Commencement Addresses
Graduate and CAPS - Spring 2008 | Undergraduate - Spring 2008
Graduate and Adult and Professional Studies Commencement
May 3, 2008
Marianne Hattar-Pollara, RN, DNSC, FAAN
Hattar-Pollara is a professor and the associate dean of research and graduate programs at Azusa Pacific University, School of Nursing. She is recognized for her expertise, research, and innovations in women’s health, particularly that of immigrant women. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and a Fulbright research scholar on women’s health.
Good morning. Your Royal Highness Princess Muna Al Hussein, dignitaries and distinguished guests, families and friends of the graduates, members of the class of 2008, and candidates for advanced degrees, welcome to Azusa Pacific University’s commencement. Graduates of the 2008 class, it is my true honor and privilege to address you today as well as to honor Her Royal Highness Princess Muna, who graciously accepted our invitation to receive the APU honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. It is indeed a very rare moment in one’s life to receive this honor, and I am certain your graduation today is made all the more special by the added blessing of Her Royal Highness Princess Muna’s presence among us today.
Graduating class of 2008, today marks one of the great milestones of your life. With you, your families, and loved ones, we participate in a significant rite of passage by which you are set free from academic rigors and a life of preparation and welcomed into a world of great expectation and responsibilities. The gift we give you today is a gift of hope and prayers that you will use the tools you have gained at APU to make a difference—that unique difference—in the world.
What kind of impact is needed in today’s world? When we learn of the staggering and heart-wrenching data on world poverty, disease, and human sufferings, these issues become much more than an inconvenient truth for some organized government to act upon. They become a personal call to action for each and every one of us here today. Some of you may say, “Wait just a minute. How can I respond to the overwhelming challenges of our time and still achieve the personal success and financial security that is every graduate’s aspiration?” True, financial security is very important to most of us, but fortune and personal success should not come at the expense of integrity. Pursuit of worldly success should not silence our responsibility to the world and our responsibility to humanity. It is said, no snowflake ever feels responsible for an avalanche, but an avalanche changes everything in its path. If we are but snowflakes in this large world, together we can effect change. To do so, we must take responsibility for our life and commit a portion of our life’s energy to the service of humankind.
In today’s reading, the prophet Micah rails against the people of Jerusalem for two things: a lifestyle that includes vain worship and the oppression of the poor and the helpless. The poor, the widow, the orphan, the stranger, the lame, the hurt, the blind, all the weak and disvalued of society were forgotten and oppressed by the strong. For these sins, Micah speaks God’s Word of judgment against the people and tells the covenant people what it is that God desires. Not burnt offerings, not cows, not rams, not rivers of oil, not the firstborn, but what God desires of us is that we do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.
This is not the first time that God told us this. Micah’s exhortation echoes Deuteronomy 10:12–13, which says, “And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the LORD’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?”
But what does it mean to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God? To do justice means to act rightly and fairly in the public arena. That is, we must treat people rightly and fairly. More formally, we call this social justice. We cannot simply read about justice, we cannot simply think about justice, we cannot simply talk about justice. We must act with justice toward others.
In addition, we must love kindness. The Hebrew word here is chesed, which can be translated as “loving kindness” or “steadfast love” and is understood as faithful covenant love. It is a love that is continuously loyal to God, but it is also a steadfast love toward others.
To walk humbly with God means to live the whole of life with every breath, in every moment, in all places, coram Deo, before God. These are not three separate expectations. To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God are intrinsically tied to one another. Doing justice is a way of loving mercy, which is in turn a manifestation of walking humbly with God, and steadfast love is an outward manifestation arising from one’s relationship with the living and redemptive God.
Interestingly, these verses are the motto of the religion alcove in the reading room of the Congressional Library in Washington DC. Imagine what kind of a nation this would be if the whole of our Congress and all its people lived in accordance with these words, and if we, each one of us here today, lived in this way. As you new graduates march through commencement and out into the world, how might you bring justice in this world?
Whether you leave today with an MBA, MSN, a graduate degree in social work, music, psychology, physical therapy, theology, computer science, art, or any other field, you will make choices. What will your choices be? How will you use the education you have been given? Will you use all your energies, choices, and education? Will they be self-focused, or will they be turned toward the widow, the orphan, the stranger in our lands, the lame, the hurt, and the blind, the vulnerable, the poor, the hungry, or the sick? Will these vulnerable ones have any portion in your success in the years ahead? Will you seek the good and wellbeing of the least well off in society? Even as you seek your own wellbeing, will you treat people rightly and fairly—those whom you know, as well as those whom you do not know? Will you show a steadfast love toward others?
You have been given a great gift of an education. Even as you have burned the midnight oil on papers, readings, and exams, many of the professors have also labored over your education. Will you use the gift of an education in service of your neighbor near and far as well as yourself? The motto of this university is God First, and indeed that is how it must be because justice and mercy can only truly be our way of life in the exercise of knowledge and skill we take from this place today, if and only if we walk humbly with God. May God bless you and your loved ones. Go now into the world to love and serve the Lord.
Undergraduate Commencement
May 3, 2008
Chaplain Major Warren A. Watties, M.Div. ’92
Watties is the senior Protestant Chaplain at Los Angeles Air Force Base. He conducts worship services, officiates religious rites and ceremonies, and provides moral and religious education and pastoral counseling to more than 4,400 military and civilian employees in the Los Angeles area. In 2004, he was selected as “Air Force Chaplain of the Year.”
If you know God is good say, “Amen.” I have a word from our sponsor, “Amen.” Here is a word from our sponsor. I want you to repeat these words after me, “God knows. God knows the plans. God knows the plans He has for me.” I do not care what your parents told you. I do not care what your guardians told you. Some of them, if they were really honest, would say, “Graduates, some of you are an ‘oops.’” I am going to tell you straight out, in God’s mind, He has no “oopses,” because He has a plan for every one of us.
When you were born some 20 years ago, Ronald Reagan was the president, the top film was Three Men and a Baby, the top song was Walk Like an Egyptian, the favorite new TV shows were Full House and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Here is the thing that I would love to go back to: gasoline at just $1.20 a gallon. Can you imagine giving $20 to fill up your tank and getting change back? Somebody ought to shout “hallelujah” just at that right there! Hallelujah!
Today, some of you are graduating summa cum laude. Lift up your hands if you are graduating summa cum laude. Hallelujah! Some of you are graduating magna cum laude. Lift up your hands. Some of you are graduating Azusa Pacific University just like I graduated. Oh Lordy, Lordy! Lift up your hands. Hallelujah! Just get me through Lord. That is all I want. Lord, I just want to get through.
I just want to take a minute to tell you how the Lord has blessed my life. I first got a B.A. degree, which is my “Born Again” degree. How many of you have that B.A. degree, that “Born Again” degree? I like the price of my “Born Again” degree. It was free. Jesus paid it all, amen? Can I tell you a secret? Jesus is going to pay for your Azusa Pacific degree if you let Him. Say, “Amen.” Let Him do it. Let Him do it. My B.A. degree, my “Born Again” degree, coupled with my Azusa Pacific degree has allowed me to fulfill the calling that God put on my heart. I believe God put me on this planet to be a military chaplain. It is my personal desire to see not one soldier, airman, coast guard, national guard, none of them going to hell, because we are going to preach the Gospel to them and you are going to be praying, amen? I thank the Lord that I can wear this uniform because of what Azusa Pacific did in my life.
In approximately 10 days, I will have an all-expenses paid—say, “all-expenses paid”— an all-expenses paid trip to Baghdad, Iraq, where I am going to preach the Gospel like never before. I am going to preach about hell, because it is going to be 130 degrees there, and people are going to get just a little taste of hell. I am going to remind them that hell is not the place they want to go, but Heaven is the place they want to go, because I know this, God knows the plans He has for me.
I want to talk to you about an Azusa Pacific University graduate from way back. This guy’s name was Samson. Yes, he went to Azusa Pacific University. Samson, in those days (Judges, chapter 3), was born for this purpose: “And the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they forgot about the Lord.” So the Lord decided, I am going to raise up a man by the name of Samson, send him to Azusa Pacific University, and he is going to do great things to knock out those Philistines. I am going to tell you three things about Samson’s life. Number one: God knows your purpose. It says in Judges, chapter 13: “Behold you shall conceive and give birth to a son. No razor shall come upon his head. The boy shall be a Nazarite from the womb. He shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.” From the very first day, before the young man even came to Earth, there was a plan for his life. His job was to deliver Israel from the Philistines, because God knows the plans. He knows the purpose. A lot of people will ask you graduates, “What are you going to be when you grow up? What are you going to do?” Tell them to stop asking you, and ask God. You do not know. You just do not know, but God knows the plans He has for you. So tell people, “Don’t ask me, ask God, and He will show you.”
The second thing I want to tell you is that God chose your parents. It says in Judges, chapter 14: “Then Samson went down to Timna and saw a woman in Timna, one of the daughters of the Philistines. He came back and told his father and mother, ‘I saw a woman in Timna, one of the daughters of the Philistines. Go and get her for me as my wife.’ Then his father and mother said, ‘Is there any woman among our people that you can marry, because this woman is an uncircumcised Philistine.’ But Samson said, ‘Go get her for me, because she looks good.’” Essentially, Samson said, “Mom and Dad, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I know that this woman looks good and she is the one for me.” Let me tell you, everything that looks good isn’t good for you. Let me say that again. Everything that looks good isn’t good for you, and God knew the parents that Samson needed to have.
Listen to what your parents would say. They would say something like this: “I love you enough. I love you enough to ask you where you’re going, with whom, and what time you will be home.” I know you love it when they do that. “I love you enough to insist that you save enough money to buy a bike for yourself even though we can afford to buy one for you. I love you enough to be silent and let you discover that the new best friend you picked out is a knucklehead. I love you enough. I love you enough to make you go back and pay for that bubblegum you stole yesterday from the clerk, and then I want you to go back and tell the clerk, ‘I stole this yesterday, and I want to pay for it today.’ I love you enough to stand over you for two hours while you clean your room, a job that should have only have taken 15 minutes. I love you enough to say ‘No’ when I knew that you would hate me for it because every other parent in the universe said ‘Yes,’ but I said ‘No.’ I now love you enough to let you go, and trust God.”
Parents, here is a word for you. I told the young people today that God knows the purpose in their life. Parents, let go and let God. I can tell you, Samson’s parents were not very happy. Parents, let go and let God. Samson had to make some decisions for his life despite the fact he knew that God had a plan. Graduates, can I tell you something about your parents? Listen. Listen to your parents. Now hear what I am saying: There are two reasons to listen to them. They are old for a purpose. They are old because they have some wisdom. And here is another secret about why you want to listen to them: They are the only ones who have money. You really, really want to listen to them. So the message today is: God does have a plan for your life, but He chose your parents strategically, and you need to listen to them. And parents, you need to let go and let God.
The final thing I want you to learn from Mister Samson is that God hears your prayers. Samson found himself hooked up with Delilah. Delilah was a bad woman. Say to the person next to you, “She was a bad woman.” She was a bad woman, and when she was done with Samson, he found himself blind, bald, and a prisoner to the Philistines, and he knew that this woman was no good. He probably sang the song, “You’re No Good”. No, I am not going to sing to you now. He knew that she was no good. Samson, being an APU graduate, remembered his APU chapel services, and his Bible classes, and he remembered that prayer makes a difference. I do not care how low you go, you can always pray. Samson found himself between two columns, and he prayed. “Lord, if you would just hear this prayer just this time, Father, I know you would do a great work in my life.” It says Samson killed more Philistines on that day than any day in his life. God knows your purpose, God chose your parents, and God hears your prayers.
Young people, God has a great plan for you. Graduates, I am going to ask you to stand right now. As you stand before the Lord, I want to give you this challenge. Hear these words from the Lord. “Good evening, graduates. From the beginning of humankind, Satan has been prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. But I am coming very, very soon. Graduates, your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to destroy the works of Satan by resisting him. Stand firm in the faith because your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. I promise, after a little while, I will restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast. Remember, the weapons we fight with are not of this world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish every stronghold. Finally, put on the whole armor of God, so when the day comes, you can stand your ground. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ This word is My word, it will never self-destruct, nor will it return to Me void. It will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Now go, and do it.”
