Wayfinders (Baccalaureate Sunday, June 5, 2016)

Audio Link to Sermon

Six miles of rope.  That’s what lashes together the Hokule’a, stem to stern, a 60 foot catamaran-style canoe with twin sails.  The Hokule’a, crewed by 12 Hawaiians is built in the style of the ships that their ancestors sailed hundreds of miles to settle the islands of Hawaii.  Sailing west for the last many months, the Hokule’a sailed up the Potomac to Washington, DC last week.

It is remarkable that a rotating crew of no more than a dozen have made this journey around the world thus far in a vessel of such ancient design and materials.  But far more impressive than the tools and the technology, the raw material, or the traditional design… is the method… the way this crew has navigated from their port of origin.  They… are Wayfinders.

Wayfinding is a method of navigation not widely used for the last 600 years.  It takes years of learning and practice, not to mention constant vigilance, fine tuning, and guidance from a seasoned Wayfinder.  This method relies on a combination of knowledge and observation of constellations, currents, winds, sea life and birds, and the rhythm of the waves as they move under the vessel and are felt from one foot to the other of the navigator who stands at the stern.  And… as importantly as observing all of those elements, a Wayfinder must have a nearly perfect memory and recollection of where he or she has traveled so far in the journey, a mental map.  The navigator often has to stay awake for 18 to 2 hours a day to accomplish this.

This fascinates me and I stand in awe of the inspiring undertaking of this vessel and her crew that have already traveled 26,000 miles.  But what does it have to do with you, graduates?  Why don’t you tell me?

Have any of you undertaken a long journey of any sort?  Are you about to?  In your long journeys, have you had help?  Training?  Have you been given tools?  Have you learned to read the signs?  To look to the horizon and set a goal for yourself?  Has looking back from where you come helped you to find your current whereabouts and set your course for your destination ahead?  Where have you been?  Where are you now?  Where are you going?

Those questions are not separate!  They are, in fact, inseparable!  Where you have been, each moment, each decision, each event, each day, each accomplishment, each gift or lesson, and even each obstacle or storm has brought you here.  And each of them has helped you choose where to go next.  You have been guided to where you sit now and the accolades you wear and boast, the offers you’ve received, the awards you’ve earned.  And none of you sits here alone.  You sit here because of the family God has given you, the teachers, the mentors, the church, the heroes of your faith journey, and the gifts God has bestowed upon you. 

Our reading from I Samuel tells us that our God is a God of knowledge, that God is a rock like no other.  It tells us that God has set the pillars of the world, that God will guard the feet of his faithful ones, and break his adversaries.  Who you are is not nearly as important as whose, you are God’s child.

Your family knows this, your family off birth and your faith family, into which you were adopted in your baptisms and professions of faith, and your participation.  You have learned, as the writer of our Romans passage to let your love be genuine, to abhor evil, and to hold fast to that which is good.  You have learned to serve the Lord, to contribute to those in need, to seek to show hospitality, to bless those who persecute you, to weep with those who weep, to associate with the lowly.  Have you done this?  Will you always?

If your enemy is hungry, will you feed him?  If she is thirsty, will you give her something to drink?  Will you be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good?  Will you?  Will you?

I know you will.

Each of you has been a part of the crew in your life, in this faith community, in your schools, in your homes, in service to others.  You’ve learned to hoist the sails, to tie the knots, to work with others, to look out for one another, to pick up the slack, to take discipline and learn from it, to watch out for danger, to point it out to others, to fend for yourself, and to care for those in need, and… to find your way… together.  Each of you has been given opportunities to be the navigator.  After much learning, preparation, small tests, and evaluation, you’ve been entrusted to bear your own responsibilities… as you should… and to lead.  Most of you have helped to lead worship, to teach a Sunday school class or lesson, to tutor someone, to teach a skill on a worksite, or to impart wisdom about something important to a younger sibling, a classmate, or even us adults.

Like the Wayfinders, you’ve had to find your bearings, look to the horizon, look to the changing environment, find what’s familiar or new, rely on past experience, remember where you’ve been and who has sent you, and trust that you’ll be guided not just by your own knowledge, but by the Spirit that blows where God guides, and the rhythm of the waves that will carry you somewhere new.

My prayer for all of you is that you find a way… to see and remember where you’ve been… be aware of where you are… and learn to understand and strive for where God calls you to go.  I want you to see where you’ve been, know where you are, and discover where God is calling you next.  For you, too, are a Wayfinder…

I got married just a few weeks ago.  On our wedding day, I had a small present for Jessica.  I had found an artisan who stamps coordinates – latitude and longitude – onto small copper washers.  I added places of significance to us in our journey together thus far.  One was the place we met, another was our first date, first home we would share together, where we got married, and so on.  It was a way for her to look back and see where we have been, and to express a hope that we would add to this collection as we journeyed on in our future as a family together.  Where you have been and who has been with you is a strong indicator of where you will one day be and who you will become.

I want you to close your eyes for a moment.  It’s something Wayfinders must do often.  I want you to picture where you’ve been.  I’m sure many images could come to mind.  But I want you to remember landmarks.  I want you to remember your first introductions to God and faith.  Who was there?  Who taught you?  Who was with you?  Was it in class? Camp?  At home?  Your church home? 

What about the times of trial for you?  Were the same people there?  Did the lessons and love they shared with you bring you comfort or direction?  Are any of those people here with you today? 

And lastly, before you open your eyes, who do you imagine will be there in your next moments?  Have you met them yet?  Will it be your family and friends you know now?  Will it be God that you turn to when the seas are rough?  Will it be God you turn to in thanks when you reach your next destination or weather the storm and choppy water? I hope that it will be.  Now I want you in the congregation to keep your eye closed.  Graduates, open your eyes, stand, and turn around.  See all those here today.  These are people who have promised, and are promising today to love and nurture you and give you a home here whenever you return.  Take a good look.  Congregation – now you can open your eyes.  These young people are Wayfinders.  They are children of God.  They are your family.  It is up to you to make this a place that is always home for them, and to keep praying for them and teaching them lessons, and giving them a turn to navigate.  Graduates, you can sit.

The Wayfinders of Hawaii aboard the Hokule’a have more than a year left in their journey.  When they complete it, they will arrive… home.  That is the journey we are all on.  None of us is home yet.  But you have been given tools to use… your mind, your intellect, your education, the prophets, your savior and redeemer, your years of Sunday school and youth group and mission trip lessons, your mentors and loved ones… and an understanding that in prayer and daily seeking… God will guide you in the Spirit in every move you make, today, and evermore.  YOU are a Wayfinder… As you stand on your ships and look around you and feel the waves below your feet… We want you to see where you’ve been, know where you are, and discover where God is calling you next.  May all your journeys one day lead you home.

Benediction:  Sailors all know something we too often forget.  We think of wind and waves as obstacles to our journeys.  Sailors know you can get nowhere without the wind and waves.  They carry you to your destination.  The earliest Christians were known as "followers of the Way."  You are a Wayfinder.  As you go from this place and feel the waves move below you, remember that you go nowhere in your journey by accident, but that God has sent you, and you go nowhere alone, but that God's Spirit guides you... this day, and evermore.  And all God's children said... Amen.