As we all have seen, there has been a great deal of disruption coming from COVID-19. Our children, teenagers, and teachers have experienced this in their education. One marker of this upheaval is the loss of significant milestones in the lives of graduating seniors. They have missed the final weeks of their time together, proms, end of year awards, a last walk through their elementary school, a spring sports season, and so much more. Their graduation has been relegated to being either virtual, postponed, or cancelled entirely.
We feel these losses especially hard this week. For you see, this Sunday is Graduate Sunday - a time we traditionally recognize our graduates in worship. If we were meeting in person, we would present them with gifts from the church, and then would have a special time of prayer for them as a church family. If we were meeting in person, we would move out of our seats in the pews and surround our graduates, laying our hands on them in prayer. But, we cannot physically do that on Sunday.
This Sunday we will still honor our graduates, but in a slightly different way. During our online service, you will see them receiving their senior Bible, and then I will ask you to reach your hands out toward whatever device you are using to watch worship. Together, with our hands outstretched, we will virtually lay hands on these precious seniors and pray for them. Will you join me in doing this?
Elsewhere in the Midweek you will see pictures of our graduates along with accompanying information about them. Please join with me in celebrating this great milestone in their lives! Congratulations Vivian, Jenna, and Thomas!
-Pastor Jane