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Today is graduation Sunday.
Congratulations, all the graduates. You have done a good job in finishing what you have started.
Congratulations: Miles, Solea, Liam, Naomi, Nicole, Jaiden, Tylor, Taebin, and Emily.
Graduation is wonderful because you have accomplished something. How small it may be. It is still very significant.
Lao Tzu said,
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step.
You have finished one small step. For that, I congratulate you.
But graduation is not the end in itself.
It also means a new beginning. The old is gone and the new has come. That’s why people use another word for graduation.
Commencement.
So, the graduation means not only the completion of one stage of your life but also the beginning of a new stage.
The journey is not over.
Last week, Rev. Lee compared our life with a race, and the most difficult part of a marathon is not the beginning, not even the end, but in the middle.
Because you don’t see what is ahead of you in the middle. You don’t see the finish line.
That was what Jeremiah experienced.
God called him to be a prophet to the nations. That was totally unexpected.
Jeremiah was too young. He had no idea of what it meant to be a prophet. But it sounded very serious and very heavy.
So far, his life had been simple. It was good and comfortable. He lived as a boy, not worrying too much about the heavy burden he had to carry.
But now God called him to be a prophet to the nations. No more boy; a prophet. But this was too much for a boy to take on.
One chapter of his life was over, and a new chapter was before him. God opened a new chapter for him.
That’s what God does. He often takes us away from what is familiar and nudges us into unfamiliar territory.
Why does God do that?
Because that is life. Life never stays the same.
The river doesn’t stay the same. It constantly flows. The second time you put your feet in the water, it is not the same water.
The old one is gone and the new has come. That was what ancient Greek philosopher, Heraclitus discovered about life.
Buddha said this is the reason we suffer. Suffering is intimately connected with the transient nature of our reality. We have to learn to embrace change.
God’s calling is always calling into the unknown. Because that is life. We have to learn to embrace the unknown.
The new world God opens up for you is not necessarily easy and manageable. Sometimes it is overwhelming because you don’t know what to do.
That’s how Jeremiah felt. It was overwhelming for him, and very scared because he had no idea of what was waiting for him. It was uncharted territory for Jeremiah.
Life is a series of graduations. Even retirement is, in a way, graduation.
You have given so much to your work. Your time, your energy, all your effort. Now the work is over. What are you gonna do?
You graduate from one thing and commence another. And you don’t know exactly what to do. Nobody prepared you for that.
Eg) Immigration. Also, there is a big graduation waiting – graduating from this world.
So, the graduation gives you a sense of achievement but always makes you uneasy and uncomfortable because you don’t know what is waiting for you.
When God called Jeremiah, he responded with a deep sigh.
Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy. (Jeremiah 1:6)
He felt overwhelmed.
My friends, change is hard. Many times, we feel we are not ready for the change.
There are three things God did for Jeremiah who was struggling with his calling.
The first thing is this.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
When you are uncertain about your future, the first thing that hits us is doubt.
We doubt ourselves. We doubt our ability. We doubt what will happen to me. Will these unknown changes destroy me?
That’s why God gave Jeremiah these words.
I know you. Even before you were born, I knew you. I know your struggles, your insecurities, your fear, and your vulnerability.
I know you. That means you are in good hands. You are not alone in this new chapter of your life.
God knows and cares about you. You are deeply rooted in God. Even when you were not aware of God, God knew you.
This identity will ground you when you face so many changes.
Your circumstances always change. In these changes, you can easily get lost.
When your life circumstances are so unpredictable and uncertain, remember that it is God who brought you into this world.
Your existence is not like chaff that flies away. Your existence is deeply rooted in God.
God knows you. God knows your name. Your existence is deeply rooted in God like a tree planted by the stream of water.
You will never be abandoned. You will never be forgotten. You will never be swept away by the storms of life. You will never be alone.
Two, God will help you what to do.
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth. (Jeremiah 1:9)
God put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth.
Jeremiah did not have to come up with what to say. Because he was called to be a prophet, God gave him his words.
God will give you what you need for yourself.
You may not all be prophets. Whatever you do, God will provide you with what you need, so that you may be able to accomplish what you are called to do.
Don’t trust in your own power and resources. Trust in God. God will give you what you need.
Some take pride in chariots, and some in horses,
but our pride is in the name of the Lord our God.
They will collapse and fall,
but we shall rise and stand upright. (Psalm 20:7, 8)
If you need intelligence, God will give you that. If you need skills, God will help you develop your skills.
If you need creativity, God will give you creativity. He is the master of creativity. If you need peace, God will give you peace.
Third, God will rescue you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you. (Jeremiah 1:8)
Jeremiah, as a prophet, he received so much persecution and criticisms. Especially from other prophets.
His nickname was a weeping prophet. He witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem. He saw the total depravity of people.
His tears were for the suffering of people. His tears were for the sorrow of God. His tears were for himself.
He was hated by so many people because he prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem. He was ridiculed, opposed, and imprisoned. He went through personal and emotional distress.
It was too much for him to bear.
But God said to Jeremiah,
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you. (Jeremiah 1:8)
In the new stage of your life, you will face many challenges. Sometimes you may feel that it is too much for you to bear.
Sometimes, you may be hated by people. Sometimes you may be rejected. Sometimes, you may go through your own emotional turmoils.
Remember.
God sees what you are going through. Do not be afraid. God will deliver you. God will make you stronger. Trust in God. Nothing will harm you.
St. Paul raised this question when he went through difficult times.
Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Romans 8:35)
Then he gave this answer.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38, 39)
God knows you. God knows your name. You will never be nobody to God.
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