This morning, we honored the 2010 graduates affiliated with our church family. Fifteen students walked down our aisle in cap and gown as their pictures were shown on the screens. Our Student Ministries Pastor read a brief bio of each student. My wife and I had the privilege of greeting each one, and handing them a gift. Just past us were the youth leaders who had invested their lives into these students. Some students had been here for a long time and others were new to our ministry, but we were so glad to have a part in the life of each one.
Rather than preaching a specific baccalaureate sermon, I chose instead to continue with our series on "Making Disciples." The first step in making a disciple is sharing our faith and seeing a person enter into a relationship with God. Each of these graduates needs to be a disciple and be making disciples via whatever career path they choose to enter into. Their highest calling is to serve God with their life.
Tonight's service was entitled, "When Bad Things Happen to God's People." It's not a matter of if, but when. I encouraged our folks to realize that God will often allow these things for the purpose of Punishment, to Prepare us for something, or to Purify us in order to make us more like Christ. The bottom-line is that we need to focus on how we handle adversity, rather than why it occurred.
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