+ Concordia Baccalaureate – June 7th, 2025 +
Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 139:1-14; Matthew 28:16-20
In the Name of + Jesus.
In one of the lesser known stories of the Chronicles of Narnia, The Horse and His Boy, C.S. Lewis tells the story of Shasta. A boy who was about to be sold into slavery but ran away and makes his journey headed for Narnia and the north. He befriends a fellow runaway, and eventually is met by Aslan the great lion of Narnia who tells him…
“I was the lion who forced you to join with Aravis. I was the cat who comforted you among the houses of the dead. I was the lion who drove the jackals from you while you slept. I was the lion who gave the Horses the new strength of fear for the last mile so that you should reach King Lune in time. And I was the lion you do not remember who pushed the boat in which you lay, a child near death, so that it came to shore where a man sat, wakeful at midnight, to receive you.”
What Aslan does for Shasta is a picture of what Christ promises to you throughout his word.
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
When YHWH called Abraham to leave his own country and travel to a new country, the Lord promised Abraham, “I will be with you.”
When YHWH called Joshua to lead his people into the promised land, he promised Joshua, “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you.”
When YHWH called his prophet Isaiah to preach his word of judgment and promise to his people, he promised, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”
And when YHWH takes on human flesh, he comes with promise. His name is Immanuel. God with us.
Our Lord Jesus is like the great hound of heaven in the famous poem by Francis Thompson. He chases and pursues and follows you like a sheep dog, always at your heels with his grace and mercy. The Lord who promised to be with Abraham, Joshua, Isaiah and his disciples, promises to be with you. When our Lord makes you a promise he keeps it.
And this is good news. For there will be days when you’re afraid. Days when you’ll feel lost. Alone. Confused. Uncertain. Days that no matter how hard you try, the memories and moments you want to last forever feel like they won’t. Days that feel like the only thing that sticks with you is the guilt and shame of sin, the fear, the pain, and the haunting shadow of death.
For these kinds of days, Jesus hung on the cross and was forsaken in your place, so that you will never be forsaken from him. Jesus was crucified and risen for you, and not just for dark days, but to bring you good days and good gifts. A good school and teachers and joy of learning; the gifts of family and friendship; and blessings too many to count. And through it all, Jesus makes you the best promise of all. A promise that lasts. “I am the Lion who will be with you always.”
Today as you graduate, as you go on into the next chapter of your story, wherever our Lord calls you…It is the Lord who goes before you. And he promises you… “I will be with you; I will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
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