Gracious one, the Campbell Hall class of 2024 and those who love them are calling us to lean in. In this world, we’re tempted to back away, look before we leap, verify before we trust, and conserve our capital, emotional and otherwise. Opening our evening with prayer, about to lean in and give his all and his best to his 22nd year as our head of school, surely Julian is a paragon of servant leadership.
And God of all, tonight Grace taught us to lean into your heart of love by starting our day with gratitude and appreciation – not by complaining or worrying or keeping score, but by saying thanks to you and those we love. We want to live in Grace’s world, where we ask everybody to sign our shirt, all of our best friends, wherever we may find them – adding them to the roster of livelong friends made at Campbell Hall.
Mila teaches us to lean into uncertainty, not pretending to know all the answers – we won’t learn more without asking questions – and remembering that truth often resides in the grey areas, in the middle of the road, in ambiguity and nuance.
And Daniel brings it home by inviting to lean into our innate and incalculably great capacity for doing good — always looking for the light hiding in the shadows, and being willing to do the right thing even if we’re the only ones who see the light.
We give you thanks for all these witnesses tonight, gracious God, and for the gift of this class. May they always lean on you – because, and here’s another paradox of faith, because we know, mighty one, that you’ll be leaning on them. Amen.
— My closing prayer at Campbell Hall commencement ceremonies Tuesday evening at The Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. The Rev. Canon Julian Bull is head of school. Grace Greer, Mila Mijailovic, and Daniel Dumontet were the student speakers. On the recommendation of the chaplains, the Rev. Canon Norman Hull and the Rev. Joseph Courtney, I presented the Bishop’s Award, which honors spiritual expression and commitment, to Justin Stark.
