Transcript
Every day is special. It’s a fresh start, a new chance, a do over. But not every day is equally memorable. And it’s my hope that this day is one that is long remembered and cherished. While today we honor and celebrate our graduates, today isn’t just about graduation.
• It’s about everything that’s happened before today.
• And it’s about everything that will happen after today.
I just turned 37 in January, I’ll celebrate my 20-year high school reunion next year, but like all old people have a tendency to say, high school feels like it just happened.
I remember a lot. I remember the final A.P. tests, the sports games, the week away at the beach, the grad parties, the yearbook signings, the conversations about summer, and more than anything, the endless stream of people wanting to give me advice about college.
But what I remember most was the feeling that something was about to change. You probably feel it now, too. It’s the feeling that transition is on the horizon. And as exciting as that can be, with transition comes some fear and uncertainty. Or maybe a lot of fear and uncertainty. I know for me, I didn’t quite know what to do with the feeling of change because I was conflicted about it.
• On the one hand, I felt ready for it. That’s a natural part of being 18 and growing up. I was ready to do things for myself, to be independent and self-sufficient. I was looking forward to making new connections that I thought would be the ones that lasted forever. If I had to guess, I would say most of you feel that same way to some degree.
• But on the other hand, I was also kind of sad. As much as I was looking forward to something new, I had the sense life would never be the same as it was when I was still in school. I bet a lot of you feel that, too.
I remember walking around my parent’s house, thinking, “I know this room is still mine, but like, all my stuff is going with me. This room isn’t going to feel like mine anymore.” I remember being around friends, thinking, “Will we really stay in touch?” For those of you who are moving away, you may be thinking the same kind of thing.
Transition: A lot of change is about to happen in your life, and it’s important to acknowledge that. But as much as is about to change in your world, the thing I want to spend a few minutes talking about is something that won’t change: that’s our role as your church.
TENSION
This may or may not be something you’ve spent a lot of time thinking about, but it’s something I’ve thought about a lot, our student ministry and college-ministry teams have thought about a lot, our leadership staff has thought about a lot, the adults you live with have thought about a lot. We have spent a lot of time thinking about this because of the stories we hear from so many people who have gone
before you.
Every year there are people like you, leaving home, going to school or work, who, for one reason or another, “lose sight of their faith.” Maybe it’s because they hear something a professor says, or because they don’t see how the faith they built while still at home works in the real world, or because they just lose the church-going habit. Maybe they move to a new community and have a hard time finding a new church… or forget to look for a new church… or maybe they forget why it matters that they find a church to connect with. Whatever the reason, their faith-life starts to change. Becomes unused. And eventually it can feel completely unnecessary.
But this time of change is also the time when a lot of students feel the church has completely deserted them. I’ve heard a graduate say before, “I’ve never felt more abandoned by the church than the day I graduated from high school.” As a pastor, hearing that breaks my heart. As a Christian, hearing that breaks my heart. As a father of kids I hope graduate one day in this church, that breaks my heart. Graduation can feel like a goodbye for a lot of reasons and to a lot of people, but I believe it shouldn’t feel that way when it comes to the church.
Which is why today, we want to make sure you know we don’t see it as a goodbye, and we don’t want you to see it that way either. What has been true for a lot of graduates before in churches everywhere, I don’t want to be true of graduates here in this church today.
When we look at you, we don’t see a finish line. We see the return on investment. We see the adults who have given their time and their energy and their sleep to invest in you. Some of you have been here since you were babies or elementary aged kids and have had leaders who have worked tirelessly to teach you, “Jesus loves you, this I know” and that “You can trust God no matter what” and that “Jesus wants to be your friend forever.”
The leader from your middle school years helped you find a faith of your own. And you’ve had leaders the past four years who have walked beside you faithfully during good times at camps, retreats, and Sunday mornings, and also through some really hard times when it felt like life was falling apart. These men and women aren’t perfect. You know that. But they’ve been really faithful. And that’s way more important.
Every single one of these people—the ones you see and the ones you don’t, who have worked behind the scenes to make your experience the best it could be—have invested in you. And when we look at you, that’s what we see. The hours and hours of time people who care about you have poured into you. But that’s not all. When we see you, we see the incredible investment YOU have made into this church.
So many of you have served as small group leaders & models to kids younger than you either on Sundays in Worship Care or during VBS, teaching them to have a faith of their own. Many of you have been on mission trips to different places all over the place sharing your faith and putting your faith in action.
So we don’t want this to feel like we’re wiping our hands and patting our own backs because we’ve done our job and can now take a beat. We spent time trying to help you grow a faith of your own, so you won’t walk away without feeling prepared for what’s next.
That’s why we want to make sure the message from today is clear. Whether you are heading out of town for school or work, or are staying right here… We’re not leaving you, we’re not abandoning you, we’re not saying goodbye. We want to help you stand confidently and shout, “Hello, World!” And to do
that well, we want to help you transition into the next season by helping you pack your bags, and by not walking away too quickly.
Because here’s what I know: when you’re traveling on this journey of life, and life has brought you to a transition where you’re headed somewhere new, knowing what to pack in your bag is really important. (right Jim? Knowing what to pack is really really important)
So for the next few minutes we are going to work on packing bags together. And here’s the thing. Ultimately, you get to choose what is and what isn’t in your bag. It’s your decision and your responsibility. And while this is especially true of you during this next chapter, it’s just as true for any of us as we prepare for transitions in life. (Introduce the luggage stage prop.) Just like a good youth pastor, I’ve got props… so let’s go everybody, pull out your suitcases and let’s get started. Wait… am I the only one who brought this? Oh well…
Chances are, all of us have a suitcase or bag or some kind of item that allows us to carry other items in—the kind we take with us when we’re going somewhere. What you pack in that bag during preparation can make or break how that journey goes. Because packing the right things is a big deal.
And for you, as students and graduates, I want to tell you a few KEY things to pack in your luggage.
– Games – never forget to have fun
– Sunscreen – if you’re like me and my family, this is essential. I recommend spf 50+ or spf ginger
– Wrinkle release – for those days when you are running behind and you don’t have the time to full on iron your shirts
– Bible – because, duh!
And I want to invite you to take a few additional things with you in your luggage, as well.
Let’s look at something found in the book of Timothy. We call it a ‘book,’ but it’s actually more of a letter. And it’s a letter the apostle Paul wrote to a younger guy named Timothy. Paul was like Timothy’s mentor, someone who taught him how to do things, helped him shape his faith, warned him to not make the same bad choices he did (can anyone relate? Can you imagine Paul talking to one of his friends around the campfire after a rousing Kumbayah, and he says through tears in his eyes “I just don’t want him to make the same mistakes I did!”). He mentored Timothy in a way that was meant to help Timothy thrive.
On the flip side, Timothy was like Paul’s disciple. He listened to, watched, imitated, asked questions, and looked up to him. Can you imagine Timothy with a calligraphy-drawn poster of Paul in his room, with Paul posing in some regal posture. Timothy spending time each night trying to make the same pose and imagine his own face where Paul’s was. Timothy let Paul guide him and teach him.
They both invested time, energy, prayer, and thought into this relationship. Paul spoke purpose and belief into Timothy. Timothy kept Paul on his toes with questions he may have not ever thought of before. And in the books of 1 and 2 Timothy we get insight into some of the things Paul passed along.
Here’s a brief rundown of what we know about Paul and Timothy’s relationship. We know:
• Paul traveled to Lystra, where Timothy lived.
• Timothy’s mother was a Jewish believer in Jesus; His father was Greek.
• The believers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of Timothy because he had already built a great reputation.
• Oh boy. If you’re squeamish, maybe put on your earmuffs for this one… maybe I’ll try to say it as fast as I can to get through it quicker…. Paul wanted to take Timothy with him on his next journey. And because there were lots of Jews where Paul was going, he wanted Timothy to be accepted by the people he was supposed to be ministering to. And while Paul didn’t “boast” about how he went through all the proper Jewish rituals in order to be blameless, and this particular ritual happened when he was a child, actually when he was only days old, ya know when you can’t remember the feeling of pain, well Paul asked ADULT Timothy to be circumcised—which, again was a sign of Judaism. And Timothy did it. Ouch.
So… Paul and Timothy did a lot of ministry together, and Timothy sort of learned the ropes from Paul. But they also went through a transition where Timothy eventually went off to work on his own. And when Timothy left for those trips, his bags were packed and he was ready to go.
We’re going to look at three things Timothy knew as he packed his bags to leave. And these three things were the result of the investment Paul and Timothy made in this discipleship journey.
First…
TIMOTIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS BEHIND HIM.
Timothy had become family to Paul. He says it over and over again. In the letter Paul wrote to the church at Philippi, we see that Paul thought of Timothy like a son in the faith.
“But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.” Philippians 2:22 NIV
He says it again in his first letter to the church at Corinth.
“For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord.” 1Corinthians 4:17a NIV
In fact, he says it right at the beginning of his first and his second letter to Timothy.
“To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” 2 Timothy 1:2 NIV
Paul uses this term, “son”, 19 times in his letters to Timothy! My son, my true son in the faith, my son whom I love…In other words, this wasn’t just a friendship. Paul saw Timothy as family. And before you go, we want you to know the same thing. Just like
TIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS BEHIND HIM.
WE’RE BEHIND YOU!
1. WE’RE BEHIND YOU!
Pack a picture of who has been there in your past.
We want to remind you that you have a history with us. You have a past with us, but… it’s not over. We are going to continue to be around. We want to be an anchor for you, supporting you as life changes. We know you have adults who birthed you, fed you, housed you. But there are some adults who have watched you grow up and helped you grow through the awkward years with those terrible haircuts and clothes that were too big at the beginning of the school year and too small by January, through those awkward times when one week you say “hello Dr. Somerville” and the next you walk by and grunt “Hey Pastor Lynn. Appreciate you.” But we want you to know that, even though we didn’t live in the same home through all those years, we still see you as family. Even if you’ve experienced just a few years here alongside us, you’re family. We’re behind you. And when you know someone is behind you, you can approach life with a lot more confidence. You can get through almost anything.
Secondly…
TIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS WITH HIM.
“I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.” 2 Timothy 1:3-4 NIV
I love Paul’s vulnerability here. Even though distance and obstacles separated them, Paul did not stop praying for Timothy. Paul was in a Roman prison when he wrote this letter to his adopted son, and he still didn’t, or maybe he couldn’t, stop praying for him!
I would imagine when Timothy was feeling frustrated, or overwhelmed, or out of his league, he remembered Paul’s letter, and remembered what Paul’s letter represented: that Paul was WITH him and was praying for him.
That’s true of you as well! You’ve got people who love you and who are WITH you. You’ve got people here who want to tell you how much they love you and how much they’re going to be praying for you! In fact, I’m going to ask all the adult classes who committed to pray for and over these graduates to stand. You may not have been in those Sunday School classrooms with these folks, but you better believe they were praying for you. Even had your name on their whiteboards to remind them to pray each week.
TIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS WITH HIM. WE’RE WITH YOU!
2. WE’RE WITH YOU!
(Illustration: In the luggage, pull out an iPhone.)
If Paul could have, I bet he would have texted Timothy constantly. But since the phone wasn’t an option, Paul wrote letters to Timothy. He was encouraging him and building him up. And Timothy held on to those messages wherever he went. In the same way, we want you to know we are with you. We’re praying for you.
We’re here to remind you, just like you have a past with us, there is a present with us, too. We’re always with you. We’ve been praying for you, but we’re praying for you now as well. Not only that, we have these words of wisdom calendars where adults shared scripture, quotes and phrases with you to let you know we’re STILL WITH you. (throw the calendar in the luggage)
We’re praying for you. We love you and we’re on your side. And we’re going to send these letters & care packages to whatever address you give us. Including those who aren’t moving anywhere. We want to remind you we’re still WITH you RIGHT HERE.
And, in case you’ve forgotten, this phone works both ways. We have the letters Paul wrote to Timothy, but I bet Timothy wrote Paul back, and we’d love to hear from you, too! That’s not to guilt you, it’s just to let you know that we care about you and want to know what’s happening in this new stage of life. And even if we don’t hear from you, we still love you and we’re still WITH you.
Thirdly…
TIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS FOR HIM.
Let’s look at the mission Paul gave Timothy.
“So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.” 2 Timothy 1:8 NIV
In a lot of ways, this next stage of life is hard. Following Jesus in high school is not easy, but following Jesus out of high school can be even more complicated. You may even have days where you feel ashamed. It’s as if Paul was saying: If you feel embarrassed to follow Jesus, Timothy, don’t forget that I’m BEHIND you and I’m WITH you and I’m FOR you. And it’s not only faith that’s going to be hard in this next stage; there are going to be days that are hard for a totally different reason. When you fail a class, don’t get into a fraternity, miss a deadline, make a big mistake, or disappoint someone. You’re going to have days where you feel like you’ve let yourself or others down. But Paul tells Timothy this:
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life…” 2 Timothy 1:9 NIV
That’s what God hopes for you. God wants you to make choices that reflect the kind of life he wants for you. And we want you to believe what he said is true of you, so that you live from that place of love and acceptance, not fear and shame. And when we live knowing people are FOR us, this is easier to do. Paul goes on in his letter to Timothy saying,
“He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and GRACE.” 2 Timothy 1:10 NIV
TIMOTHY KNEW PAUL WAS FOR
HIM. WE’RE FOR YOU!
3. WE’RE FOR YOU!
Even if we are slightly nervous or anxious about this next stage of life, all of us feel a sense of excitement about what is coming. There is the feeling of having a blank slate, a universe of possibilities before us. And chances are, the expectations for how we want this next stage to go are high. In some ways, our expectations will be met.
Things will fall into place like we anticipate. But not everything will. Like any other time in life, there are going to be disappointments, moments when our expectations are not met because of something that’s happened or because of something we’ve done. And it can start to feel like all the good stuff we envisioned has to be tossed because it didn’t quite work out like we thought.
But you need to know that there is nothing—NOTHING—that God cannot work in the midst of, make right, make clean, or make whole.
We’re here to remind you there is a future with us. No matter what! Grace says, “You’re always welcome back home!” No matter what you’ve done or what you’ve experienced. We’re FOR you. When things work out the way you want and you’re pleasantly surprised. Or when things go wrong and don’t work out. You’re welcome home.”
In the beginning of his second letter to Timothy, Paul charges Timothy with a task:
“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14 NIV
Remember, Paul is facing the hardest time of his life when he wrote this: he’s in prison and he knows he will soon be executed. He knows that guarding the gospel and living by it is not always easy, but it’s important. And because Timothy knew that Paul was behind him, with him, and for him, he was able to complete this task.
At the end of the day, that’s where today’s Gospel lesson comes into play. Congregation, I’m looking at you now. When we talk about investment, we’re not talking about putting in the time so that you can reap the benefits. We’re talking about Jesus’ commandment to love one another the way He has loved us. That means, he had taken off the comfort of sitting on the throne and come to Earth so serve, not to be served. Jesus spent his time loving his disciples by eating with them, teaching them, praying with them, answering their questions (even when he was just so frustrated that he couldn’t help but give some snarky cut back).
So what does it look like for this congregation to love one another the way Christ has loved us? Take time away from the comfortable spots and eat with the next generation, teach them in Sunday School or small groups, pray with them and for them, answer their questions (even when the question was answered just five seconds ago!). It’s not one way, but it’s a shared investment in each other’s development that is rooted in reflecting the love of Christ!
And so when you pack your bags, remember that…
1. Because God’s behind you, we’re BEHIND you!
2. Because God’s with you, we’re WITH you!
3. Because God’s for you, we’re FOR you and your future!
In the middle of any difficulty you go through, you have an anchor. The evergreen love of Christ and the same love the reflects from each of us.
In the middle of any stress or anxiety, you have our prayers. The Holy Spirit of God is with you at all times!
And if you happen to mess up, you always have grace. The Father always welcomes you home, no matter what you’ve done, no matter where you’ve been.
I’ll leave you with a quote from Phyllis Reynolds Naylor: “Saying hello to something new means saying goodbye to something old and loved.”
This is not only a goodbye to what we have experienced alongside you up to this point. This is hello world! And hello to all the new things God is placing before you (and us).
Amen
