The Graduate -- Luke 8:16

We are very proud of you Luke. You exemplify the responsible first-born child. We count on you often, and you always come through. You are a good example for your younger siblings.

Tonight you get to toss your tassel from left to right or right to left—whatever is correct. And you get to wear your white cord over the orange and blue. You’ve done well and you deserve to be honored this evening.

A lot has happened these past four years. You’ve made lots of friends and driven many miles back and forth to Cooper for classes and extra-curricular stuff, usually stuffing four other people into your small Toyota pickup as you bounced down County Road 9 and Winnetka Avenue. You’ve eased the transition for our foreign exchange students by showing them the ropes. You started out as the little host brother and finished up as the older host brother.

Music seemed to be your life at Cooper. You played a big part in band, qualifying for symphonic band as a junior. You left home extra early on Friday mornings to be a part of the number one Jazz Band playing a mean bass. My favorite event, however, was your involvement in the school’s musical Godspell. As a sophomore you were chosen to play all the guitar parts, both electric and acoustic. And you played wonderfully. It was the drama teacher’s last year directing and the entire cast and band rose to the occasion and presented weeks of unforgettable plays. I can still feel the emotion and power of the presentation. I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the house during the last performance, saying good-bye to Herm and relating to the story. All the students could feel that they too were disciples saying good-bye. You also endured the heat and humidity of marching band practice, the challenge of playing for a mediocre football team (trying to raise crowd enthusiasm), and the music awards nights on beautiful spring evenings.

I also hear that you read a book or two, took an occasional test, stayed awake during lectures, ate school food, dealt with silly school rules, and made some new friends. I hope and pray that you look back on these years with joy, laughter, gratefulness, and pride. We are proud of you, Luke!

Go let your light shine brightly.