Baccalaureate - May 19th, 2018

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] please silence all electronic devices act 2 1787 when old Springfield Church was founded as the oldest independent black church of any denomination according to the United States Interior Department the baccalaureate sermon is the occasion for our College to recognize spirituality as a fundamental Enterprise in liberal arts education and that religion and faith play integral roles in adding meaning value virtue traits depth and diversity to the human experience I'm now going to call upon the Reverend dr. Woodrow Miller pastor of historic harmony Baptist Church of Augusta where Morehouse was housed its second third and fourth years [Applause] and now would members of our 17,000 alumni please rise [Applause] faculty staff and administrators please stand and now the family of our valedictorian and the family of the vice president of the senior class Matthew Jones family [Applause] and now the people who made this day possible the parents and the guardians please rise descendants the great class of 2018 we welcome our preacher for today and he will be more formally presented by dr. David a Thomas please turn your attention to the back of your program and there you will see listed the names of the Morehouse alumni who have ascended transition since the last commencement one name that has just come to us dr. Ross Lee [Applause] let us pray dear God of heaven we come now to acknowledge your presence and this penultimate gathering of the class of 2018 we beg of you O Lord to bless our gathering today its meaning its purpose and it's tradition in this holy place dedicated let your light shine Oh God on these proceedings bless our preacher this morning has come here to proclaim the good news news that is even greater I dare say than the news that the men of this class will be graduating tomorrow and lastly open the ears and hearts of these your sons that they might hear the word just didn't have it [Applause] by the faith of their aunties and uncles who have loved and encouraged them and by the faith of dear ol Morehouse who has consistently encouraged them along the way they have come this far by faith help them dear God to hold on to that faith help them to nurture that faith in love for it will encourage them in the banan amen amen [Applause] good afternoon class of 2018 my name is will greetings from the board as you know I'm relatively new to the Chairman spot started of just over a year ago and I cannot be more excited about where my house is going and I can't be more excited to be seeing a great class of 2018 be sent off into the world Morehouse College so I bid you greetings from the board for a hundred and fifty-one years Morehouse College has been engaged in the American Academy as a character-building institution for young men seeking higher education the college's imprint on the intellect and moral fiber of its graduates developed from its origins of prophetic religions tradition and perpetuity our standards of liberal learning are instilled within an academic village both inside and outside the classroom which fosters close student-to-student interactions and frequent intellectual and exchanges among faculty staff and students dr. Hume Gloucester my president when I was here and our 7th president said that Martin Luther King junior class of 1948 was the archetype of an educated person ways were honored by placing a crown of bay laurel leaves upon their heads President John Hope in Howard Washington Thurman class of 1923 gave this symbolism more specific direction and I quote Morehouse places a crown above the heads of her students with the hope that they will grow tall enough to wear it end of quote that statement implies the goal of life long virtuous learning inherent in the honor of the Morehouse college degree [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] good afternoon my name is Julio Jones and I'm reading from Psalms 139 the King James Version Oh Lord thou hast searched me and know me thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising thou understanding my thought afar off thou can pass my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways for there is not a word in my tongue but no Oh Lord thou knowest it all together thou has beset me behind and before and lay thy hand upon me such knowledge is too wonderful for me it is high I cannot attain unto it whither shall I go from my spirit or whither shall I flee from my presence if I see about a sin upon up into the heaven thou art there if I might make my bed in hell behold thou art there if I take the wings of the morning and the world of utmost parts of the sea even thou shalt hand leave me and dine right hand shall hold me if I say surely thou darkness shall cover me even the night should be about me yeah the darkness he gave the dark heart is not from me but the night Charlotte after day the darkness and the light are both alike to thee for thou hast for for thou hast possessed my reigns thou has covered me in my mother's womb I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made marvelous are thy works and up and that my soul knows right well my substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret until Xerox and lowest parts of the earth dying eyes they see my substance yet being unperfect and in thy book all my members were written which is in continuance were fashioned when as yet there was none of them how precious are about thoughts into me Oh God how great is some of them if I shall count them they are more in number than the sand when I'm awake I am still with thee god bless the Houston doors of this way [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Oh [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] the mall [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] holy toy [Music] [Applause] [Applause] good afternoon my name is David Thomas and I have the privilege and the pleasure of being the 12th president of Morehouse College and to the young man seated directly in front of me I want to say thank you for being my first class at Morehouse College so I hope when they ask you who was our president you will say David a Thomas and now I have the pleasure of introducing today's speaker now you know you've made an impact on people when they refer to you a distinguished educated and respected man of God as simply Pastor Mike but that's who the Reverend Michael Waldron jr. is one of the most sought-after and prolific preachers in the nation with the humility to be known simply as Pastor Mike Reverend Waldron first of all is a Morehouse man after graduating with a degree in philosophy and religion he then went on to Duke University School of divinity as a Martin Luther King jr. scholar and earned a Masters of Divinity degree with the focus on theology while a Duke Pastor Mike served as the University Minister and director of african-american campus ministries for eight years he also was the senior pastor at Zion Temple United Church of Christ in Durham North Carolina for seven years we're through his dynamic emphasis on ministry building and community service he grew the membership from 25 members to nearly 500 worshippers Pastor Mike then took his visionary leadership to Harlem in 19 2004 when he became pastor at first Corinthian Baptist Church at first Corinthian he's taken traditional Church worship and teaching to new heights - one that is focused on expanded ministry discipleship community wellness and social justice first Corinthian was home to a number of important community initiatives that grew the congregation from 300 members then to more than 10,000 members today Newsweek magazine has named him one of the Lord's foot soldiers he was named as one of the 100 most influential African Americans under 45 by the route calm in 2014 in 2017 evany magazine named him to their ebony power 100 lists as a community Crusader and he was inducted into the Morehouse College Martin Luther King jr. Board of preachers as a distinguished preacher he hasn't done it alone his partner at first Corinthian has been his wife the reverend Lakeisha Waldron who is executive pastor and they are the proud parents of two beautiful children Michael the third and Jasmine Dominique so let's welcome home a dynamic Morehouse man I present to you Pastor Mike the Reverend Michael Waldron jr. dr. Thomas chairman woods my mentor Dean cata faculty staff trustees who are present the parents whose prayers and sacrifice made this moment possible and to my soon-to-be Morehouse brothers the class of 2018 through many dangers toils and snares you have arrived at this moment and what a high moment it is every time I step foot on this campus I'm tempted to remove my shoes well this is holy ground this place has had an indelible impact on my life the class of 2018 I can promise you when you reflect on your life in years to come this period will be some of the best years of your life some of the most impactful years of your life some of the most transcendent years of your life and it has been that for me I am NOT here alone because I feel in some ways I've been forged in this soil I am a member of the class of 1993 my wife is a member of the class of 1993 at Spelman College my son is a member of the class of 2014 and Morehouse College my daughter is a member of the class of 2016 at Spelman College our family has been forged on these red hills and so I am grateful for this honor to be here with you today 25 years ago I sat where you sit that day is etched in my spirit the baccalaureate preacher that day was the late great Dean of preaching Gardner C Taylor and I will never forget that sermon titled on that day dr. Ratliff the crisis of identity dr. Taylor reminded us that in many ways our country was suffering from a crisis of identity and now some 25 years later we are still suffering from a ruptured fragmented identity instigated by the reckless rantings of a pathological narcissist who occupies the White House and so in this season as men who are preparing to enter this space you have work to do and there is a great expectation that hangs over you I thought of what words from Scripture would be appropriate today given not only the sacredness of this moment but the cultural context the cultural turmoil and political upheaval we now experience I would ask that you join me in the opening verses of the book of Joshua I want to read from that book after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord the Lord spoke to Joshua son of nun Moses his assistant saying my servant Moses is dead now proceed to cross the Jordan you and all this people into the land that I am giving to them to the Israelites every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you as I promised to Moses from the wilderness on the Lebanon as far as the Great River the river Euphrates all the land of the Hittites the Great Sea in the West shall be your territory no one shall be able to stand against you all the days of your life as I was with Moses so I will be with you I will not fail you or forsake you be strong and courageous for you shall put this people in possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them only be strong and very courageous being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left so that you may be successful wherever you go this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth you shall not but you shall meditate on it day and night so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it for then you shall make your way prosperous and then you shall be successful I hereby command you be strong and courageous do not be frightened or dismayed for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go I want to share for a few moments from the thought notes from a traumatized leader notes from a traumatized leader it was a new day dawning the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness were now over and the people of God were about to cross over into their promised land Canaan was beckoning them the waters of the Jordan were overflowing for it was harvest time it was the moment of crossing over from wandering to inheritance from struggle to prosperity and God had to equip the one who would leave then for the one who led them out of Israel the one who had journey with them for almost 40 years was now gone and it was now time for his assistant Joshua to take the reins it was a crowning moment for Moses his assistant Joshua it was a pivotal time in the life of the people of God here was Joshua the would-be leader the warrior the supporter of Moses whose strength had become a hallmark of his personality whose presence was uplifting to his mentor here was Joshua ready to be the leader of God's people but for some reason in these opening verses God makes a point of telling the warrior the fighter the strong man be strong and courageous three times God others this phrase be strong and courageous and on the second time he declares be strong and very courageous I wrestled because in my mind why would God have to remind this leader this man this warrior to be strong and courageous and something began to move in me that let me know that maybe God suspected something maybe God said something not something that could be observable by us but maybe God knew that somehow Joshua in this moment may have been overtaken by a sense of trepidation something is off with him and God must now speak to it be strong and courageous and I sense beloved that with God's sense was a deep-seated trauma that was lurking below the surface of Joshua's spirit you see trauma especially trauma that we have tucked away and suppressed has a way of rearing its ugly head at the most inappropriate times here at his crowning moment I'm convinced that God since that trauma was lingering and was about to make a debut why because this was not just she was first time at Kenan's doorstep he had been here before and when he was here last time it was the birthing of Joshua's trauma oh you ought to know the story and 40 years prior to this moment Joshua was among 12 spies who spied out Canaan two of those spies was Caleb and Joshua 10 whose names were mentioned we no longer speak of four it is amazing how history forgets the names of fearful men it is amazing how history forgets the names of those who were shaped by their trepidation guided by the insecurities and molded by their self-doubt and here Joshua now remember that he and Caleb trusted the Word of God God told them it would be their land God told them that it was their promise God said it was lust God said it was right God said it was theirs and when Caleb and Joshua came back giving the right report at the right time but surrounded by wrong people in that moment when they declared yes yes yes it is everything that God said it would be in we know that those ten men said that it was good but their Giants their hold let me pause for a second I wish I had a little bit more time today but but there's a word there in Hebrew for Giants reverently which means shadow oh you got to get this that it was not even really Giants they may have seen that they actually saw the shadows and the tragedy is that there are a lot of people who were there to rise the heights of greatness who are doing nothing shadowboxing and fearful of the things that ought not cause fear in their spirits and somehow there were 10 men who lets shadows shatter their dreams and yet at the same time Joshua and Caleb declared no if God said it belongs to us it is ours we are well able to do what God said we could do and for Caleb and Joshua saudasa t their reward was that the people they loved and longed for wanted to kill them wanted to stone them can you imagine people who saw you raised as a little boy who saw you grow into adulthood now because you have the unmitigated gall to trust God somehow they now desire to kill you because you desire to take God's words seriously they desire to kill you and I have to tell you that that moment where Joshua looked into the faces of maybe people who bore his same blood and saw them willing to stone him was the birthing of Joshua's trauma for it is impossible to face a possible death from people who ought to love you to life and not be shaken by the moment he was traumatized and you have to know that it was the trauma that was lingering within him and God sensed it and so God says to him be strong and courageous he is a traumatized leader who now lives with the after-effects of being traumatized by people he loved and would one day lead trauma was lingering again in his spirit and here you sit today preparing to now be leaders in this tumultuous time and I have to let you know that you are from a legacy of great men and women who are well-acquainted with trauma trauma deeply embedded in the collective psyche of African Americans you come from a legacy of people who were traumatized but yet kept standing firm we we know trauma those of us whose blood fertilizes the soil of this country we know trauma those of us whose bruising is the foundation of American success we know trauma we know trauma because we know that from the very foundations of this country that black and brown bodies were problematic for this disease country we know trauma we know because it is amazing to be in the culture that problematizes your presence but not only that renders you a problem we know what it is to be traumatized but we still remain firm we have been molded by people who look trauma in the face and kept on carving out in existence anyhow we know trauma and I wish I could say today that trauma is now abated the tragedy is that the trauma now has become normalized so that now it almost appears as natural to those of us who've been kissed by the Sun we know trauma still we face it every day his started in slavery forced relocation genocide and the destruction of cultural practices we know trauma lynchings beatings Jim Crow and rape we know trauma educational achievement gaps disproportionate school suspensions and expulsions disproportionate contact with the law high unemployment rates high incarceration rates we know trauma extreme poverty and it's tyrannical tentacles social economic inequities gender stereotypes police assault and brutality emotional abandonment and neglect we know trauma we have been misunderstood and misappropriation despised and rejected demonized and dismiss ostracized and marginalize built and scorned we know trauma and all of this has been designed to us to destroy us to emasculate us to dehumanize us and castrate us but we are still here and we have been here before we know what it is when we've seen barbarism masks of civility we know what it is when we have to make bedfellows of broken promises and empty words we've been here before do not fool yourself this is not the first misogynistic bigoted white man to be President we have been here before and if we came through that we will come through this so what is the word be strong and courageous do not forget who you are do not forget your birthright do not forget your inheritance be strong and very courageous in just in case you get lost in some unnecessary nostalgia can I give you the word that God gave Joshua Moses is dead it's your season now it's your time now you must leave but here is the promise as I was with Moses I shall be with you Oh can I help somebody here today as I was with Mordecai Wyatt Junction as I was with Benjamin Broly as I was with Samuel the boys cook as I was with child house and I was with James neighbor'ood as I was with bill none as our world with Julian Bond as I was with LaRon pitted as I was with Maynard Jackson as I was with Howard Thurman as I was a Samuel neighborhood and as I was with Martin Luther King jr. I will be with [Applause] be strong and courageous be strong and courageous for that is what is required in this moment this and then I'm through [Applause] why class of 2018 why unless you be strong and courageous and I'll share this with you now be out of your way be strong don't tempt me Reverend [Applause] be strong and very courageous because this historic moment and cultural moment requires authenticity it takes strength and courage to live the life you were created to live it takes strength and courage to remain true to who you are when daily you are tempted to be seduced by the desire to be something other than who God calls you to be it takes strength and courage to be authentic I have to help you I know that we're often bombarded in media my messages that tell you to be something other than who you are but can I help you right now I rather struggle at being a flawed original then a successful copy any day be authentic be God calls you to be don't run from who you are don't hide from who you are because you you you the real you is required right now and I got to help you and I know some of you may be wondering even in this moment where possibility and anxiety occupy equal territory in your mind I know there's a desire in some ways to wonder what's next in your life how do I remain authentic what do I need to do what are my next steps but even if you're confused about your future don't be confused about your breathing because if the universe did not lead you you would not be here you have a grand purpose you are cosmically significant divinely appointed crafted by love and shaped by God bu and if there are persons who cannot Rendell your authenticity maybe they don't deserve your companionship if there are people who can't handle the real you maybe maybe them and their falsehoods need to move off and in case they don't get the message shake them like dust off your feet be strong and courageous because authenticity is required but also be strong and courageous because this moment requires nonconformity it takes no strength to fit into crowds don't deal Ajith amides are unique Ness by wanting to fit into cramped spaces [Applause] God has called you to something great in the class of 2018 do not sacrifice your soul on the altar of conformity it was Einstein who said that you have to be an incorrigible nonconformist and if you don't fit in you're probably doing the right thing the world has enough people seeking to surrender their originality so that people can feel comfortable with your gifts do not desire to make people feel comfortable by watering yourself down do not diminish your identity nor your characters or the other people somehow feel elevated and their elevation is only connected to you lowering yourself do not conform to the misguided mechanisms of people who let misery be their guide do not allow people to shape you in their spaces and in ways that may honor their expectations but do not honor your gifts do not conform the people who do not see the divinity that dwells within you but always seek to make you a reflection of their own insanity do not surrender who you are to people who do not completely understand your god-given connection do not conform your soul to wickedness do not conform your spirit to cultural insanity it was Emerson who said do not follow where the path may lead go instead where there is no path and leave a trail [Applause] conformity is a Jayla of freedom when you do that you frustrate your ambition in your efforts be strong and courageous because this season requires non-conformity don't try to do what everyone else is doing because it's popular don't give in to the fad because it may give you more followers don't surrender to that which is shallow because you might get more hits do not conform to the shallowness of this age but you must raise the bar beyond the low markers of everyone else why because after tomorrow you will bear title that beckons responsibility because you are a Morehouse man and lastly you must be strong and courageous brothers because this moment not only requires authenticity and nonconformity for this moment requires transformation a dramatic change I believe 25 years ago and I still believe that Morehouse is an ever-evolving community of visionaries dreamers and doers in this world is in need of a dramatic change right now violence is still rampant hunger is still pervasive poverty is still real and racism is still the the snake that was lingering beneath the tables of Constitution Hall it is still alive and well and at some point we cannot surrender to what it is we must seek to change it to what it can become that is why you need strength and courage in this moment and transformation must happen now something within your soul brothers ought to grown to see a different day something within your soul are too long to see this world a better place and you probably heard it a million times already but I'll recite it again today you cannot want to see change and not be change that you have to desire in your bosom and in your heart the burden of what it means to be a change agent you came to a place that in its mission has committed to preparing leaders and those who are servants and if you are going to be a leader and a servant you have to make sure that transformation is always on the agenda and if you're going to be a change agent you have to have a passion for the possible you have to possess a commitment to creativity and you must possess a hunger for healing for it is not just change on nation needs it is healing because of the woundedness that exists in our country who better to birth prosper ability than those who know of brokenness who better to lead this nation to be what it truly claims to be and the sons and daughters of those who've worked from can't see morning to can't see night who better to show this country with true humanity looks like than those who've been dehumanized the longest Oh better than you a Morehouse man for the world has been waiting for you creation has been waiting for you when you an idea the mind of God it being fashioned in your mother's womb the world was waiting for you and now is your time to stand and be who God created you to be authenticity nonconformity and transformation you can do it you have been endowed with the ability to do it you have been given all the gifts to do it you have the intellectual prowess to do it but just in case you doubt this there's a great cloud of witnesses who've been this way before you stand on the shoulders of giants who know what it is to overcome in the face of desperate adversity we have seen the dark night of the soul and when he came out on the other side brighter than when we went in we come from those people and primarily I know you can do it I am optimistic about your possibility it was James Baldwin who said I cannot be a pessimist because I'm alive I trust and believe that you can do it in the way I know you can do it in this season it's because you do not lean on your own understanding but there is the God of the universe who guides you and keeps you who sustains you and nurtures you who leads you and direct you he was the god of my grandmother's tears he was the god of my grandfather's prayers and then those who've come before you who learned how to lean on that God and so they may not be a whole lot I can tell you today and I can tell you this the same God who guided us through dreariness and misery is the same God who will keep you as you move forward in life the same God it was able to sustain those who came before you is the same God who will carry you through to your appointed destiny the same God was with you four years ago when you started this journey is the same God who will carry you through to tomorrow commencement service the same God that kept your mother when she didn't know where the bills were gonna be paid the same God who kept your father when he wasn't clear about what the future would hold the same God will keep you know this you a Morehouse men in the same God that kept Morehouse men in years past is the same God that will keep you you have come to a point where you have grown tall enough to wear the crown and Morehouse has placed above your head you are Morehouse man you have gotten to a place where the world will seek you out in times of tribulation in crisis you are a Morehouse man don't betray that title don't let your actions betray your language and don't let your language betray your actions don't make Morehouse spend of the past regret that you carry the degree that bears the name you are Morehouse men true forever true forever to all Morehouse may we be so to bind each son the other - ties more brotherly [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] yes we are having a time I see now the children I didn't see them at first Michael the third why don't you stand and jasmine Dominique why don't you stand let them see you I'm tempted to say more when Pastor Waldron was president of the chapel assistance at Morehouse it was a truly defining presidency he was as inspiring as a student and strong as a leader as he was in this message because the processional tomorrow will begin moving from King Chapel promptly at 7:30 a.m. with or without you [Applause] parents guardians relatives and friends will need to be parked and in their seats on the century campus no later than 7:25 a.m. now this will allow you to avoid a traffic bottleneck on i-20 at least read and give you the chance to view the processional on the widescreen from your seat on the green we also ask you to please sit only in the section with signage that matches the color of your ticket if you do not have a ticket you may sit in any other section designated as open seating there will be Usher's on hand to assist you the latest weather reports that we have received indicate that we have a twenty to thirty percent chance of rain expected in the afternoon [Applause] now we will open and make available however the auditorium of sale Hall the neighbor'ood met McBay lecture rooms and the meryl hall lecture rooms for those who simply cannot withstand maybe the damp weather are the wet grass you will be able to view the ceremony in each location we fully expect to begin our line of march at 7:30 and we hope you are there student volunteers will be on the century' campus as early as 5:00 a.m. to ensure that the grounds and the chairs will accommodate all of our guests parents and guardians should check the college website for additional updates family and guests we want you now to please remain seated until our recessional is complete for this service you may greet your Morehouse grad once he clears the faculty corridor on the plaza on West View Drive we thank you for your patience and after we stand together and sing the Morehouse alma mater I'm going to invite the great nephew of Martin Luther King jr. to come and give us the benediction dr. Toussaint King Hill junior class of 1981 senior pastor of the West Hunter Street Baptist Church here in Atlanta won't you all who are able please stand I would like you to know that I was just informed that we have in our audience the ninth president of Morehouse College dr. Walter E Massey and his wife dr. Shirley Massey where are you oh right here okay good to see you we look forward to seeing you also tomorrow [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] if you touch the hand of someone close Ania and now unto Him who's able to keep us from falling and on to him who's able to transform our dark yesterday's into beautiful bright tomorrow's unto Him who's able to move these brothers from anxiety to anointing from burdens to blessings from catastrophes to conquests from disasters to deliverance unto Him who's able to move these brothers from fear to faith from horror to hope from Hell to heaven from police brutality to presidential aspirations unto him be the only wise God unto him be Dominion peace and love and may the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ and may the fellowship love his sweet Holy Spirit rest abide with us all both now henceforth and forevermore let all of God's people say together thank you amen hallelujah you

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Length: 79min 19sec (4759 seconds)

Published: Tue May 29 2018