Benediction: 2 Timothy 1: 1-14

As you go from here,

may God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord

give you grace, mercy, and peace.

Do not let your faith or your witness grow cold.

Remember: God’s gift of faith is like a flame;

when the embers of that flame have cooled,

you must fan them again to keep them ablaze.

So remember what you have been taught

and what you have experienced.

Live in such a way that all who know you

may see the light of God reflected in you.

And may the grace of God,

the love of Jesus Christ,

and the presence of the Holy Spirit

be with you and among you

in the days ahead.  Amen.

Benediction / Blessing

Love wholeheartedly.
Live as you were created.
Be God’s people in our fragmented world. Amen.

~ written by Tim Graves and posted on LiturgyBits. https://liturgybits.wordpress.com

Gathering Words at Graduation

Here are opening words for a time of graduation. They come from A Preacher Musing.

Opening Words for a Graduation Celebration

We gather this day,
to acknowledge a threshold moment—
a thin place
between what’s been and what’s to be—
between what’s been studied, learned, and accomplished,
and all the more there is to study and learn and do.

It is so very good to mark growth in celebration,
and then so very good as well,
to celebrate having further to grow—
to note a mile-marker on the longer way
and to take joy both in the distance traveled
and the distance yet ahead.

Bless this liminal time and space
and those who stand in thresholds
looking back and looking ahead.

May it be with a sense of both gratitude and anticipation.
May it be with an awareness
of how we grow our life long with our whole person—
our minds, bodies, spirits, and emotions.

And may it be with a profound sense
of what it means to place our way
(where we’ve been and where we’re going)
within the way of Jesus.

~ posted on A Preacher Musing, June, 2016.  https://preachermusings.wordpress.com/2016/06/30/graduation-june-26-2016/

A Closing Blessing at Graduation

May God’s blessing rest on each one of you.

May God’s light shine on you, and make your path clear.

May hope carry you through the challenging times,

and gratitude be your response when life is good.

May your days be filled with curiosity and adventure,

and may you discover the incomparable joy

of living lives that bring honour and glory to God. Amen.

~ Christine Longhurst

A Blessing for Our Graduates

Here’s another blessing for graduating students. This one was written by Lisa O. Englehardt, and posted on the Christian Brothers of the Midwest website.

A Blessing at Graduation

May you have wisdom in heart and mind;

success in every challenge you find;

courage to seek life’s purpose for you;

belief in yourself to make it come true;

strength to do your best and endure;

and the guiding light of faith to ensure

that wherever you go, whatever you do,

God’s love will always see you through.

~ written by Lisa O. Englehardt. In “A Blessings for our Graduates.” Posted on the Christian Brothers of the Midwest website. http://www.cbmidwest.org/

Graduation Benediction

Here’s a closing blessing for a graduation ceremony. It was written by The Rev. Jay Moyers, and posted on the Discipleship Ministries website of the United Methodist Church.

Blessing

As your classes and grading are now complete,

may you strive toward excellence in all you do.

As the speeches conclude,

may your voices rise up to pronounce justice and peace in the world.

As the fanfares cease,

may you sing of joy, even in the dark and lonely places.

As the applause quiets,

may you celebrate and lift up those around you.

As you graduate today,

may your achievements grow and cause growth in your communities.

And may we all know the overwhelming blessings

of the One who created all things.

~ The Rev. Jay Moyers, for Franklin University’s commencement in 2012.  Posted on the Discipleship Ministries website (The United Methodist Church). https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/  If you use this resource, be sure to acknowledge the source.

Parents' Prayer at Graduation

Here’s a prayer of blessing offered by parents at Canadian Mennonite University’s Baccalaureate service in 2014. It references 1 Kings 19:9-23; Matthew 11:2-6.

Prayer for Graduates

(references 1 Kings 19:9-23 and Matthew 11:2-6)

God of Elijah; God of John and his disciples; God of each one of us:

Thank you so very much for questions: What ARE we doing here?

We are up here this morning with Elijah in a high place

            a place reached after years of hard work, long nights,

            some sweat, some tears, some anxiety, some exhilaration;

Years of being asked questions with the expectation of finding answers.

Up here in that high place, poised to

            step out and step into… whatever is next.

And You ask another question:  What are you doing HERE?

Lord, I pray that each of these grads

            having drunk deeply from the wells of knowledge

            so abundant in this place of learning

will hear your question of them today

and will have learned the wisdom to do as Elijah did –

to watch and listen and to wait

            in the face of uncertainty and adversity

            even in the face of certainty

            through the mighty winds and unsettling earthquakes

            and the passionate fires of their living;

May each have learned

to watch and wait and listen for your still small voice:

            to comfort them when they are distressed

            to distress them when they become too comfortable;

            To open their eyes to the many signs and wonders

                        that daily proclaim your active presence

                        in their lives and in our world;

            To open their hearts to those blind and lame and leprous ones

                        for whom You have a heart;

            To keep asking questions of faith and life

                        of meaning and purpose

                        of justice and peace

                        of Your will and Your love.

Wise ones through the ages have taught us

            that such earnest seeking after You

            and Your lifegiving Presence

            is the beginning of Wisdom.

May the love of learning being celebrated by each grad here today

blossom into that deeper and abiding wisdom.

            For this this day;

            For the next day;

            For every day.

AMEN.  May it be so.

~ written by Paul D. Bergen of Edmonton, Alberta for the 2014 Baccalaureate service at Canadian Mennonite University.

Prayer for a High School Graduation

Father, we thank you so much for our time here together:
for all the friends we have made,
for all the days of laughter and fun,
and for all the times of great discovery and learning.

We thank You for all who have given of their energy and skill
so that we can graduate today:
our teachers and mentors,
our family and loved ones.
We thank You for them

and give them all to You in prayer.

As this chapter on our lives closes, so a new one begins.
We present ourselves like an open book before You.
Come and enscribe Your words of life into our lives.
Fill our minds with Your thoughts,
fill our bodies with Your strength,
fill our hearts with Your dreams,
that we might eternally love and serve You
this day and every day.

We ask all this in the glorious name of Jesus
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit
World without end.
Amen.

~ posted on Lords-Prayer-Words.com.  http://www.lords-prayer-words.com/ 

Prayer of Blessing for Graduates

Here’s a prayer of blessing for graduating students. It was written by Pastor David Swartz, Bethel Baptist Church, Michigan, and posted on Patheos.

Graduation Prayer

Lord, bless these graduates. In the deepest Hebrew way, do good to them.

Bless them with passion. Let them move out from this day, not into jobs, but into a calling. Lord, you said, ”A man’s life does not consist of the abundance of things that he possesses.” Let something smolder and burn deep on the altars of their heart that drives and carries them from here so that they will do more than fill their days with their own feeble thunder.

Bless them with a sense of responsibility. Lord, they not only have a contribution to make: they have a contribution they must make. A person wrapped up in himself is the smallest package in the world. In a world full of fear and insecurity, they must escape the gravitational pull of their own navel. A life that we clutch, grab and hoard to ourselves is worth little to anybody, especially to ourselves.

Bless them with humility. We hold in our hands today evidence certified by the state that we’ve received an education. If that is true, let us know that our education is just beginning. Out ahead, many who have less education that we do have much to teach us. Lord, if we act like your voice is speaking only when our mouth is open, we will miss much.

Bless them with a legacy. Allow them to work the muscles of this education so that, thirty years from now, they will not only have been educated – they will have been found to have become in the ensuing years, wise. Lord, grant this as these two things don’t always show up in the same person. These today will mark the world whether they are trying to or not. Let the shadow of their mark stretch far beyond their liabilities and limitations.  Let them know the rich satisfaction, not of merely making a living, but of living a life – full, rich and deep. And whether they’ve thought much about You or not, watch over them. It can get awfully cold out there. Thank you that you are not far from any one of us. Amen.

~ written by Pastor David Swartz, Bethel Baptist Church, Michigan. Posted on Patheos. You can find the whole prayer here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2012/05/two-prayers-for-graduates/ 

A Prayer for High School Graduates

Here’s a prayer for highschool graduates from Scott Sauls. It was posted on Scott Sauls: God, People, Places & Things.

Prayer for Those Graduating from High School

Our Father in Heaven,

it’s an honor to join you in affirming and celebrating

the creative, athletic, and academic accomplishments

of those who are graduating and moving on to the next chapter of their lives.

Thank you for the season that you have entrusted them to our care.

And now, Father, as they move out into the world,

now more than ever, we entrust them into your care.

You have created these men and women in your image.

You have created them to live inside a big story, not a small one—

your story—the story in which your glory and honor

and truth and beauty and grace and love are at the center—

the story in which your mission to love people, places, and things to life—

to leave the world better than they found it—

is the central mission.

God, we pray that our graduates’ campuses and dormitories,

as well as their future homes, neighborhoods,

and places of work, play, and worship,

would be better places, more life-giving places,

because they are in those places as the aroma of Christ.

Where they see hurt,

give them healing hands and healing words.

Where they sense confusion,

give them wisdom.

Where there perceive beauty,

give them a sense of thankfulness and wonder.

Where they encounter scarcity,

give them a heart and a passion to contribute and serve.

For those pursuing higher education,

grant them the knowledge that they will need in their chosen fields 

and the wisdom to apply that knowledge to every facet of life.

For those going directly into the workforce,

grant a sense of what is right and good and honoring and beautiful—

especially in the confusing and complex issues they will face.

For those going into military service,

may they draw courage and strength from you.

May they serve the cause of truth and freedom,

and the welfare of all of humanity,

with integrity and honor.

For all of today’s graduates and their families,

more than anything may their measure of success be bound up 

not in making money or in making a name for themselves,

but in trusting in your mercies which are new every morning,

and in bringing fame and honor to your name

by doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with their God.

Wherever the next chapter takes them,

give them character that exceeds their gifts

and humility that exceeds their influence.

Give them Jesus.

Finally, may this prayer from St. Patrick be their prayer,

and their foremost pursuit,

in the days and years ahead of them:

Christ be with me,

Christ within me,

Christ behind me,

Christ before me,

Christ beside me,

Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ in quiet,

Christ in danger,

Christ in hearts of all that love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger. Amen.

~ written by Scott Sauls, and posted on Scott Sauls: God, People, Places & Things. https://scottsauls.com/2014/05/prayer-graduates/

Commencement Benediction

Here’s a closing benediction at a Commencement service. It was written by Rev. Connie Breaux, and posted on the Discipleship Ministries website.

Graduation Benediction

Receive this blessing to go into the world:

May you have the commitment to go into the world

being led by the Great Spirit of Hope and Imagination,

to see the gifts and achievements

that the Almighty Creator calls out of you.

May you have the courage to live your "impossible dreams"

so that they will become possible!

May you also have the courage not to look back –

because you are confident that the Source of all creation

will use you in a mighty way for the purpose to which you are called.

As you go forth, put into practice

the accumulated knowledge you have achieved.

Go forth with your feet firmly planted

on the solid ground plowed by your family, friends

and teachers of your heritage and society.

Go to heights quite beyond your present capabilities

as you follow the lead of God,

who gives faith, wisdom, understanding and blessings.

Go, knowing that what you have received today is yours

and nothing can separate you

from the Great Source of Knowledge and Wisdom, the Master Teacher.

Go in peace.

~ written by Rev. Connie Breaux, 2008. Posted on the Discipleship Ministries website (The United Methodist Church). https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/ 

Baccalaureate Prayer

Here’s a prayer for a Baccalaureate service on graduation weekend. It was written by Brother Lawrence A. Whitney, LC., and posted on the Boston University Marsh Chapel website.

Prayer on Graduation Weekend

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Eternal.

We pray today for our graduates here at [college or university].

We give thanks for their achievements.

We give praise for their wisdom and understanding,

and we ask you to guide them to hear the sound of the genuine in themselves,

that they may continue to excel in leadership, scholarship, and service;

that they may come alive to lives of fulfillment and joy,

and that they may prosper and flourish in their vocations.

We pray for the parents, families, and friends of our graduates:

We give thanks for their accompaniment to this point,

we give praise for their perseverance and dedication,

and we ask you to empower them

in a new manner of nurture and guidance,

that they may find ongoing joy and satisfaction

in the accomplishments of their graduates,

that our graduates may continue to find nourishment

in the traditions and values of their roots,

and that they together might enter into

a new manner of relationship in mutuality and partnership.

We pray for the faculty, staff, and administrators

who have guided this class of graduates throughout their years of study:

We give thanks for their leadership, scholarship, teaching, and service;

we give praise for their graceful presence and compassionate shepherding.

We ask you to empower them to persevere

in the ongoing work of forming, informing, and transforming

students at [name college or university],

that they may find ongoing fulfillment in teaching and guiding

as sources of inspiration for their scholarship;

that their striving for wisdom and understanding

may bear fruit in compassionate service of this community and the world,

and that future classes of graduates may attain

to similar and greater heights of achievement as those who graduate today.

We pray for the greater community of students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

We give praise for the great cloud of witnesses

who provided and provide vision

for this campus and community of learning, virtue, and piety,

and we ask you to inspire our hearts and minds

to pursue and attain to even greater knowledge and insight,

that the ordering of our society and its affairs might be improved,

that justice and mercy might prevail,

and that your glory may be known upon the earth.

In all of these things, we fulfill your command, O God,

and offer you all praise and glory this day.  Amen.

~ written by Brother Lawrence A. Whitney, LC., 2013. Posted on the Boston University Marsh Chapel website. https://www.bu.edu/chapel/2013/05/19/baccalaureate-prayers-2013/

A Prayer at Graduation

Here’s a prayer for graduation written from the perspective of graduating students. I found it on the Busted Halo website.

Prayer at Graduation

God of joy and hope,
we thank you for this time of graduation.

Your spirit of wisdom has empowered

our hard work and discipline in such a way

that our hunger for learning has been nourished

with knowledge, discovery, creativity, and determination.

As we prepare to walk across the stage to receive our diplomas,

let us walk in prayerful gratitude for the many blessings

that have made this moment real and filled with great potential.

In gratitude, we pray for our families

and the many who have sacrificed and worked

to see us to this hopeful moment.

In gratitude, we pray for the professors and administrators

who have challenged, cared, and crafted us along this academic journey.

In gratitude, we pray for fellow students

who have taught us more about friendship,

collaboration, and sharing.

God, even as we have faced challenges and accomplished much,

we understand that our lives move into a new chapter

where there will be more challenges to face

and more will be demanded of us

in order to accomplish good things.

May your grace cover our anxieties and fears

so that we may stay encouraged about the future.

Give us patience and hope to energize our search

for work that is just and makes proper use of our gifts.

Give us courage to face the challenges

of carving out a place in society

where we might live in peace, service, and gratitude.

Give us strength to resist the temptations

of greed, laziness, pride, and envy

as we strive to do and be our best.

May your spirit guide us as we unfold the next chapters of our lives.

Help us to enliven hope in the world

and bring good things to Your Kingdom.

And, may this celebration be a reflection

of the blessings that we find in knowing and loving you.

For this is the day that the Lord has made.

We are glad and rejoice in it! Amen.

~ posted on Busted Halo. http://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/a-prayer-for-college-graduates

Prayer of Commitment: Light for Our Eyes

Lord, come and be light for our eyes.

Show us the way to fullness of life, Lord Jesus;

that our hearts might be filled with joy, hope, and peace, we pray;

that we might respond to opportunities, we pray;

that we might be strengthened to face challenges, we pray;

that we might become the persons we are called to be, we pray;

that we might learn to respect all of our sisters and brothers, we pray;

that we might see the needs of others and give help, we pray.

~ from “A Blessings for our Graduates.” Posted on the Christian Brothers of the Midwest website. http://www.cbmidwest.org/

Closing Prayer for Commencement

Here’s a closing prayer for a graduation ceremony. It was written by Dr. Debra Mooney and posted on jesuitresource.org.

Closing Prayer at Graduation

Gracious and Loving God,

We ask, now, for your almighty hand to be upon our graduates

as they and their families celebrate this grand milestone.

May they find comfort from this community’s continued embrace and support

as they journey through life.

May they find strength in the excellence of their academic preparation.  

Bless their lives from this day on with goodness and success.

Enable them to stay true to their dreams for your greater glory,

to discern what is right, good and just,

and to use their gifts wisely and in service to others.

Empower them to walk into the future with faith, hope, & great love 

guided by your light so that they may use their talents

to, in the words of St Ignatius Loyola,

“Go forth and set the world on fire.”

Grace be to them, grace be to us all. Amen.

~ offered by Dr. Debra Mooney; 2016. Posted on jesuitresource.org. http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/Graduation-and-Graduates.cfm

Closing Blessing

May the memories of grace shared this hour
be a delight and inspiration to us.
May the Most High increase charity in us.
May the Sun of Heaven shine through us.
May the Winds of Love move us to compassion and service.
May we go forth...
God seeing in our eyes,
God touching with our hands,
God caring through our generosity.

~ written by Daniel Benedict. Copyright © 2002 Discipleship Ministries. Posted on the Discipleship Ministries website (The United Methodist Church). https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/ 

Note: This resource may be used freely for any noncommercial purpose as long as long as the following copyright notice appears: Copyright © 2002 Discipleship Ministries. Used with permission.

Prayer for Graduates

Here’s a prayer for graduates from the perspective of a parent. It was written by Pastor David Swartz, Bethel Baptist Church, Michigan, and posted on Patheos.

Prayer for Graduates

Lord. I’m honored to come before You on this occasion and to say on the behalf of many, “We are proud today.” And I mean so proud we could bust, take pictures until we can’t see straight and go buy the biggest steak in town. That kind of proud! Someone we care about has done well and we’re here today to celebrate with them.

Lord, today we are grateful –

For the sheer magnificence of the mind. By thinking, by the sublime rippling of the muscles of thought, people like DaVinci, Pascal, Bach, Einstein and King have unleashed, not the armies of history, but the power of ideas to change the world. Who knows what lies primed in the lives of those in this room today? We pray that somewhere in-between the inhaling of class notes, spitting them back out on tests and the writing of papers, that thinking has happened instead of occasionally dusting off or rearranging the mental furniture of our mind.

For the sweet taste of accomplishment. In a world that persistently asks, “What have you done lately?”, we are here to celebrate hard work completed and done well. Do not let them be cheated of that joy today.

For sacrifices made by others. Most of these did not do this alone. Others, many of them present today, will walk this stage today in spirit with the hearts of these graduates. Extra hours, extra jobs were worked. Many did without so their student could have. and these graduates may never know what it felt like, after years of parenting, to move a son or a daughter into a freshman dorm that first semester and then drive away knowing that a piece of their little boy or girl won’t be coming home again. (That is, until a few years from now when they drive their children off to the university.)

For the privilege of making those sacrifices for these in the robes today. We would do it again in a heartbeat.

Lord, did I remember to say that we are proud today?   Amen.

~ written by Pastor David Swartz, Bethel Baptist Church, Michigan. It was posted on Patheos.  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/faithforward/2012/05/two-prayers-for-graduates/ 

Prayer of Blessing for Graduates

Here’s a prayer of blessing for graduating students. It was posted on the Prayerscapes website.

Prayer of Blessing

Almighty God,

Thank you for your love, freely offered for us all.
Thank you for this special day,

and for all the graduating students who are assembled here.

May they feel a sense of achievement in this milestone,

and excitement for what lies ahead.

May each one know your presence in their lives,

and find ways to use their abilities for your glory

and for the furthering of your kingdom on earth.

May they continue to live lives of curiosity and discovery,

of dedication and discipline,

of compassion and generosity,

and in doing so bring great blessings to the world. Amen.

~ adapted from a prayer posted on Prayerscapes.  http://www.prayerscapes.com/prayers/

Blessing of Graduates

Let us unite our hearts in prayer
and entrust to the hands of the Lord
those who will be graduated tomorrow.

May God who began this good work in you
carry it through to completion,
enabling you to use your talents to the fullest.

May God give you the grace to make wise choices
and to be faithful to your commitments,
always confident in the support of those who love you.

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers,
half-truths, and superficial relationships,
so that you will live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger at injustice,
oppression, and exploitation of people,
so that you will work for justice, equality, and peace.

May God bless you with tears to shed for those who
suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war,
so that you will reach out your hand
to comfort them and change their pain into joy.

May God bless you with the foolishness to think
that you can make a difference in the world,
so that you will do the things
which others tell you cannot be done.

May your integrity be a gift to the world
and may the Spirit of God be with you always. Amen.

~ offered at Baccalaureate Mass at Xavier University by Fr. Michael Graham SJ; 2015. Posted on jesuitresource.org. http://www.xavier.edu/jesuitresource/online-resources/Graduation-and-Graduates.cfm

Student Prayer for Graduation

Here’s a graduation prayer written from the perspective of graduating students. It was posted on the Prayerscapes website.

Graduation prayer

Lord God,
Thank you for this day of celebration!
Be among us as we celebrate the achievements of our studies.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Thank you for this opportunity to learn and grow.
Help us to continue to weave more of your truth into our lives.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord God,
Thank you for the beautiful world you have created.
Be present as we go out and discover our place within it.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

Lord God,
Thank you for the hope and grace you give to us.
Help us each day to walk more closely with you.
Lord in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.

~ adapted from a prayer posted on Prayerscapes.  http://www.prayerscapes.com/prayers/