honoring graduates

Group, May/Jun 2006 by Case, Steve

A YOUTH-LED WORSHIP SERVICE

Graduation day should be one of the high holy days of youth ministry, but too many churches treat it as a raise-your-hand-if-you-graduated moment during the "joys and concerns" portion of the service. That doesn't cut it.

This youth-led service is designed to help your congregation honor the kids they promised to help love and support way back when they were baptized. Graduating from high school is a huge achievement, and it deserves more than a passing mention and a copy of Jesus in My Dorm Room. You can plug this short liturgy into your regular worship service or use it during a formal dinner recognizing your graduates if your church has one.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

* Print the text of this liturgy in your bulletin so your congregation can participate.

* You can use underclassmen to lead and read the liturgy or have church leaders do it instead. Have your graduates line up in front of your congregation.

* If your group is small enough to spend a little time on each graduate, pause as you introduce them to share something special or a fond memory you have of each graduate.

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS

There is no formal place for music in this liturgy, but any of the following songs would be appropriate to sing or play during the service.

* "Ground" from Lost and Pound's album Something.

* "Lifesong" from Casting Crowns' album Lifesong.

* "I Can see Clearly Now"-this is a great graduation song that a number of artists have recorded, including the original version by Johnny Nash and a recording by Geoff Moore on his album Evolution.

THE SERVICE

Leader #1 : Sisters and brothers in Christ, today is a day of sending forth. The people standing before you have been brought up in the faith and supported by this family of Christ. They've reached a pivot in their lives-and that means we must now release them into the world. But our job is far from over.

People: We can no longer see you as children. We've watched you grow. We've watched you fall and get back up again. We've loved and prayed and guided and supported you in your life-and we now release you into a new life, a new journey, a new beginning.

Leader #2: (to the graduates) You are no longer children running the halls of this church. You're what the Bible calls saints-members of God's own house. That house is built upon a foundation laid by the prophets with Jesus as the cornerstone. And with Christ as your cornerstone you will build a cathedral... a dwelling place for God...a flying place for the Holy Spirit.

Leader #3 (to the graduates): Do you promise to remember where you came from, the lessons you learned, the friends you made, and the love you received?

Graduates: We do.

Leader #3: Do you promise to take the love and faith and support you've received and re-gift it to others, no matter where you go?

Graduates: We do.

Leader #3: Do you promise to continue to grow, stretch, reach, and strive to be who you are as a servant of God?

Graduates: We do.

Leader #3: Do you desire to live what you've confirmed, to take on the promises made at your baptism and grow into the family of Jesus Christ?

Graduates: We do.

Leader #3: The congregation will stand. (Pause) Let us be united as one church in all times and places, confessing our faith in God, the three in one.

Leader #4: (to the congregation): Do you believe in God?

People: I believe in God.

Leader #4: Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

People: I believe in Jesus Christ.

Leader #4: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?

People: I believe in the Holy Spirit.

Leader #4: The congregation may be seated.

Leader #5 (to the graduates): Do you promise to participate in the life and mission of the family of God's people, sharing in the worship and work of this church as it serves the community and the world?

Graduates: We promise, with the help of God.

(If your group is small enough, lay your hands on each teenager individually; then have the congregation say each teenager's name.)

People: God, we release your servant ________ into the world. May she/he find her/his calling and become who you intended her/him to be.

(If your group is too large to pray for each graduate individually, use this variation.)

People: God, we release these, your servants, into the world. We ask that you intentionally help them find their calling and become the servants you intended them to be.

Leader #5: Father, every journey has its milestones. These young people have been on a long journey, and they've just reached a big milestone. They can take a breath. They can close their eyes. They can spend a few moments thinking about something other than school. Thank you for this moment, God. If we look backward on the people we were on our first day of school, some of us are surprised we made it. We remember the bad days. We remember the good days. Tests. Report cards. Good teachers. Bad teachers. Fire drills. Morning announcements. Field trips. It's all part of who we are now, God. We're a compilation of our experiences. School has played a major role in the kind of adults these young people are becoming. They're ready to move forward, God. They're looking at the next few years with a sense of terror and anticipation. Don't leave now. They're going to need you. In the name of Jesus, amen.