Is This the End or Just the Beginning?
Revelation 21:6
(May 7, 2010)
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Introduction
Several years ago, not long after the construction of Benner Library and Resource Center, Olivet decided to create a campus quad between the library and Ludwig Center. It was then, and remains today, the most heavily traveled spot on campus. A generous gift was received from the Gerald Decker family, and soon the work began to transform this barren space into the “Decker Quad.”
The shape at the center of the quad was designed as a large O, with the names of senior class presidents and associated student council (ASC) presidents to be placed around the brick walkway. Plantings were added to enhance the beauty of the area and collegiate benches were distributed throughout the quad. The sidewalks were expanded, and a small stage area was added at the south end to facilitate student and campus gatherings.
All of these features were important parts of the plan—but the heart of the entire project was in the middle of a large raised area bordered with brick and stone.
There, with great pageantry, the university planted the Olivet Nazarene University Tree of Learning, and it is then that the story turned funny—and not so funny.
Within a few weeks following the dedication of the quad and the planting of the tree, the tree’s leaves began to discolor and fall. The revered Tree of Learning, which was to be a living symbol of learning, died! Very quickly, and without fanfare, the dead tree was uprooted and replaced with a healthy new sapling. Once again, little by little this new tree also began to wane.
Jokes soon followed: “Did you hear that the Tree of Learning keeps dying at Olivet?”
Soon the university, with the help of a good horticulturist, diagnosed the problem. There wasn’t sufficient soil and proper drainage for the roots of the tree to sink deeply into the ground below the now paved and bricked lawn. The trees simply could not flourish without strong roots. So once more, with renewed vigor and enhanced understanding, a new tree was planted in an improved soil base. Sure enough, once the root system began to spread down and out, the tree flourished. Learning was once again alive and well at Olivet.
Now this tree in the quad is a living metaphor of life. We all must have a strong and healthy root system if we are to thrive. Thus one of the most important aspects of life at Olivet is the process students go through to establish their roots.
First of all, students put down academic roots that nourish their learning and professional development. Academic roots are not easily established. This type of root system is developed through the hard work of discipline and study, not just once in a while, or even a semester here and there, but throughout one’s college career. In turn, a strong undergraduate education becomes a source of fruitfulness throughout life. The rewards of this hard work are plentiful both now and especially in the future at work, in graduate school, and in life itself. It was Aristotle who observed, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”1 Second, students also put down personal roots that result in maturity and character development. The person we become is a result of a series of choices, great and small, that are made throughout the daily living of our lives on this campus.
Third, and most importantly, Olivet provides the soil for students to establish strong and healthy spiritual roots. From this source, rooted in God’s very presence and nurtured by his grace, spiritual fruit springs forth.
Your character, your professional life, your personal life, and your spiritual well-being will be determined by the roots you have put down during your days at Olivet. The psalmist declares that the blessed person “is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he [or she] does shall prosper” (Ps. 1:3).
I say to those of you who are graduating tomorrow—whatever you do, in the days to come, do not let the roots die! Take with you the lessons and the commitment you have made during these years at Olivet. One chapter of your life is ending, but another chapter, filled with opportunities, is just beginning.
The activities of this weekend remind us that life is a cycle, a series of beginning and ending and beginning again. Every beginning begins with an ending and every ending ends with a new beginning. The end of winter marks the beginning of spring. The day cannot begin until the night has ended. The end of high school gave way to the beginning of college, and now the end of these days at Olivet mark the beginning of the next chapter in your life.
Tomorrow morning we will gather out under the trees for commencement. “Commencement” means “to begin.” Yet we sense that this moment of beginning is filled with various endings as well. Your college days will soon be officially over. This special time in your life has come to an end—no more classes, no more exams to take, papers to write, or projects to complete. All of that has passed, and so have you.
You have been in your last chapel service; this will be your last night in the dorm. Tomorrow you will take your final walk across campus. Our shared life together will soon be a thing of the past.
Saying Good-Bye
This transition in your life is marked by a series of goodbyes. You will say good-bye to this campus, which has been your home away from home. You will be back, often I hope, but it will different. The people whom you have seen every day for years will soon begin to scatter. You have already begun the process of saying farewell to faculty and staff members who have loved you, worked with you, and poured their lives into yours. And you will say good-bye to one another. Some of your classmates will remain your close friends for life. Others you may never see again, for all things sooner or later come to an end.
Several months ago, Richard Rodriguez wrote and delivered an essay on saying good-bye for a broadcast on PBS. At one point in the essay he spoke of the power of the nonverbal good-byes of life; those moments when across a crowded room (or in your case, across a crowded campus) one waves a silent, yet sincere, good-bye.
Waving good-bye is a simple act, but one that can be filled with deep emotion, laden with memories, and embedded with strong, yet silent, messages. We wave good-bye, and in so doing, we say, without saying it,
“I will miss you.”
“I have so enjoyed knowing you.”
“I will never forget you.”
Rodriguez wrote, “There is, in the physical act of waving goodbye, an acknowledgment of all that we cannot hold. The hand is open, empty. We practice waving goodbye throughout our lives. It becomes a way of preparing ourselves for the loss of all things great and small.”2 So at some level, consciously or not, you may ask yourself tomorrow, “Is this the end or just the beginning?” The answer, of course, is yes. It is both/and. This moment of graduation and the next couple of months as you make the transition from university student to the next chapter of your life provides you with a brief interlude, a chance to look back as you look forward.
In a way, graduation is a comma in the punctuation of God’s conversation with us. In this moment he says, “Not yet, but very soon.” Your commencement is an invitation to pause for a moment, to consider where you have been and where you are headed, to turn from what has been to consider what might be.
With all of this in mind, I bring before you this evening a single verse from Revelation 21, where the apostle John records these words: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (v. 6). Here, for the first time in the book of Revelation, God himself speaks, reminding us that he is a God who makes all things new (see v. 5). These words bring to mind an Old Testament passage from Isaiah 43:18-19, which reads, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”
You have heard these words before, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 21:6). I know that, because four years ago at the annual freshman dinner in Chalfant Hall, I gave this verse to you as a class. You were, at that moment, just beginning, and now suddenly, the Olivet chapter in your life is ending.
Alpha and omega—most of you know that those are letters from the Greek alphabet. Alpha is the first letter of the alphabet, and omega is the last—the beginning and the end. The God in whom we trust is the God in whom all things have their beginnings and in whom all things will ultimately find fulfillment.
I. Consider First That God Is a God of Beginnings
The God we serve is all about new beginnings. You can see it on nearly every page of Scripture. Over and over, God steps into human life to bring hope and vision and faith. Most of these moments come when we find ourselves at a crossroads in life. In fact, we live our lives at the crossroads. In a way, every day is a dividing line between our past and our future, between what was and what can be. It is at that intersection where we live and study and do our work.
The mere presence of a crossroad demands choice—which way shall we go, which path shall I choose? Those decisions determine our direction, and the direction of life determines our destination and ultimately our destiny. So life at the crossroads is a big deal! But let us never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.
Surely, when it comes to gazing into the future, “we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Cor. 13:12, KJV). Yet we are men and women of the future, because with God all things are possible, with God anything can happen. As it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (2:9, KJV). I am convinced that if you will put God first, if you let him be the Source of your new beginning, your tomorrows are filled with promise and possibility. God has big plans for you!
And the good news is that he can use us, even at the point of our weakness. There is a story that comes out of India about a water-bearer, someone who performs the menial task of carrying water from the river up to the house.3 He does this day after day, year after year. To carry the water, the water-bearer has two pots hanging on each end of a pole that rests on his neck. Although one pot was in good condition and did not lose any water, the other was cracked and lost water continually. The water-bearer would thus arrive each day with one full pot and one half-empty pot.
The flawed pot was downcast because it could only do part of its job. It finally spoke to the water-bearer, expressing its feelings of failure and shame: “I have been able, for these past two years, to deliver only half my load, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your master’s house. Because of my flaws, you have to do all this work and you don’t get full value from your efforts.”4
Then the water-bearer responded, “As we return to the master’s house, I want you to notice the beautiful wildflowers on the side of the path, bright in the sun’s glow,” and the sight cheered it up a bit. But at the end of the trail, it still felt badly that half of its load had leaked out once more, and so again it apologized to the bearer for its failure.
The bearer said to the pot, “Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, not on the other pot’s side? That is because I have always known about your flaw, and I have taken advantage of it. I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day, as we walked back from the stream, you have watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate my master’s table. Without you being just the way you are, my master would not have had this beauty to grace his house.”5 What an interesting story for those of us who live in a culture that breeds comparison and competition, and scoffs at weakness. This is certainly true of our wider American culture, but it is also true, perhaps particularly so, in the academic world where you have spent that last four years. Here nearly everything is graded.
During the graduation ceremony tomorrow, special acknowledgments will be given for departmental honors and four-point averages, and notations will be made concerning those who graduate with exceptional recognitions such as cum laude (with honors), magna cum laude (high honors), and summa cum laude (with highest honors). Those distinctions will be accompanied by colorful honor chords for all to see. All of that is good.
However, it is easy in this environment to consciously or at least subconsciously to get stuck in the comparison game. It will be that way in the next chapter of your life as well. However, don’t let that deter you as you move forward. Take confidence knowing that God is a God of beginnings, of fresh starts and grace.
In addition to that …
II. God Is the God of Every Ending in Life
This weekend is just one of many endings you will face in the days to come. Some things end well and others may end poorly, but whatever the case, God will be there. He is not only the Alpha but also the Omega, “the Beginning and the End,” and, through it all, God is faithful.
I wish I could guarantee that all of the endings you will face in the days to come will be pleasant—but I cannot. In fact, I can pretty well guarantee that some things in your life will not end well. Some relationships may end in heartache. There may be times when career and professional projects or positions simply won’t work out. Health and vitality can give way to illness or even death.
What will you do in those moments? Where will you turn at the end? May I give you a word of assurance this evening? God will be there. The God of every beginning will also be there at the end.
Recently, I was reading Robert Coles’s fine book of essays titled Harvard Diary. In one section he writes about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Most of you are familiar with the name. Bonhoeffer was born into a distinguished German family. His father was a psychiatrist who taught at the University of Berlin. His relatives and forefathers were clergymen, lawyers, and political leaders.
As a young man, Dietrich Bonhoeffer decided to pursue a degree in theology. After his training, he served as a pastor and teacher. He lived during the time that Adolph Hitler was coming into power in Germany, and as World War II began, Bonhoeffer spoke out against Hitler and his regime. In April 1943, he was arrested and imprisoned. In April 1945, he was executed just a few days before the prison, where he was being held, was liberated.
I knew his story and had read that particular essay previously, but this time I noticed something I had never seen before. Coles records Bonhoeffer’s last words, which were spoken to a fellow inmate. This is what he said as he was taken away: “This is the end; for me, the beginning of life.”6 In a moment of great pressure, he linked these concepts of ending and beginning together: “This is the end”—“for me, [it is] the beginning of life [as well].”
I like how Paul put it: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). This is a great promise that rests squarely on the faithfulness of God.
Conclusion
One last thought, there is a relationship, you know, between beginnings and endings. If you begin right, the chances of ending right are so much better. As life unfolds, you have to come to grips with who you are going to trust and who you will follow. I want you to know tonight that you can trust God, for he alone is the God of the beginnings and endings of life.
God can be trusted to help you build a marriage, raise a family, or live a productive and joyful life without a mate. God can be trusted with your finances and with your vocation. He is forever faithful in times of decision, when tragedy strikes, or whenever you are faced with a change in life, for he is “the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End” (Rev. 21:6).
What should your response be to such a God? It must be the response of full and unconditional surrender. John Wesley penned the words to a beautiful prayer, which became part of the early Methodist covenant service, where individuals made or renewed their commitments to God.
I asked that this prayer be printed on the last page of your program. Would you find that page, please?
Covenant Prayer
John Wesley, 1780
I am no longer my own, but Yours.
Put me to what You will, rank me with whom You will.
Put me to doing, put me to suffering.
Let me be employed by You or laid aside for You,
Exalted for You or brought low for You.
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things
To Your pleasure and disposal.
And now, O glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
You are mine, and I am Yours. So be it.
And the covenant which I have made on earth,
Let it be ratified in heaven. Amen.7
May this prayer be your prayer as you follow God into the future. Is this the end or just the beginning? It is both, for every ending ends with a new beginning. May God bless you as you begin again.
Presidential Charge to the Class of 2010
I would like for the graduating class of 2010 to please stand.
Tomorrow morning we will gather under the trees on the campus lawn for our annual commencement convocation. This week, in the midst of all of the graduation preparations, my mind has gone back to your arrival in August 2006.
During the freshman summer orientation sessions, Chalfant Hall gets transformed into a kind of remnant of the great arrival hall at Ellis Island, where a century or more ago immigrants took their first few steps into the new world. Ellis Island was a place of hope and tears, a place of freedom and fear, of strangers and new friends, a place of anxiety, but also anticipation. It was a place awash with the conviction that the future begins somewhere, somehow in this room.
Such was the experience for some of you. You entered this hall for the first time. Since then, you have changed. During your years here at Olivet something wonderful has happened. In fact, several “somethings” have happened.
Learning has happened. You have studied (some more than others!). You have given yourself to the disciplines of reading and research. You have chosen a major and completed your course of study. These lessons will serve you well.
Life has also happened. You have learned not only how to learn but also how to live—how to choose friends, build relationships, resolve conflicts, and much more.
Personal development has happened. You are more confident and self-assured than you were four years ago. You have learned to communicate and express yourselves as adults.
All of this is an important part of the Olivet experience, but most importantly, spiritual things have happened as well. The faith of your adolescence has put down roots and developed wings. You are ready to go forth as men and women of faith and character.
I charge you to live in such a way that these gifts of God will bear much fruit, and I wish you the very best as you go.
Prayer
O God of life’s beginnings and endings, you alone are worthy of praise, for you alone are forever faithful and true. Lord Jesus, we give you thanks for these young men and women. We ask that through your grace none would be lost to the kingdom. Bless them tonight and tomorrow and in all the days to come. Lead them in paths of righteousness for your name’s sake, and hold them steady in the grip of your grace. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.