AU United Methodist Community

Rev. Mark Schaefer
Kay Spiritual Life Center
May 7, 2005—Baccalaureate Service, Class of 2005
Genesis 12:1-9; Matthew 5:3-16

Genesis 12 1 ¶ Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
4 ¶ So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram, and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved on to the hill country on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and invoked the name of the LORD. 9 And Abram journeyed on by stages toward the Negeb.

Matthew 5 3 ¶ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 ¶ “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
5 ¶ “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
6 ¶ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
7 ¶ “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
8 ¶ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
9 ¶ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
10 ¶ “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 ¶ “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
13 ¶ “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 ¶ “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

I. INTRODUCTION

One of the constants about graduation is the kind of conversation that takes place around this time of year. Many of the conversations begin with the words, “It seems like just yesterday we were starting college…” Or, “I can’t believe it was four years ago, when…”. These conversations are not limited to students, of course. Parents and friends are having the same conversations. “It was only yesterday when he was learning to walk…” How quickly the time has passed since you began your college journey.

II. ABRAM: SETTING OUT

When you set out on that journey, it was not unlike Abraham setting forth from Haran. He was called to leave his country, his kindred, and his father’s house. That is, to leave everything he knows behind to travel to a land, that, God promises, “I will show you”. And he sets out.

It’s not an easy thing to leave all that behind. Whether it’s the little things like pizza by the slice, Buffalo wings, or RC and moon pies; or the big things, like family and friends, a community, even a way of life. Abraham sets out on that journey as a leap of faith, with only the promise of a land before him. Abram sets out confident that wherever he is bound, God will travel with him.

III. THE JOURNEY

And so, you too once set out on just such a journey. Whether you traveled from near or far, you set out on a journey that required no less faith. You had been called to a land you had not yet seen—a land you could only know by going. And during your years here, you have definitely journeyed far and wide.

A. World

During that time, your world has changed. Three weeks into your college experience, we suffered together the effects of the September 11th attacks. The contour of our worldviews, much like the skyline of New York, was irrevocably changed.

During that time, our nation went to war and has been plunged into an ongoing debate about it ever since.
During that time, the geopolitical landscape of the world has changed. Quite simply, the world is not the same world it was when you started.

B. Perceptions

Nor is your perception of it. One of the interesting things about college is that you’re likely to feel you know less about the world than when you entered. Often times you enter as freshmen having largely figured the world out. As you depart, the only thing you’ve figured out is that you haven’t figured it out as much as you had once thought.

Your perceptions change. Exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking force adjustment, accommodation. Conservatives become radicals. Liberals become libertarians. Fundamentalists become agnostics. Scoffers become faithful. Most people go through at least one of those transformations. Probably more. Your perspective has changed.

C. Self

It’s no surprise because you have changed. For 18 years you had other people telling you who you were—parents, teachers, pastors—for the last four years you’ve had a chance to decide for yourself if that’s really true. Sometimes it is. Sometimes we are surprised to discover who we really are.

Ultimately, college is as much about discovering ourselves as it is discovering the world. It is no coincidence that on the other end of his journey, Abram receives a name change to Abraham, and Sarai becomes Sarah. Journeys of faith often result in transformations of self.

IV. A NEW JOURNEY

And you are being called to go on another journey now. Your time here is ended—and you are once again being called from your country and kindred to a land God will show you.

The questions aren’t the same. The particular voyage of self-discovery won’t be the same, but it is a journey of faith nonetheless.
It is a journey wherein you will travel to lands largely of your own making. You have been given the gifts, the knowledge, and the sense of self necessary to go to this land.

How you will know that country will largely depend on what you go looking for. If you go looking for power or riches, you may find them and you may not. But you may also miss even greater riches.
Instead, you can go looking for a land of promise worthy of the God who calls us and the blessings God has bestowed upon us during our time in college. You can go looking for a land that comforts the mourning, shows mercy, makes peace, seeks justice and righteousness.

You have been given abundant blessings during your time here. God calls you out of your comfort zone again. To let your light shine forth before others. To go from where you are to a land of promise that you have been given the choice and freedom shape.

V. TO A LAND I WILL SHOW YOU

It is a journey we will make over and over again. A journey requiring us to set out—to take a leap of faith—to go to a land of promise where we might become a blessing to others. God has called us to this journey—a journey to a land of promise—a journey upon which God continues to walk with us.