“Because
The World Is Full Of Stairs”
Psalm 139:1-18
Luke 12:22-34
As you already know, today we are recognizing our graduates during the service. It is an important time for us to acknowledge and commend our graduates for their hard work as well as give them our blessing as they move on in their next step in the journey of life. And so today, I want to speak directly to the graduates here with us, but my hope and prayer is that all of us will hear God’s voice in the sermon as well.
For
those graduating from high school, you have spent the last twelve years of your
life in school working toward this day.
Twelve years is a long time to be in school, and I’m sure all of you
feel an enormous sense of relief and accomplishment that this day is finally
here for you. You should be proud of
yourself, as we are all proud of you.
For those of you who have graduated from college, you have spent an
even longer time in school to earn your degree.
You have put in many hours of study, class time, and work to graduate
with a degree in your field of study, and I know how it feels to have all that
behind you. I’m sure all you also feel
an enormous sense of relief and accomplishment.
You too should be proud of yourselves, as we
are also proud of you.
Graduating from high school and college is a big event for all of you,
and if you are anything like I was, your thoughts are on the future. Maybe you already know what you will be doing
come this fall. Maybe you have already
been accepted to a college or university to begin earning your degree, or maybe
you already have a job lined up, or maybe you are not quite sure what you will
be doing. But there is one thing all of
you do know – it is time to take that next step.
The time between graduation and
starting college or a new job can be an awkward time for you. You have just taken a big step in your
journey of life moving from one moment in your journey toward the start of
another. While at the same time that you
feel a sense of relief and accomplishment for what you have just gone through,
there is also a sense of anticipation and excitement and even anxiety about
what is coming up. This is a time of
pause and transition for you as you reflect upon what you have done and think
about what you will be doing.
All of you have taken a big step in your life and soon you
will be heading out to new place, to a new time, to write the next chapter in
your journey of life. Very soon,
everything will change for you. Old
routines and habits will be exchanged for new routines and habits. Very soon, you will be venturing out into a
whole new way of being and doing in the world.
All of you have heard or will hear messages of some kind
during your graduation ceremonies from people offering their own reflections
and advice for you as move from this point of life to the next. Today, I want to give you what I believe is
important for you to remember as you set out on the next leg of your life. I want you to remember two things: 1. the
world is full of stairs, and 2. do not worry about them, because the one who
walks with you has prepared you and empowered you and told you what you need to
do to meet those stairs head on and conquer them.
First, the world is full of stairs. Of course the world is full of stairs, we see
them and walk up and down them all the time.
Some of us are painfully aware of stairs, while others of us don’t give
them much thought. We walk up and down
them every day, completely oblivious to the fact that they are there. Some of us bound up and down them without
effort, others of us are not so fleet of foot, and we have grown accustomed to
hearing our knees creek and crack a little more as we have grown older. But for some of us, they are huge obstacles
in our way, monumental objects to conquer that can
sometimes evoke fear and panic in all of us, especially if you have a 20-month
old in the house.
Watching Drew learn how to walk was really amazing, but I
soon realized that my house was not very toddler friendly. With Hollie and Kara we did not have to worry
about stairs in the house, but with Drew we do.
As I watched Drew master the art of walking, I soon realized that he had
his eyes set on the grand prize, the
Finally,
after Drew ventured off into the great unknown and suddenly discovered the
effects of gravity, Jill and I realized that Drew was going to go up and down
the stairs someway and somehow, and that we were not always going to be there
to stop him. So we decided that he could
either do it the hard way or the right way, and we chose to have him do it the right way.
So we taught him how to go up and down the stairs always making sure
that we are right there with him.
So one day, we were at school with some other people and
their children, and the room we were in had stairs. One of the little girls about Drew’s age came precariously close to the stairs and her
mother started screaming, “Get the baby, get the
baby!” Of course, Drew was going up and
down them with no problem. Another
parent turned to me and said, “You now, the world is full of stairs.” She was right in more ways than one.
The world is full of stairs, not the stairs made out of
concrete or carpet, but the stairs made out of the ups and downs that we face in
our journey of life. Sometimes these
stairs can be huge obstacles in our way, monumental
objects to conquer that can sometimes evoke fear and panic in all of us. And we have a choice to make, we can either
live in fear of them, or we can learn how to conquer them.
Graduates, you will soon be taking a big step in your life,
venturing out into a new future, a future that is in some way still
unknown. And the reality is that you too
are in the process of learning how to walk on your own without the protection
of baby gates or your parents’ hands to help you up and down this world full of
stairs. Sometimes it will take all of
the energy and stamina you have to climb the stairs you will face, and
sometimes you too will take a misstep and re-discover the effects of gravity.
But
do not fear and do not worry, because even though the world is full of stairs,
you do not walk them alone. There is
someone who has always been with you, is with you, and will always be with you,
guiding you, teaching you, and giving you what you need to conquer the stairs
of the world. This is the promise of
God’s word to you. Listen to what the
Psalmist writes,
“Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the
farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall lead me,
And your right hand shall hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely, the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around
me become night,”
Even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as
bright as the day,
for darkness is as
light to you.
The
Psalmist knows that the world is full of stairs, and he also knows that whether
he goes up or down, he is not alone. The
Psalmist knows that the Spirit of God is with him, leading him by the hand and
holding him fast. Regardless of where he
is and the heights and depths of life that he faces, the Psalmist knows that
God is present with him helping him to conquer the stairs before him.
Even Jesus reminds us that the world is full of stairs but
to not worry about them, because even in the smallest of things, like the
birds and the lilies, we are able to see God’s abiding presence and
provision. And if God cares enough for
the birds and lilies, then God will most assuredly care for us, the ones who
are created in the image of God’s very self.
The trust Jesus wants us to have
is more than just about belief, it is the trusting faith that whatever is
before is, whatever stairs we may face, that God is with us, that God already
knows what we need to conquer them. The
trust Jesus wants us to have is a spiritual trust that no matter what happens,
good or bad, up or down, high or low, that God is there in the midst of it all
leading, sustaining, and guiding us with his right hand.
Graduates, during this time of transition for you, take time to look back and
remember all the important moments you have experienced, and then reflect upon
how God has been with you along the way, how God has shaped and transformed
you, and how God has brought you to where we are today. And, also during this time between now and
when your next chapter in your life, take time to look forward, and evaluate
where we are going, and who will be going with you.
But
most importantly remember. Remember to
always be found striving for the kingdom.
You may not find all the answers you are looking for, and
you may be left with more questions than answers, but if you rely on the
promise of God’s word, and strive for his kingdom, you will not only be able to
conquer the stairs of the world, but you will also discover more and more the
treasure of God’s grace and the very heart and love and will of God for
you. Amen.