The commands and promises of the Bible. Some people seem to think that, as they age, the Bible does not mean as much as it did as a child. (Just notice how many adults miss Bible classes!) However, as we grow older, we should be drawing ever closer to God. His commands are in place to protect us, not to harm us. His promises should make us want to follow Him even more faithfully. And remember, God never breaks a promise.
- Learning. Just because one walks across a stage does not mean he or she has learned it all. Yes, it is symbolic of this part of education’s being complete, but there is so much more to learn. As we age, we become acutely aware that the more we learn, the more we don’t know. Most importantly, we need to learn all we can about God and His Word. While even a child can understand the basics, everyone can learn more.
These are just four of the things from which we never graduate. If we will spend our lifetime growing in these four areas, we will be pleased with the life we have lived.
