Embrace the Squiggle - Graduation Sunday
I love the Psalms. I love the Psalms because they are real. There is emotion and life in the Psalms. Sometimes when I read the stories of the Bible, like stories of Jesus, it is easy for me to jump to the end or just think of them as stories because I have been hearing them my whole life, and I have to remind myself that these stories are real. I have to consciously put the emotion and the life into the story. But not so with the Psalms. With the Psalms the emotions are so evident. And so many of the psalms were written by one man – David. And he has an quite the story.
You see David didn’t have the life he anticipated. The first time we meet David, he is a young shepherd boy off tending flocks. The prophet Samuel comes to his home after being told that one of Jesse’s sons is to be the next king. After all 7 of Jesse’s older sons are not found to be the right one, Samuel asks if he has any more sons, to which Jesse responds, only the youngest is left – he is out with the sheep. Jesse sends for him to be brought in, and in fact it is David who is the next king, and Samuel anoints David then and there.
Think about this. David is the youngest of 8 boys in a time when the oldest son got pretty much everything. This was a time when birth order pretty much determined the course of your life. David probably thought he knew what to expect in his life. Until Samuel showed up.
And David’s story continues to probably the most familiar story – David and Goliath. But do you remember why David was at the battlefield in the first place? David’s oldest 3 brothers were soldiers of the current king, Saul, and David’s father Jesse sent David with what was essentially a care package for his brothers. And then David’s journey takes another unexpected turn. While he is there, he hears Goliath’s taunts of Saul’s army. And he asks why no one is doing anything, and offers to fight Goliath. At first no one wants to let him, and David tells of how his days fighting lions and bears to protect the sheep have indeed prepared him for this very task. So Saul tries to set David up with his own armor, which is much too big for David; instead, David takes a sling shot and 5 small stones – and we all know what happens next – he defeats the giant.
After this David becomes friends with Saul’s son Jonathan, and stays with the family. He has success in the army as he wins battles. And all seems to be going well until people start comparing Saul and David – and David is coming out better. Saul gets jealous, and starts plotting to have David killed. And David ends up on the run from Saul for many years until Saul dies, and David eventually becomes king.
That is by no means the end of the story. But I want to think back to that young boy – probably 10-12 years old out tending sheep who thought his life direction was planned. See so often in life we think there’s this ideal plan. Graduate high school, go to college, get a job, get married, have a family. This is the ideal that has been fed to us from a young age. And we think ideally it looks like this:
A straight arrow from where we are to where we want to go. But we are honest enough to realize that it’s not really like that. So we think it looks more like this:
And so I come back to the Psalms. While there is debate about when this particular Psalm was written, many of the Psalms were written by David while he was on the run from Saul. And he gets very real. In fact, the same words Jesus spoke on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” are first found in the Psalms. David knew the struggle, the squiggle of life. He knew what it was for life not to be anything like he expected. He knew what it was like to have people out to get him. He knew what it was like to make a mistake that he would give anything to take back. He knew what it was like to have people he trusted turn their back on him. He knew what it was like for people not to expect much of him. And it’s true – David lost his way part of the time. He was not a perfect person. Which is part of what makes him so relatable for us today. But time and time again, in the midst of the chaos of life, David knew where to turn. In the Psalm read today he wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”
David knew God was with him in all of those times. Even when he was wondering where God was, he was still focused on God. Even when David knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life (after he was king), he knew where to turn. It’s kind of like a dancer. You see ballet dancers doing all their spins, and those of us who don’t dance watch and wonder how they don’t get dizzy. But they don’t get dizzy because they have a spot that they find – and keep finding each time they spin. They stay focused on that spot.
So as we each go from here, we know that life will bring the unexpected. Whether we are facing a major transition, like graduation, or simply going through our day to day – the unexpected will happen.
As Pastor Tom prepares to embark upon what is next in his journey, he has been cleaning out his office – and giving anything he can to anyone who will take it. I cannot tell you how many times I have turned down items that he has offered. There is enough of a mess in my own office already. But one thing he offered me I took. It was this small sign that said “Interruptions are the job” that someone gave him. And these are important words for all of us.
Because so much of life is what happens in the unexpected. In the interruptions. One of my many mottos in life is “Make a plan and expect it to change.” We all have plans and hopes for our futures – whether we are graduates or well past that point. But don’t get so caught up the in the plans that you miss the opportunities in the spins and twists of life. Embrace the squiggle. And remember to focus on God through it all.
You see David didn’t have the life he anticipated. The first time we meet David, he is a young shepherd boy off tending flocks. The prophet Samuel comes to his home after being told that one of Jesse’s sons is to be the next king. After all 7 of Jesse’s older sons are not found to be the right one, Samuel asks if he has any more sons, to which Jesse responds, only the youngest is left – he is out with the sheep. Jesse sends for him to be brought in, and in fact it is David who is the next king, and Samuel anoints David then and there.
Think about this. David is the youngest of 8 boys in a time when the oldest son got pretty much everything. This was a time when birth order pretty much determined the course of your life. David probably thought he knew what to expect in his life. Until Samuel showed up.
And David’s story continues to probably the most familiar story – David and Goliath. But do you remember why David was at the battlefield in the first place? David’s oldest 3 brothers were soldiers of the current king, Saul, and David’s father Jesse sent David with what was essentially a care package for his brothers. And then David’s journey takes another unexpected turn. While he is there, he hears Goliath’s taunts of Saul’s army. And he asks why no one is doing anything, and offers to fight Goliath. At first no one wants to let him, and David tells of how his days fighting lions and bears to protect the sheep have indeed prepared him for this very task. So Saul tries to set David up with his own armor, which is much too big for David; instead, David takes a sling shot and 5 small stones – and we all know what happens next – he defeats the giant.
After this David becomes friends with Saul’s son Jonathan, and stays with the family. He has success in the army as he wins battles. And all seems to be going well until people start comparing Saul and David – and David is coming out better. Saul gets jealous, and starts plotting to have David killed. And David ends up on the run from Saul for many years until Saul dies, and David eventually becomes king.
That is by no means the end of the story. But I want to think back to that young boy – probably 10-12 years old out tending sheep who thought his life direction was planned. See so often in life we think there’s this ideal plan. Graduate high school, go to college, get a job, get married, have a family. This is the ideal that has been fed to us from a young age. And we think ideally it looks like this:
A straight arrow from where we are to where we want to go. But we are honest enough to realize that it’s not really like that. So we think it looks more like this:
There are ups and downs along the journey. A dream not realized. A death in the family. Challenges we never expected. But the truth is, life is a lot more like this:
Right? Things are changing all the time. We are not sure which direction is up, which way we’re going, and if any of what we are doing is the right thing. We think we finally get going the right direction and things are coming together when it all flips upside down again. And so the question becomes, how do we continue to be the people we were created to be when life feels like this?
And so I come back to the Psalms. While there is debate about when this particular Psalm was written, many of the Psalms were written by David while he was on the run from Saul. And he gets very real. In fact, the same words Jesus spoke on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” are first found in the Psalms. David knew the struggle, the squiggle of life. He knew what it was for life not to be anything like he expected. He knew what it was like to have people out to get him. He knew what it was like to make a mistake that he would give anything to take back. He knew what it was like to have people he trusted turn their back on him. He knew what it was like for people not to expect much of him. And it’s true – David lost his way part of the time. He was not a perfect person. Which is part of what makes him so relatable for us today. But time and time again, in the midst of the chaos of life, David knew where to turn. In the Psalm read today he wrote, “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”
David knew God was with him in all of those times. Even when he was wondering where God was, he was still focused on God. Even when David knew he had made the biggest mistake of his life (after he was king), he knew where to turn. It’s kind of like a dancer. You see ballet dancers doing all their spins, and those of us who don’t dance watch and wonder how they don’t get dizzy. But they don’t get dizzy because they have a spot that they find – and keep finding each time they spin. They stay focused on that spot.
So as we each go from here, we know that life will bring the unexpected. Whether we are facing a major transition, like graduation, or simply going through our day to day – the unexpected will happen.
As Pastor Tom prepares to embark upon what is next in his journey, he has been cleaning out his office – and giving anything he can to anyone who will take it. I cannot tell you how many times I have turned down items that he has offered. There is enough of a mess in my own office already. But one thing he offered me I took. It was this small sign that said “Interruptions are the job” that someone gave him. And these are important words for all of us.
Because so much of life is what happens in the unexpected. In the interruptions. One of my many mottos in life is “Make a plan and expect it to change.” We all have plans and hopes for our futures – whether we are graduates or well past that point. But don’t get so caught up the in the plans that you miss the opportunities in the spins and twists of life. Embrace the squiggle. And remember to focus on God through it all.
Graduate Recognition:
Now we get to the point in the service where we celebrate those who have reached an important point of transition on their life journey: our graduates. We are truly blessed this year with an amazing class that will be missed. Let me first introduce them to you. Watch this video.
At this point I would like invite the high school graduates to join me up front. Will you start by sharing your name, where you are graduating from, and where you are going next.
As you embark upon what’s next in your life adventure, I first and foremost want to remind you that nothing can ever separate you from the love of God. If you keep your eyes on Jesus, whatever squiggles come your way, you will make it through. It is the Lord that is your strength. So the first thing I want to give you is a stone. Like those smooth stones that David gathered to defeat his giant. Whatever giants you face, know that God is with you. Etched in this stone is the word strength. Because the Lord is youth strength. A point of focus in the midst of all the squiggles.
But you also do not go on this journey alone. The end of this video was people from this faith community making blankets. These blankets are for you. At this point, I would like to invite the youth who are delivering blankets to bring them up and give them to their new owner, and then stand behind them. Whenever you use this blanket, know that you are a part of this community. You are loved and supported, and you are always welcome here.
Next I would like to invite any college graduates up front. First we want to congratulate you on your accomplishments. Will you share with us your name and plans for what is next?
And I want to invite any current college students to come up as well. High school grads – these are people to lean on. People who have been where you are not very long ago. I must admit that I was thinking back to my own college years to offer advice and was a little startled to do the math and realize that it has been 17 years since I stood in your shoes. In other words, my high school diploma is almost as old as you all.
Next parents – come on forward. You have brought them this far. And this day is about you almost as much as it is about them. You have loved them and supported them. Celebrated with them, cried with them, shared life with them. And now you are preparing to let them go. So to you too I say – embrace the squiggle. Know that God is with them – and with you – as you all transition to what’s next. Enjoy this time.
Finally I invite anyone else who would like to join us up here and lay a hand on or near one of these graduates.
Graduates – this is your community. We love you, and today we celebrate with you, and we pray for you. Let us pray.
Now we get to the point in the service where we celebrate those who have reached an important point of transition on their life journey: our graduates. We are truly blessed this year with an amazing class that will be missed. Let me first introduce them to you. Watch this video.
At this point I would like invite the high school graduates to join me up front. Will you start by sharing your name, where you are graduating from, and where you are going next.
As you embark upon what’s next in your life adventure, I first and foremost want to remind you that nothing can ever separate you from the love of God. If you keep your eyes on Jesus, whatever squiggles come your way, you will make it through. It is the Lord that is your strength. So the first thing I want to give you is a stone. Like those smooth stones that David gathered to defeat his giant. Whatever giants you face, know that God is with you. Etched in this stone is the word strength. Because the Lord is youth strength. A point of focus in the midst of all the squiggles.
But you also do not go on this journey alone. The end of this video was people from this faith community making blankets. These blankets are for you. At this point, I would like to invite the youth who are delivering blankets to bring them up and give them to their new owner, and then stand behind them. Whenever you use this blanket, know that you are a part of this community. You are loved and supported, and you are always welcome here.
Next I would like to invite any college graduates up front. First we want to congratulate you on your accomplishments. Will you share with us your name and plans for what is next?
And I want to invite any current college students to come up as well. High school grads – these are people to lean on. People who have been where you are not very long ago. I must admit that I was thinking back to my own college years to offer advice and was a little startled to do the math and realize that it has been 17 years since I stood in your shoes. In other words, my high school diploma is almost as old as you all.
Next parents – come on forward. You have brought them this far. And this day is about you almost as much as it is about them. You have loved them and supported them. Celebrated with them, cried with them, shared life with them. And now you are preparing to let them go. So to you too I say – embrace the squiggle. Know that God is with them – and with you – as you all transition to what’s next. Enjoy this time.
Finally I invite anyone else who would like to join us up here and lay a hand on or near one of these graduates.
Graduates – this is your community. We love you, and today we celebrate with you, and we pray for you. Let us pray.
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