Monday, June 15, 2009

Lead On, O King Eternal

Nancy R. DeHaan
MACSA Executive Director

Friday night was high school graduation at the Christian school where I serve. All in all – the graduation was pretty traditional and fairly typical.
  • Processional
  • Opening Hymn
  • Student Speeches
  • Student Awards
  • Graduation Speaker
  • Granting of Diplomas
  • Moving of the Tassel
  • Closing Prayer
  • Recessional

Our graduating class was 27 students – leaving us and embarking on a new chapter in their lives. Of those 27 young men and women, 13 had been at the school since Kindergarten with another 2 joining them in First Grade! That’s over HALF of the class! The graduation speaker (a pastor dad of one of the graduates) commended this group of parents for the sacrificial commitment they made in order to provide a Christian education for their children.

At our school, the processional, opening hymn and recessional are the same each year – a tradition. Pomp and Circumstance for the processional, O Worship the King for the opening hymn and Lead On, O King Eternal for the recessional. (I heard whispers in the Teachers’ Room that perhaps THIS year, we should break with tradition and play the Hallelujah Chorus as the recessional! Just kidding!)

I have attended many graduations at the school – and each year, something different solidifies for me why those of us who minister in Christian schools are SO committed to Christian education. The “moment” might be a tidbit from one of the student speeches, a truth from the graduation speaker, or a heartfelt “Amen” as the class is prayed over by one of our faculty members. This year, it was the recessional.

At the end of the ceremony, the students move their tassels and are officially graduated! They are no longer students – they are now alumni. We - Moms and Dad, teachers, staff members, everyone in the audience - have invested much time and prayer into the lives of these young men and women. Now, tassels moved, they leave the stage, leave the gym, leave our school - and we pray that the spiritual and academic lessons we have taught and modeled will “stick” and we pray with all our hearts that they will continue to follow God and trust Him “in all their ways.” It is our prayer that our newest graduates will say with boldness:

Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.

Lead on, O King eternal,
Till sin’s fierce war shall cease,
And holiness shall whisper
The sweet amen of peace.
For not with swords’ loud clashing,
Nor roll of stirring drums;
With deeds of love and mercy
The heavenly kingdom comes.

Lead on, O King eternal,
We follow, not with fears,
For gladness breaks like morning
Where’er Thy face appears.
Thy cross is lifted over us,
We journey in its light;
The crown awaits the conquest;
Lead on, O God of might.