In the hymn How deep the Father's love, I read these words:
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
As I wander into the Florida wilderness for a week's vacation with family, I pray I never forget these incredible words.
Love beyond all measure, I have because the mission of our Lord was finished, once and for all. Even me.
I'm reminded that it is so very important to remember the wonderful cross in everything I do. I only hope when the time comes I can be as disobedient as South Carolina Liberty High School's valedictorian Roy Costern IV was last Saturday.
At the beginning of his speech, he makes a charming joke about his speech having been approved, which means “obviously, I didn’t do my job.” He then rips up the speech, and pulls out another prepared speech, which he then begins to read. A few minutes later, Costner said “I’m so thankful that both of my parents led me to the Lord at a young age,” then reads the prayer, to thunderous applause. The reason this was an act of defiance and not simply just a spiritual moment, is because the Pickens County School District decided to eliminate all prayer from graduation ceremonies this year due to protests from a Wisconsin group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation..
Of course the Freedom From Religion Foundation blasted what it called the “open defiance” of Costern. My problem all along is that in this country by my reading we have freedom OF religion, not FROM. Clearly that has become for me THE issue of the day.
The story continues:
“The valedictorian who so insensitively inflicted Christian prayer on a captive audience at a secular graduation ceremony, is a product of a school district which itself set an unconstitutional example by hosting school board prayer,” FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor said in a prepared statement.
A school district spokesperson said the valedictorian will not be penalized for what he did and Costner told Fox News that he has absolutely no regrets.
“I’m happy with what I did,” Costner said. “I want this to glorify God. I want to use this as a witnessing tool and I hope others will stand up for God in our nation.”He got the idea to deliver the prayer about two weeks ago when he learned that he had been selected as the top academic student in the graduating class. He was summoned to the principal’s office.
“She informed us that we could not have anything about religion or talk about God or Allah or whoever we choose to worship,” he said. “And they had to approve the speech prior to me going onto stage.” The prayer controversy had gripped the small South Carolina community for quite some time – and many locals took issue with a group from Wisconsin causing problems. “Our community is very passionate about prayer in our schools,” Costner told Fox News. “I began writing the speech and I knew from the start that I was going to include prayer.” He talked it over with his father, the youth pastor at Fellowship Community Church. And he also sought the counsel of other pastors in the area.
“They wanted me to make sure I was doing it for God and not myself,” he said.
So Costner spent the next few days in deep prayer and Bible study. “I asked God exactly what He wanted me to do,” he explained. “I was trying to think of a prayer that would suit all denominations. That’s why I went with The Lord’s Prayer.” And on graduation day a very nervous Costner took his place at the ceremony – with a serious case of the jitters. “I was extremely nervous,” he said. “I didn’t know what kind of reaction I was going to get. I didn’t know which way it was going to go.”
And there was another problem. Costner’s speech had already been placed in a binder – on the platform. He would not be able to bring a copy of his replacement speech on stage. What happened will be remembered in Pickens for quite some time – when an 18-year-old boy defied a group of atheists, agnostics and freethinkers. “I was always taught to stand for what I believe in,” he said. “That’s what I believe in. I was thanking my God before everyone. I wanted to give him a shout-out.”
The battleground has been shown to us all. I'm aware there are probably more important issues out there for some, but for me, the ability to sing praise when I so desire, to remember the sacrifice when I can, to acknowledge that God has permitted me to do this I do can never go away.
Even on the hot asphalt of Universal Studios.
If this is what I do when I'm worn, imagine the words shooting off the keyboard when I return. God bless you for the next week. And remember, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, ON EARTH, as it is in heaven.
You go young jedi.
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