In this graduation season, I asked myself if any of the commencement speeches I had heard were memorable? I’m guessing that the graduates of Tennessee in 2009 remember that Dolly Parton delivered the address on their graduation day. She said to them, “Now people are always asking me, ‘what do you want people to say about you a hundred years from now?’ I respond I want them to say, ‘Dang, don’t she still look good for her age.’”
I have always enjoyed the student speeches during graduation ceremonies. These speakers don’t come from the outside world. These are a part of that graduating class, and so many there will have shared similar experiences as the speaker. And often, the speakers have been commendable examples of the richness of the life of their school.
Sunday is Pentecost Sunday, the day we remember the descent of the Holy Spirit on Jesus’ gathered disciples. In the biblical story, this occurred during a sermon preached by Simon Peter. In a way, Peter seems to have been an unlikely “commencement” speaker for this class of disciples. He tended to be more than a little argumentative with Jesus, and toward the end of the semester, completely botched the final exam. On the night of Jesus’ arrest, when asked three times to confirm that he was indeed a follower of Jesus, he vigorously denied that he was. Why was Peter, then, the one who was given the task of proclaiming the Good News on the day the Spirit descended on the Church? What does the mean for our own discipleship?
We’ll talk about this in church on Sunday. The sermon is titled, “A Different Kind of Valedictorian.” It arises from the story of the first Christian Pentecost, as found in Acts 2: 1-21, which will be read by Dan Hughes. We will be led musically by the Chancel Choir, accompanied by Matthew Wachtman. We’ll also have a time for recognizing graduates, and pronounce a blessing on those who will be representing our church at Annual Conference. We’ll have hymns, prayers and a time for children.
If you have been part of the St. Mark’s community for a long time, a short time, or will be joining us for the first time, we look forward to connecting with those of you here in-person or joining on the livestream. To join online, visit www.smumc.church at 10:30 AM, and click on the Live Stream banner.