May is the month for graduation ceremonies. Thousands will gather in football stadiums, gymnasiums, churches and other venues for college and high school graduations. But my favorite graduation ceremony is kindergarten. Four-year-old kindergarten, to be precise.
Our church has a daycare center, that includes a three- and four-year-old kindergarten program. Since I am the pastor, each May, I get to hand out diplomas to the K-4 graduates. At K-4 graduation, the kids are so natural and real. Some are nervous and shy, while others brazenly march across the stage and wave to everybody there. Since I tell a Bible story to the kids each week, they all know me, and they’ll often shout, “Hey, Brother Bob!” right in the middle of the program. One boy walked across the stage to get his diploma and swung his arm like a baseball player at bat, slapping my hand in a broad handshake that almost sent my fingers flying over the centerfield fence. But my favorite comment came from a little boy as the children were marching in processional. Let me describe the scene.
No other graduation has as many cameras per capita as k-4. The president could be the guest speaker, and we would not have any more cameras and camcorders. Nearly every parent and grandparent wants a picture of their special little one marching in, with cap and gown. So to maximize the photo opportunities, our daycare children march into the church, go all the way up one aisle to the back wall, then back down the opposite aisle, and back out the door, and finally they line up to receive their diplomas. This allows every parent to get a chance to take a picture. But it prompted one boy to grumble as he walked by me, “I don’t know where we’re going— we keep going around in circles.”
That boy’s question is a good question for every graduate. Psalm 57:2 says, “I call to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me.”
Congratulations to all of our graduates. My prayer for you, is that you find God’s purpose, so you when you march up to take your diploma, you’ll know where you’re going afterwards, and you won’t just go in circles.
Copyright 2009 by Bob Rogers. E-mail brogers@fbcrincon.com. Read this column each Friday for a mix of religion and humor. For more “Holy Humor,” go to the Web site www.fbcrincon.com
