Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the school year calendar was changed. It is only nowadays that schools and universities are holding their commencement exercises.
Why is graduation called a commencement exercise? Should not be a graduation an ending and not a beginning? In a sense, graduation is indeed an ending of an academic journey but a beginning of another life’s journey.
In the same manner, if you are in Jesus Christ, it is an ending of another kind of life, and commencing into a new one.
In Romans 6:4, Paul wrote, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Water baptism is a very vivid reminder for all of us about commencing a new life. Baptism signifies that we died with Christ, buried with Christ and resurrected with Christ. It is not just a public testimony that you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life but a symbolic reminder of what it means to be a Christian.
We are then reminded of the following:
First, bury your old life.
There are times that our old life wants to come back. If your old life is tempting you, then tell it that it has been already buried in the water and has been washed away already.
Colossians 2:13 is telling us that we were once dead in our sins — “When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins.” So, let us not be buried in our old life but rather bury it.
Second, live a resurrected life.
Death cannot hold Jesus Christ. This means that there is power in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then Jesus is giving you the power to live a resurrected life.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” The resurrection of Jesus has given us the power to live according to the purpose of God as a new creation.
Let us commence a new life with Jesus Christ.
May God bless us all!
Sincerely,
Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Director, Office of Communications
Central Philippine University
Director, Office of Communications
Central Philippine University