It was requested...

...that I upload my Valedictory Address, so here it is. =)

Valedictory Speech 2008

Today, in the culmination of years of studies, our class bears testimony to the beliefs of our families and the mission of this school. We are privileged to have families who believe in the importance of a Christian education, and privileged to have seen this school grow over the years. Furthermore, I trust we have all been infused with the love of learning which is so essential to a life glorifying to God. And now, as we raise our eyes to a new vision, a new challenge, let us consider the words of Solomon: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.”1 And yes, that verse does apply to young women as well.

Young men and women both, we are the blessed recipients of a Christian education, and not just an education, but a worldview, more than is offered by contemporary public education. G.K. Chesterton once remarked, “The purpose of Compulsory Education is to deprive the common people of their commonsense.”2 In a society where religion is tolerantly suppressed, it is refreshingly beautiful to be part of a school which realizes first of all that it is the “God-given privilege and sole responsibility” of the parents to raise their children, as Deuteronomy 6:6-7 mandates, “in the fear and admonition of the Lord.” In assistance, therefore, to the parents, the mission of Providence Academy, taken from Noah Webster’s definition of the word ‘education,’ is to “enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations.” In the preface to his dictionary, Webster states, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”3

I want the graduating class of 2008 to realize that the education I just outlined, the education we have received, is one that is well-suited to the biblical exhortation to rejoice in our youth. Regarding teenagers like ourselves, and particularly Christian teenagers, there are, unfortunately, two extremes to which people commonly adhere. It would seem teenagers are viewed as either unmanageable or...unmanageable. Christian situation or otherwise, teenagers are too often regarded as a frustration and a waste of time. The difference between extremes lies in the action that is taken, or lack thereof: on the one hand, abdication, and on the other, hyper-restriction. And yet neither of these fulfills the biblical precedent for youth. But here at Providence, we have been taught both how to rejoice in our youth, and of the judgement for our actions.

Yes, we are a privileged class. Privileged to have godly parents, teachers, and friends, privileged to live in this beautiful county, and privileged to hear Alan freestyle rap day after day. Also, in Mr. Boyd’s rhetoric class, I learned how to speak for long periods of time about nothing in particular. Let’s hope that’s not what I’m doing right now. Seriously though, I’ve learned a lot. I read books, did my math homework, and took notes on the Civil War. But more importantly, I learned to love books, explore math, and debate the Civil War. I learned what it is to be a student and a teacher, a son and a brother. I learned the importance of friends.

And most of this class has been working on those friendships since this school was started. We watched the school grow physically, moving from the apartment building across from the Enterprise courthouse to this beautiful building here, planting trees and grass, remodeling old rooms, compiling a computer lab, and countless little repairs and improvements. We have seen teachers come and go, leaving us with a firm conviction, a well-written paper, a biblical aesthetic, a Latin phrase, an understanding of the Pythagorean theorem, or (of course) a map of the Middle East. And we’ve watched older students leave their mark, and then pass on into a new field of study; we’ve seen younger students follow in our footsteps (and that’s not always a good thing). But now our time has come to take our experience to a new level for the glory of God.

And here we are. We’re finally graduating! The temptation is to think, “We’re free!” but that attitude implies a bondage or imprisonment. Is that how we view our time here? Were we just doing time? If so, we need to take another look at Ecclesiastes 11:9, where we are told to rejoice in our youth. I would propose that this applies to school as well, even particularly to school. In Proverbs 3:13-14, Solomon stresses the importance of wisdom and discretion: “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.” School is not a chore.

So what do we do now? Money, college, adventure...yes, that’s all good, but there are a couple of principles that should guide us in our endeavors. First, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.”4 There is blessing involved there if you honor your parents, and, looking back at Ecclesiastes 11:9 again, we see that we will be judged for our actions, for the impulses of our hearts and the desires of our eyes. This judgement is not limited to punishment, however, but includes blessings if we glorify God in these things.

According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” But it is only when our trust is in Jesus for our salvation that we can fully enjoy God and serve Him. Elsewhere, we are exhorted to present our bodies a living sacrifice, to let our lives be a pleasing aroma, and to offer a sacrifice of praise.5 In his famous 1630 sermon, John Winthrop likened the Christian community to a “city on a hill.” To the future graduates, I want you to understand that you are a city on a hill. Essential to the Christian community is Christian education, and we want the world to be jealous. And so the catechism answer might be rephrased, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God by enjoying Him [and His creation] forever.”

To conclude, I stand here with a privileged class, a class that has been blessed with a Christian education, and has grown along with this school. We have inherited a love of learning, but remember that it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of knowledge.6 As we move on in life, we seek to glorify God by rejoicing in the life He has given us, and thank Him for the education He has given us. From show-and-tell Legos with Isaiah to Cody biting the heads off of his gummy bears, from rapping with Alan in the talent show to wearing a kilt to the Patriot’s Ball, our class has been eternally bound together. Joy, Cassie, Alan, and Shannon, you have all meant a lot to me, and I thank God for the plans I know He has for your lives. As “Stonewall” Jackson boldly stated, ours is the duty, while consequences belong to God. Thank you.

1 Ecclesiastes 11:9
2 ILN, 9/7/29
3 Providence Mission Statement/Webster’s 1828 Dictionary
4 Exodus 20:12
5 Romans 12:1, Ephesians 5:2, Hebrews 13:5
6 Proverbs 1:7