Gracious God, you are our creator and sustainer. It is in you that we move and live and have our being. Because you are a good and loving God and you hear our requests, we call upon you now and invite you into this important gathering. Make your presence known to us as we gather for this milestone event in the life of these students, their families, and this school. Help us to be still and savor this sacred moment.

Yes, we are thankful that this school has afforded these students with so many opportunities on campus, as well, off campus, with its proximity to Washington, D.C. The world is closer here, indeed. We also are thankful that the school recognizes its proximity to you —that it is situated on a holy hill and that it keeps its eyes upward and upon you, you who are a holy God who is the giver of wisdom and peace. We are indebted to this school for opening that upward window to allow these students to consider you and grow in you and rely on you and to prepare them for the journey ahead. 

What they have become in their time here is truly amazing. Because of the mission of this school, the dedication and sacrifices of the faculty and staff, they have been equipped with moral and intellectual courage to go out in the world and lead with their whole being. And because of the adversity of the past 15 months, they perhaps are even better prepared to do so. 

May these young men and women always see farther throughout life and more clearly because of having lived upon the Hill in this rarified community, with its deep and abiding friendships and relationships. So, before we send them out into that world, we call upon you to bless them with an everlasting understanding, deep down in their core, of your grace, your courage, your mighty love, your compassion and mercy and peace.

As they soon join the ranks of the many alumni that have gone before them, may they look to Jesus as their example of moral courage, He who came down into this world to show us how to lead, how to love, and how to live. I pray these things in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen!