well,
for those of you who began your time here in the fall of 2019, you have been through it—not just in the classroom—but in the events that surrounded our lives
that academic year began with a dispute between the subcontractors that built the new wing of our building
all that light and air and space and invitation to explore the ineffable—complete with a tree of life standing in running water (when it’s working)
all that—and a whole lot of wrong
it was a difficult time within the student body and the rest of the school, but the university worked hard to make it right and ultimately, justice was done
but the summer before we began the school year was no cakewalk either as it was a troubling summer like the several summers before it
in 2019, wildfires were burning across the globe— in the u.s., greenland, siberia, the canary islands, the amazon rainforest
and although we did have the strange case of our federal government wanting to buy greenland as a distraction from the fact that in august alone, we had mass shootings in
a historic district in dayton, oh
a walmart in el paso, tx,
the gilroy garlic festival near san francisco, ca
a brooklyn block party
a walmart in southhaven, ms
it just seemed like this blatant disregard for the lives of others found new ways to terrorize our peace and rattle our hope and challenge our will to be active peacemakers and lovers of people
and then spring of 2020 hit
with devastating, destructive tornados one week
and the shutdown of our worlds due to covid-19 the next
and the front edges of a pandemic that had no idea would last as long as it has cast us into the new world, for most of us, of online learning
masking
distancing
testing
illness
and for many of us, losing loved ones
and through it all, you stayed
and as the next two years unfolded, you began to find ways to build community in the midst of physical restrictions and health concerns
you found ways to do the best you could do with your coursework, your field education sites, your interpersonal relationships, with your families and communities, with isolation
and you have made it to this point
as the old black woman who helped raise me would say about such a set of circumstances: ummmph…ummmph…ummmph
the diplomas you will receive say more about academic achievement. they are also testament that we all have been through some things and there is good reason to celebrate this day
but in the midst of the well-deserved celebration you have, are, and will be having about well-earned degrees
i want you to stop at some point and be still
and as i said at your opening convocation, i want you to imagine
imagine what being a graduate from the school of the prophets will mean for you
is this a basepoint, some point, no point, or challenge for how you will go about doing the work your soul must have
imagine if you and i had no mooring from which we look out on the world and see possibilities along with the realities
imagine if we stepped into hope and love and peace and justice and the spirit each day and lived our lives large and small
and we live them by trying to make the world around us just a bit more humane, a bit more caring, a bit more like a place for all
instead of a castle for a few surrounded by moats of indifference and snapping turtles of hatred and despair
where we mistake violence for passion
indolence for leisure, and
recklessness for freedom[1]
imagine taking a deeper look to see if you are settling for the world as it is right now or who you are in these moments or believe that that our sightlines are the only lines that matter in this expansive and wondrous creation
imagine, looking to the future by working as hard as you can in your now—whenever and wherever that now is
and trying to shape your now into a foundation for a future that celebrates the great diversity of what God sent spinning into the cosmos that brings us to our current times and invites us into the beyond
imagine, ya’ll, what it takes within yourselves to live into that great hope for this world
where you live at home with others
where you cherish creation
where you create rather than destroy
where you love rather than despise
where you share rather than hoard
where you celebrate rather than sending out wailing cries of despair until your throats become raw and bleeding
and you do not do these things alone
it not only takes a village, but it also takes the will to hold that village together and to continue to build it throughout your lifetime
as you will find that there will be many villages and not just one
and that can sound like a daunting work order, but i tend think of it as gracious and holy opportunity
as you work with others and listen to others, remember that you do not have the corner on the market of righteousness or always know the right thing to do or say
Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now.
Love mercy, now.
Walk humbly, now.
You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.[2]
you are remarkable people, theologically fabulous—and these are wonderful things to behold for those of us who have had the honor of being your teachers and co-learners
but this is not enough
no, i encourage you to be exceptional witnesses to the power of love, justice, and hope in a world that needs soulful faith acting in the everyday
as you move from experience
to story
to discipleship
to testimony
to faith
and then we begin again and again
care for others
take care of yourselves
stay in touch
we will always keep the light on for you.
amen
[1] A redaction from Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye (New York: Vintage Books, 1970, 1998), 111.
[2] Rabbi Rami Shapiro, Wisdom of the Sages: A Modern Reading of Pirke Avot (New York: Harmony/Bell Tower, 1995), 41. Paraphrase of Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s interpretative translation of Rabbi Tarfon’s works on the Pirke Avot 2:20. The text is commentary on Micah 6:8.