Unchanging Principles in a Changing World

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Now, to be direct, when I was originally approached about doing a commencement address my initial and, in many ways, continuing thought is that I am rather unqualified for the task. I find that commencement addresses typically take one of two forms; The first being the ra ra go out and change the world address we are all familiar with, the second being the address by a wizened individual of some years and experiences who shares the lessons they have learned throughout their life as the Lord continues to teach and to sanctify them.

 

I find the first category to be trite, hollow and indeed full of ideas that many of us chose homeschooling in order to avoid. Hence it was ruled out quickly. As to the second, well, I would be an arrogant fool to consider myself particularly wise or experienced given that I have only recently entered into my 26th year of life.

 

Therefore, as a result of my lack of traditional commencement qualifications, I have written a slightly nontraditional address. Instead of offering wisdom derived from my own experience, or

giving multitudinous hollow platitudes, my aim is to pass along the teachings and stories which I have been offered by individuals far more advanced than myself, so that perhaps you may learn and benefit from their wisdom as I have.

 

While reflecting on the ideas, principles and teachings that have affected me most deeply, I found my thoughts continuously drawn back to a classic work which I had the privilege of rereading for the first time as an adult last year, and which has continued to take up a substantial amount of my mental real estate ever since. Just ask anyone who has listened to me present a few times or who has engaged in a somewhat philosophical conversation with me over the last few months.

 

That work is The Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. Like so many others, I find   The Pilgrims Progress to be filled with about as much wisdom per page as any book short of the Bible. It provides such vivid imagery of the lessons that scriptures teach and helps us connect them back to our own experiences. This being the case, I found that for each of the great lessons I have been taught, Bunyan has penned a remarkable visual that offers a level of insight I would

never have considered by myself.

 

As a result, I have chosen to rely on Bunyan's seminal work to help me communicate three unchanging principles, which I have identified as most impactful in my own limited experience. These three principles are nothing revolutionary. In fact, one could say that to a Christian they are somewhat self-evident. But one thing I have learned is that understanding something and effectively applying it in our lives are two very different things. Thus, principles like these will be perpetually worth considering and should never be far from our minds.

 

I will also note that these three principles are not a comprehensive list, and there are others of equal importance. However, I have selected these three as I do believe that a right application of them is the gateway to the understanding of so many others, and that in most cases they must form the foundation of our connection to the truth.

 

Now, what I would like to do is share a brief passage of Pilgrims' Progress about each of these principles, then offer some of my reflections on each, combined with the wise teachings of others I have accumulated over the years.

 

Principle 1: Grace

The Pilgrim's Progress opens up by introducing us to our main character, Christian. Christian has recently received the Gospel from a man named Evangelist who came to his home in the City of Destruction. Christian is struggling with and against the Gospel he has been given, as his sinful nature tries to keep him from accepting the truth it proclaims.

 

After much anguish and many restless nights, Christian simply cannot deny the veracity of the Gospel, and flees the City of Destruction so urgently as to leave behind all of his prior

connections, including his wife and children. As Christian begins his journey to the Celestial City, Bunyan's allegory for heaven and reunion with our creator, Christian is greeted by the very man who delivered the Gospel to him in the first place, Evangelist.

 

Evangelist instructs Christian, directing him towards the “wicket gate” passing through, which symbolizes the transition from unsaved to saved, from unbelief to true salvation, and tells him to

never depart from the path no matter what. Christian sets off, energized and eager. However, after facing a few obstacles, he begins to feel worn down by the large burden he is forced to

carry.

 

This burden, depicted like a large heavy backpack, symbolizes all the guilt and regret that Christian bears for his past sinful life, and the fear he feels thinking about future sins he will commit. As the weight of this burden bears down upon him, he starts to become distressed. His journey after all has just begun and his strength is already failing; however will he make it to the Celestial City? And even if he were to somehow make the journey would they even let him in with such a burden of sin?

 

As these questions begin to take over his mind, he comes across a man headed the opposite way on the path. Bunyan rather directly names this individual Mr. Worldly Wiseman. Worldly Wiseman notices Christian's distressed state and informs him that he is in fact in luck. He tells him that there is a nearby village called Morality, in which resides a certain Mr. Legality. This Mr. Legality is a sage of sorts who is capable of relieving Christian of his burden and supposedly has done so for other weary pilgrims.

 

Being a naive and nascent believer, Christian listens to Mr. Worldly Wiseman and departs from the path of pilgrimage to seek out this Mr. Legality. However, he soon discovers that Worldly Wiseman had in fact left a detail out, that being that the village of Morality is in fact perched atop a mountain. This mountain being Mount Sinai, which stands as a symbol of the Old Covenant that governed the relationship between man and his Creator in the Old Testament.

 

As Christian begins his ascent, he finds it to be initially altogether pleasant. The rolling foothills and easy incline are beautiful, and he is livened at the prospect of being relieved of his burden in short order. But as he continues upward, he finds that the gradient gradually becomes steeper, and the green hills give way to sheer cliffs, and a fiery mountaintop above. As Christian trudges onward he begins to feel as though the entire mountain is beginning to bend back over top of him, as if it were ready to cave in upon his head.

 

Dejected and out of strength, he collapses and despairs in his poor decision, regretting taking the advice of Worldly Wiseman. However, just as he is resigned to his fate, in comes Evangelist,

who first set him on pilgrimage. He thoroughly chastises Christian for his foolishness but then assists him in getting back to the path, and once again sets him off, instructing him never to leave it again, with the assurance that his burden will eventually be taken away at the foot of the cross.

 

One of the things that I love about Pilgrims Progress is that Bunyan is hardly elusive in his meanings. Each scene is pretty clear in communicating the moral wisdom that he has to offer, and this one that unfolds at the beginning of Pilgrims Progress is no different.

 

We see Christian being weighed down by this burden of guilt that he must carry, that weight of all of his past and future sins. As he is carrying this burden, he is of course easily deceived by an individual who offers him a path away from that weight and an easier path to tread going forward. That of course being the path towards legalism, the path up Mount Sinai to the idea of legalistic Morality. Christian, being impressionable and nascent in his belief, is taken away from the path and attempts to surmount the unsurmountable.

 

He falls prey to the idea that he is in fact capable of earning his salvation if he is simply persistent enough. Initially, the climb of Sinai is easy. It offers a sense of fulfillment, a sense of progress, as he is becoming a better individual, as the moral law does aid us in doing. Yet as he progresses, he finds that the mountain is in fact becoming steeper. It is becoming more difficult.

 

His efforts are becoming more and more futile. Each failure becomes an indictment of his ability to earn that salvation, a regression that cannot be overcome, and as he continues to persist

forward, he eventually finds a point where he simply cannot continue. The weight of the mountain, the weight of legalism, the weight of having to earn his salvation is simply too much, and he is crushed beneath it until he is rescued by the truth that is offered by Evangelist.

 

It is my experience that many individuals coming from a more traditional Christian and sometimes homeschooled background have had a substantial amount of exposure to these ideas of legalism, and will therefore resonate with this story. As a result of damages done by legalistic theology and teachings, we've seen a repulsion away from legalistic thinking in recent years. And in some cases, a repulsion that I believe has gone a little bit too far.

 

We live in a moment that has become increasingly hostile to the idea of moral rules and of legality in any sorts, both theologically and even in some ways politically or culturally. Rules are

seen as something that are draining, they are inhibiting, they prevent you from achieving an absolute sense of freedom, they place barricades around you that hem you in and prevent you

from being truly happy and tether you to some impossible ideal.

 

In some cases, Rules and Laws behave in this exact way, but that is not always the case. When we find that rules cause us to feel this way, it is always due to some sort of human error, either in the construction of said rules, or in a failure of personal execution thereof. As sinful beings when we create our own rules, they are imperfect, and can be damaging in certain circumstances. It is also possible for us to simply fail as individuals to apply good rules well, and to experience friction with them as a result.

 

It is this reality that separates apart the moral law that is dictated by the Scriptures from all others. It is not a man-made set of rules, it is of Divine origin, and we only find friction with it because of our sinful nature, because we don't understand it or its purpose properly. As such, if we dedicate ourselves to following the moral tenements of Scripture, we actually find them to be freeing in the long run, provided that we view them in the correct light. If you view the moral law as a way to earn salvation, as Christian was so misled by Worldly Wiseman, then you will find that the good and Holy law of God is crushing. You will never be able to fulfill its

precepts and it will come to stand as an indictment of your failures, a monument to the fact that you will never be able to measure up to the standard of perfect Holiness justly demanded by your Creator.

 

Thankfully, such a view is in reality a failure of human understanding. Later on in Pilgrims' Progress, after passing through the wicket gate into salvation and beginning his pilgrimage in

earnest, Christian comes across Calvary and the cross. As he beholds the glory of the cross, the bonds that tie his burden of guilt to him are loosened, and the weight falls from his back, rolling down the hill into a sepulcher never to be seen again.

 

We have been offered a Grace at the foot of the cross that relieves us of our burden of sin and guilt; hence we are free to view the law as we should. Because of grace we are free to live by the law and to in fact be enriched by it, as opposed to being slaves to its impossible standards. It ceases to be punitive and becomes enlightening. It is a diagnostic tool that shows us our flaws, in turn magnifying the glory of God in all his perfection. It is a guide that shows us a better way to live as we seek to emulate Christ, and it will spiritually enrich our lives. It is thus worthwhile to try and live by the moral law, without fear that our failures to abide by it will leave us bereft and cut off from Christ.

 

Beyond these Theological ideas, as crucial as they are, there are further, perhaps more immediate applications of this Principle of Grace. I grew up homeschooled, and now I work for a program where my job is effectively to talk to other homeschoolers. One of the challenges that I see so many students and families struggle with is the idea of perfectionism. Perfectionism is a concept that is akin to a Legalistic vision of the law. If I do things perfectly, I

can earn my way, wherever it is I am seeking to go. Failure is unacceptable, and any hint of it is a mark against my perceived value, indeed my identity. I have seen this pattern of thinking

destroy individuals in the same way as a broken theology of the moral law, and I wager that even if these patterns don't define your lives, they do creep up from time to time, dealing great damage as they do, taking worthwhile pursuits and turning them in torturous and depressing slogs.

 

It is because of Grace that we may reject the idea of perfectionism. You will fail, repeatedly, sometimes catastrophically. You may not always be able to accomplish all that has been set before you, but because of Grace you can know that God will care for you anyways. He will work in and guide you through your failures, turning them into opportunities for His Grace to shine all the brighter, demonstrating His Glory.

 

In the same way that Grace frees us to use the Moral Law to our advantage and enrichment instead of being servile to it, Grace liberates us from perfectionism and allows us to move more

freely through our failures with the knowledge that in the end, they will all be made right. We are enabled to fail forwards.

 

This of course does not justify some libertine perspective where rules are entirely eschewed, and no standard of success is held before us. In fact, a proper recognition of this Grace should make

us feel indebted to our Creator and in turn should cause us to rigorously pursue the commandments he has given. What grace does accomplish, along with the process of sanctification, is allowing us to tackle these things with Joy rather than with dread. We get to live in a way that pleases our creator, as opposed to being forced to do so. It is in this way, and many others, that Grace is a transformative force.

 

One last point on this principle of Grace. Bunyan did not choose the name of Mr. Worldly Wiseman haphazardly. Worldly Wisdom can be defined by many things, but I would argue first and foremost that Worldly Wisdom, especially in our present day, is defined by Pride.

 

Is it not pride and arrogance that drives you to believe that in fact you can be perfect, capable of earning the favor of others and indeed of God? It is with this in mind that we move to our second

Principle. Humility.

 

Principle 2: Humility

Later on in Pilgrims Progress, as Christian continues on the path, he eventually summits a mountain at the top of which he finds the Palace Beautiful, which Bunyan uses as a symbol of the Church. He stays there a while and discusses certain doctrines and virtues with the residents, four of whom bear the names Discretion, Piety, Charity and Prudence.

 

After being refreshed and strengthened in his faith by their company, Christian is to set off on pilgrimage once more, and is equipped with a set of armor for the challenges to come. His first

obstacle is to descend from the mountain into the Valley of Humiliation. Being that the descent from the mountain is exceedingly difficult for some, the four maids, Discretion, Prudence, Piety and Charity accompany him on his descent down the mountain. Even so, Christian still stumbles a few times while making the descent.

 

Once at the foot of the mountain, Christian is left to tread into the Valley of Humiliation alone, as the maids return to the Palace Beautiful. As he traverses the open expanse, he is confronted by

a winged fiend, Apollyon. Bunyan describes Apollyon as having the wings of a dragon, feet like a bear, a belly belching fire and smoke and a maw like a lion.

 

As the fiend approaches, Christian thinks to run, but realizes that his armor does not protect his back, and to flee would simply open him up to a decisive blow. He must stand strong and oppose the creature before him.

 

The fiend quickly reveals himself to be the devil, as he refers to himself as the king of the City of Destruction, and all other lands adjacent. Apollyon tries to dissuade Christian from continuing

his pilgrimage through several arguments.

 

He accuses Christian of being a traitor to his homeland but offers to forgive him if he will but return to his kingdom. Christian objects on the ground that the wages of Apollyon, being death, do not exactly appeal to him. Apollyon nonetheless offers Christian all the wealth in his kingdom, but Christian is not swayed, retorting that he prefers his new king, that of the Celestial City, and likes his wages better.

 

Bribery having failed, Apollyon taunts Christian by pointing out how few pilgrims actually make it to the Celestial City, most simply giving up and returning to his lands. He assaults the veracity of

Christian's faith by recounting all of his failures since setting out on pilgrimage, as if to say that he is already beyond the reach of Grace.

 

Christian responds that these failures and many more that he left out have been a result of Apollyon's influence, and that his King is one of mercy and has already forgiven him. At this Apollyon lashes out in rage, proclaiming his hatred for the King of the Celestial City, his laws and his people, and proceeds to attack Christian by hurtling flaming bolts at him from above.

 

In the hail of fire, Christian is injured, but he perseveres as for hours he undergoes assault, defending himself with his shield, though growing weaker as the battle carries on. As Christian’s

strength fades. Apollyon moves in for the kill, tackling Christian to the ground, and knocking the sword from his hand. Just as Apollyon is about to deal the fatal blow, by act of providence Christian's hand finds the blade and he stabs it into the fiend, who recoils and flees in agony.

 

Weak, but alive, He praises God for strengthening him in his hour of need and is miraculously healed by a hand that appears and gives him leaves from the Tree of Life, which he uses to dress his wounds. He then rests for a short while in the Valley of Humiliation, finding it to be a rather peaceful place with Apollyon defeated.

 

This famous scene of Pilgrims Progress has much to say about the virtue of Humility, and the way in which we encounter it. The opening scene of Christian being guided down into the Valley

by the four uniquely Christian virtues of Discretion, Piety, Prudence, and Charity points to how these four virtues and that of humility are in fact bound together, and that it is possible to embrace humility by first seeking to apply these virtues in one's own life. The best way to become something that you aspire to be, is to try and act as if you already were that thing.

 

Yet even accompanied by these virtues, Christian still finds his descent into the valley to be treacherous. Interestingly, Bunyan actually comes back to the Valley of Humiliation in Pilgrims

Progress Part 2, which follows the pilgrimage of Christian's family. His wife and children, who are guided by a wise pastoral figure, Greatheart, have an easy time descending into the valley and

find it to be a peaceful place from the beginning, while Christian first had to overcome Apollyon before recognizing how pleasant it actually was.

 

What Bunyan is alluding to here is critical to truly understanding Humility. Thinking in the context of his day, that of 17th century England, it is the case that men had much less reason to be

humble. Even men of little to no means were still men, and basically able to make their way in the world, if by the sweat of their brow, and could at least envision some form of autonomy or

self-determination. For a widowed mother and her children, things would have been decidedly different, as they would have ranked at the very bottom of society's totem pole. Christian's wife and children were able to descend into the valley, and traverse it easily, because they were already humble, it was a reality that their circumstance dictated. Christian, despite his best efforts, had not yet truly become humble, and the process required to teach humility can be painful indeed.

 

And there lies a critical truth. We have a tendency to talk about humility as something that is gained, an attribute to be learned. We envision it as something that we do not have but can pick

up, when in fact you are already a humble and broken being, at times you just don't understand or want to admit that fact.

 

Humility isn't something that we build or acquire, it is something we realize. We are each beset by a sinful nature, one that contradictingly tells us to be prideful while we are, in fact, incapable of building anything of lasting value without the direct aid of our Creator. Returning to the image of descending into the Valley, Humility is like gravity, a force that is an ever-present reality, you may fight back against it, but that doesn't mean it goes away.

 

In the reverse, Pride is a delusion. Bunyan paints Apollyon as a manifestation of Pride, each of his arguments as to why Christian should forgo his pilgrimage are hinged upon Apollyon's own

supposed greatness, the lie of his superiority to the king of the Celestial City. And just as Apollyon beset Christian, so Pride often besets us, spouting lies that appeal to our worldly understanding and justify our pride inculcating, an emotional disposition which comes to define your perspective.

 

It is also worth noting that in the terms of worldly wisdom, pride makes sense. If there is no God that means you truly did build or otherwise earn all that you have. God did not provide for you,

bless you or help you, so if in some way you find yourself superior to others or in some way unique you deserve to be proud. Hence, we have found ourselves in the peculiar situation where we culturally celebrate pride in oneself, rather than condemning it.

 

As previously mentioned, Pride is also the enemy of Grace. It is pride that causes us to chafe at the prospect of Grace and feel a need to earn our way. This applies to both God’s grace and the

kind of grace we encounter day to day. It is a much easier thing to say that you have earned what you have, than to acknowledge that you were given it in spite of your failures. 

 

And yet, if we are able to recognize our Humble standing and therefore accept Grace, we will then be enabled to engage in so many other necessary and worthwhile pursuits. Recognizing

Humility is a precept of good leadership, of wisdom and of true understanding. You cannot hope to begin with the lie of Pride and somehow reach the truth.

 

Humility is a reality that you will become acquainted with at some point, the truth always re-asserts itself at one point or another. Often, it is painful when the truth is made apparent, it is

a hard thing to be “laid low.” It is better to instead recognize your humble status in the first place, and to ask God to remind

you of your humility in the face of whatever success you may have.

 

Yet, even as painful as recognizing humility may be, it is a pain that gives way to peace. Recognizing your humble state is a wonderful thing, as it allows you to accept Grace, and all of the comfort that comes with it while being enabled to rightly pursue the purpose God has laid out for you. Being prideful is a difficult, combative, isolating and exhausting thing, which if left to fester, leaves one in a despairing state. This brings us to the third principle, Hope. 

 

Principle 3: Hope

As Christian carries on with his pilgrimage, he is blessed to have two companions who join him in different intervals. First comes Faithful, whose conversations help to steel Christian's faith

before they both find themselves imprisoned in Vanity Fair, under threat of being martyred.

 

Faithful eventually is indeed killed for his faith, but the resolute nature of his sacrifice and of Christian himself converts a man in Vanity Fair named Hopeful, who then joins Christian going

forwards.

 

As they continue their journey to the Celestial City, the two weary pilgrims come across a portion of the path that leads by a river. For the first time in a while, it is easy going, scenic and relaxing,

so when the path turns and begins to depart from the river, and the trail becomes rougher and more toilsome, the two are loath to leave it, but persevere on. However, as the trail grows more rough, they begin to wonder if there is an easier path that they may tread. Christian soon realizes that another path has appeared within their sight, one that runs parallel to the main trail but closer to the river. Christian leads Hopeful to the easier trail, and they continue onwards.

 

As they progress, they come across a man called Vain-Confidence, who true to his name confidently tells them that this path does lead to the Celestial City, though he has nothing to substantiate his claim. Eventually, it grows dark and a storm begins to rage, and as Vain-Confidence goes on ahead, he falls to his end in some unseen pit. Frightened, and realizing that in the dark they have departed the way of pilgrimage, Christian and Hopeful turn

back to try and find the main way. But as the storm continues the nearby river begins to overflow, and the entire area is soon flooded. Christian and Hopeful nearly drown repeatedly as they wander in the dark. Eventually, they find a spot above the rising waters, and collapse from exhaustion.

 

Come morning they are roused by a Giant; the Giant Despair. He explains to them that they have trespassed on his property, and forces them to go to his castle, Doubting Castle, where he

throws them in the dungeon and proceeds to torment them over the next 3 days.

 

Giant Despair tells his Giantess Wife, Diffidence, that he has captured two pilgrims, and she encourages him to beat them ruthlessly. The next day he does so, pummeling them to within an

inch of their lives, but yet each of them receive their beatings quietly and with resolution.

 

Despair reports back to diffidence, who counsels him to return the next day, and taunt the pilgrims, to try and goad them into committing suicide. He tells them that they will never again be free, and that he will continue to beat them, thus they may as well end it, as death would be preferable to the torment he has in store for them. At first the pilgrims are defiant, causing Despair to charge in a rage as if to kill them, but he is struck by a supernatural paralysis and is forced to leave them be, for now.

 

Christian begins to fall prey to Despair amidst his pitiable state, and questions whether he should take the giants advice. Hopeful however remains stalwart and reminds Christian the of the injustice of doing so.

 

Once again Diffidence counsels Despair, telling him to go back the next day and take the prisoners to the castle yard, where lie the bones of all the pilgrims Despair has claimed before, assuring them that they will be next. He does so, and the grisly display shakes Christian even deeper, who once returned to his cell contemplates ending it all once again.

 

Yet Hopeful remains true to his name, and reminds Christian of all he has overcome, and of the great power of the king of the Celestial City. Christian is emboldened by Hopeful's words, and having cleared his mind of despair, remembers that in his pocket he has a key.

 

It is a Key called promise, and it opens the door to their cell. Christian and Hopeful flee to the castle yard and to the iron gate guarding the exit, and with great difficulty the key turns its lock

as well, freeing both pilgrims. However, it makes a loud noise while doing so, rousing Giant Despair who attempts to pursue the pilgrims, but he is stuck again by supernatural paralysis, allowing the pilgrims to return to the path where they departed, and erect a sign to warn other pilgrims of the peril that awaits if they leave the path.

 

Like the other stories we’ve discussed, Bunyan's meaning here is not hidden, yet a knowledge of some of Bunyan's own struggles do add some depth. Bunyan came to faith as a grown man and went through a protracted and difficult conversion process. He went through tremendous swings, almost bipolar, from elation and great faith to deep bouts of guilt and despair, feeling unworthy of grace and doubting his salvation.

 

It is these deep periods of hopelessness that Bunyan is trying to depict here and does so effectively. The first thing that he points out is that rounds of Despair like these often begin with a lack of focus, and a gradual loss of firm direction, as depicted by the pilgrims departing from the path to take the by way.

 

More critically, Bunyan asserts that these bouts of depression, anxiety, and hopelessness are not rational things. They feel overwhelming in the moment, and the suffering and torments that

accompany or perhaps trigger them are very real, but ultimately Grace is still there and will in fact never leave. Just as Christian realizes that in his pocket he has had the key of promise the

whole time they have been in the dungeon, so do we have the promise that God is ultimately working towards good ends, and in spite of what we may feel, Grace is still there.

 

And yet, even as this is the case, realizing the promise and its implications, getting past one's sufferings or mental state is no easy task. It is rarely a solitary pursuit, and one that takes great effort, even divine intervention, as visualized by the supernatural paralysis that plagues the Giant and the difficulty turning the lock to the final gate even once the promise has been remembered.

 

Something else that is critical to acknowledge here. As both Pilgrims suffer in the dungeon, and Christian begins to lose his hope, he does so because he is focused on himself, and the distress of the moment that he finds himself in. When we focus on ourselves, on our troubles, and anxieties, all we ever succeed in doing is causing them to grow larger and more dangerous.

 

The remedy for despair is rarely focusing on the self, it is almost always looking to an external, immovable gracious God for help and focusing on the promise he has given that pulls us out of such states.

 

I cannot overstress the importance of understanding this, as we live in a culture that is pathologically obsessed with the self, and our own internal, emotional sense of things. The Worldly Wisdom of the post modern age says that your feelings are reality, and that anything that contradicts your sense of things is rank and oppressive, when in reality our feelings and perceptions are often guided by Pride, fear, vanity, anger or one of a thousand other things driven by our sinful nature. It is not a coincidence that as postmodern philosophy has progressively taken hold, depression and anxiety have skyrocketed, even before the dawn of the internet and social media.

 

Beyond the metaphysical implications here, there is also the way that a firm attachment to Hope changes the way you think day to day. A hopeful mindset is an optimistic one, irrevocably so. A

hopeful mindset understands that God is working all towards a singularity of perfect good, and that every occurrence, no matter how dark, is in fact oriented towards that good. Even if we do

not understand how in our present capacity.

 

Speaking from my own experience, I am an individual who tends towards a pessimistic mindset. I tend to set my expectations low, and assume the worst, and that is an indictment upon the

present state of my character. Yet, I find it curious that even though I tend to assume the worst, I oddly don’t despair over the worst. I expect the bad thing to happen, and yet I have a sense that

it will in the end all work for good. So perhaps the better way to say this is that I'm a short term pessimist, but because of hope an eternal optimist.

 

So even in my own, incomplete application of Hope, I still find enrichment by it, and a sense that come what may, Grace will continue to abound, and because of that I will have access to Hope

still. And the exact same thing is true for you, too.

 

Conclusion: Emanations of an Unchanging God in a Changing World.

To wrap this up and put a nice little bow on it; We live in the midst of a changing world in light of an Unchanging God. As I am sure you have all seen over the course of your life, change can be a trying thing to say the least. Similar to how Christian became absorbed in his suffering in Doubting Castle and therefore had his vision of hope narrowed and shortened, so can we become absorbed in the seeming chaos of the world around us.

 

Really, it's hard not to, especially in an age when information travels so quickly and we are constantly apprised of the chaos of the wider world, not just that of our own local sphere. So, what we need are unchanging principles that are capable of piercing that veil of chaos and tethering us to our Unchanging Creator who is in fact working it all to our good. Principles like Grace, Humility and Hope.

 

Graduates: Like Christian, each of you has been called to embark on a pilgrimage. As you go forward there will be ups and downs, trials and redemptions. You know this. Yet, you have been

equipped with all that you need to remain steady in the face of all the change you encounter. You have been offered Grace, which relieves you of the burden of perfection, freeing you to face

failure well, learning from it rather than being torn down by it. Within that Grace you can recognize your own humble standing and therefore be free to focus on others instead of yourself. To be attentive and to embrace the Imago Dei, to take that same grace and show it to others, to be humble leaders that seek to aid others before yourselves, always returning Glory to God. And through it all, you have a hope that never leaves you. You may forget it, you may even think that it is taken from you, but in reality, it never leaves and can carry you through the most difficult changes you can imagine, redeeming pain and transforming it into sanctification.

 

So, as you go forward, remember these things, and recognize that even though they may seem simple to you, they are revolutionary to the world, and counter to all its supposed wisdom. You

probably haven't been called to change the world, though I would invite any of you to prove otherwise, but you have definitely been called to be a part of the change that God is producing on a daily basis. You will undergo change for the rest of your life, you will progress and grow, but at the same time you have been given the opportunity of taking these principles, these emanations of an unchanging God and showing them to the rest of the world by handling all of that change faithfully and seeing it for what it really is. The Divine Plan of God.

 

Now, you may have taken note of the fact that I did not include the conclusion of Pilgrims' Progress in this speech. I did so, first because you should really go and read it for yourself; Second, because the definition of a commencement is “the beginning or start.” This isn't about endings, it's about beginnings. So go and celebrate, throw a party in whatever way you deem fit; because tomorrow, well, the rest of your story awaits.