Text: Professor of Management Dr. Jenifer Greene’s portion of the Baccalaureate sermon to the Maryville College Class of 2024
May 3, 2024
Maryville College Professor of Management Dr. Jenifer Greene was selected alongside Dr. Carl Gombert to deliver the Baccalaureate sermon to the Maryville College Class of 2024 on May 3, 2024. Here is the full text of her portion of the sermon, delivered before Dr. Gombert’s, titled “Unsolicited Advice.”
Welcome, again, to all and especially to our Graduating Seniors of the Class of 2024. Know that we are so very proud of you and all that you have accomplished.
Dr. Gombert and I are so honored to have been asked to provide the Baccalaureate sermon. Given this opportunity, we decided on two points: first, to assure you that we are attempting to provide twice the inspiration but NOT twice the length of the traditional meditation, and second, to present what every individual longs to hear, unsolicited advice. Nonetheless, we hope that these thoughts will provide comfort and joy to you as you leave us to go and experience all that awaits.
As for comfort, my thoughts today coalesce around one simple theme: God loves you and will always be with you.
Several of today’s scripture readings are some of my “go-to’s” when looking for spiritual support. One of my favorites is Psalm 23 as I know may be true for many of you. It was one of the first scriptures I learned as a child having had it shared with me by my parents. It is my father’s favorite and was his mother’s as well. In it, God is described as our Shepherd guiding us through all that we encounter. Unfortunately, when it comes to God as our Shepherd, we, including myself, often behave more like cats in the proverbial herding, going independently and stubbornly through our day, ignoring God’s Voice. We simply aren’t that easily led.
Suzanne Farrell is a famous prima ballerina who danced much of her long, storied career with the New York City Ballet from the 1960s through the early 1980s. She quickly became a favorite of and muse for George Balanchine, an individual who quickly transformed the American ballet scene upon his arrival to the United States. He was during his lifetime and is still today internationally considered an extraordinary choreographer and an intensely demanding instructor. When creating yet another almost impossible combination for an individual perched en pointe, attempting to move as gracefully as possible, Farrell, in a moment of utter frustration, asked Balanchine exactly what it was she was supposed to use for support in the attempt of this maneuver. Balanchine’s response: “Hold on to the air.” Certainly, Balanchine had no true conviction that the air could offer much support and he probably never thought of it in any other context. However, I think we can all relate to Farrell’s plight as we blithely go through our lives looking to find a toehold somewhere, anywhere, when all the while, God, as our Shepherd, wishes to be and is our Air, surrounding us with love and support, if we would only reach out and grasp.
During one particularly dark period in my life, when I had experienced an exceedingly difficult loss, I was terribly distraught and looked to prayer, as always, to assist in my grief. For the first time in my life, however, I found myself unable to pray. It wasn’t that I was angry with God; I guess I just felt as though I hadn’t the energy or the will to “deal with the spiritual realm” at that time. I refused to acknowledge the Shepherd when I was most in need and decided to move through my grief in my own way.
Interestingly enough, placing this wall between myself and God became a time when I was most aware of His presence. At the moment of my attempted rejection, I felt His “warm blanket” encompass me with a comforting sense that God understood, was waiting with me, and would welcome me when I had the strength to fully engage in our relationship once again. For the Shepherd is always there, being our Air, supporting and sustaining us through all of life’s journeys whether we are active participants or not. When the day arrived (and it did) when I could accept God’s grace again, He was indeed there waiting as He had always been. I realized that He would always be present in my life, no matter the circumstances, no matter my actions. His love and comfort are constant. Would that I had come to this realization sooner.
Please know that this love is there for you, always, in sorrow and in joy, in the mundane and in the extraordinary. Keep this certainty with you and allow yourself to experience this great love. I hope you will “lift up your eyes unto the hills from whence cometh your help which is the Lord.”
And … Look around this auditorium today. You are surrounded by those who love and support you. Never be afraid to reach out to them in the midst of challenges or celebrations as they will often serve as God’s angels on earth for God loves you and will always be with you.
May you, the Class of 2024, experience every joy that life has to offer and, in the words from one traditional Irish blessing, until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Now, the advice continues with Dr. Carl Gombert.