God is about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
Commencement Address 2009
Dean Mary Elizabeth Moore
God is about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? God is about to do a new thing, graduates, … do you not perceive it? God is about to do a new thing – parents, sisters, brothers, partners, children – can you see it? God is doing a new thing – colleagues and friends – do you not perceive it? These graduates have journeyed together through the School of Theology. Their tears have soaked one another. They have panicked about exams together, worked on projects together, jumped into the joys and fears of learning together. The laughter of one graduate has spread wings and stirred laughter in others. The anger of one has raised angst in others. You have listened to one another, and you have often joined hands in common action.
God has moved in this community, and God has parted many waters! God parted waters of absolute certitude so new ideas could emerge. God parted waters of “my way or no way” so people could see new paths for praising and serving God. God parted waters of not knowing and opened paths where people could wonder, question, discover, and question again. God parted waters of information overload, so people could find paths of wisdom. God parted waters of racial fear, gender stereotypes, and controversies about sexual orientation, so people could walk hand-in-hand, side-by-side. God parted waters when people thought they could not endure the challenges before them.
Isaiah is about happy and hard memories, happy and hard hopes. Indeed, we are not all completely happy on this happy day. Some colleagues will not quite graduate this year. Some loved ones are not present, due to death or life complications. Celebration is tinged with sadness. But Isaiah knows about that! Isaiah is a book of realism, mixed with memory and promise. Key words echo across First, Second, and Third Isaiah – words of judgment, promise, and future. The words pronounce judgment on the past, call people to righteousness in the present, and promise a new future. Why do these words echo? The answer is in God’s own movement through time. Isaiah describes God with echoing verbs: “I am … [present]; I have …[past]; and I will …[future].” I am truly present; I have acted in the past; I will act in the future. The prophet calls the people to repent and to follow the ways of this enduring God. The primal call is to see and hear what God is doing, then to witness and follow. The question itself echoes: “Have you not seen? Have you not heard?”
The central text for today utters these same themes. The text proclaims God’s future – “I am about to do a new thing” and God’s present action – “now it springs forth.” It also challenges – “do you not perceive it?” God is the Holy One who created, formed, and redeemed you, the One who calls you by name, the One who travels with the people through the waters and flames of fire (1-2). The focus of this particular text is Israel. The text declares a powerful relationship between God and God’s people. On the other hand, the text does not focus on the past of that relationship, but on the future and present – a new thing. The God who made a way through the sea is now making a new moment. God even warns the people not to remember former things or “consider the things of old” (18). A new thing is coming, and it is not just for Israel; it is not just for people. Even the jackals, ostriches, and wild animals will be jubilant. The new thing will bring water to the wilderness and rivers to the desert, so people and wild beings may live well. The new thing will stir all creation to praise its Maker.
Until now, I have portrayed this text as promising and hopeful. It is! But that is not all it is. Consider how difficult it is to perceive what God is doing. Many of you graduates wonder what God is doing in your life right now and what you will do with your life next year. Many in this gathered community wonder how you can end violence in your families or on your streets. People of the U.S. wonder how we can remove ourselves justly and peacefully from the war in Iraq. People across the world wonder how to respond to global warming. “God is about to do a new thing … do you not perceive it?” No, we do not always perceive it? Perceiving is tricky.
Perceiving is a gift of God, but we can nourish that gift. Indeed, we nourish it through academic inquiry. At this very moment, in the graduation ceremony of BU’s University Professors Program, Sir Hans Kornberg is describing the wonders of intellectual inquiry. When scholars do research, they discover surprises. In the sciences, people often find a new thing while looking for something else. The discovery of cisplatin worked this way. Barnett Rosenberg discovered cisplatin because he was curious what would happen to bacteria in an electric field. He discovered that bacteria cells change dramatically when placed between platinum electrodes. The resulting compound, cisplatin, is now successfully used to treat many cancers; indeed cisplatin saved the life of Sir Hans’ own son.
Perceiving is nourished by intellectual inquiry – itself a spiritual activity. It is also nourished by spiritual discernment, which we can see in the lives around us. Bernave Fleuriot came to the United States from Haiti many years ago. He was an engineer and expected to work as an engineer here. He couldn’t find a job so, needing to feed his family, he chose to work as a custodian at Boston University. We know him well because he does a magnificent job cleaning, waxing, and bringing cheer to the School of Theology. What you may not know about Bernave is that he is able to perceive. In his disappointing shift of vocation, he perceived an opportunity to work in a setting that would allow his children to get a college education. Indeed, all three of his children graduated from Boston University and now have jobs doing what they love. God did new things in Bernave Fleuriot’s life many years ago, and Bernave perceived it.
Farther away is another man, Romeo del Rosario, who completed his Ph.D. in missions at Boston University in 1981. Romeo returned to California as a pastor. In the twenty-six years since, Romy has perceived what God was doing many times and has picked up his bundles and traveled to faraway places. He served churches and missions in California, Liberia, Jerusalem, Malaysia, and finally his native Philippines. In each tenure, Romy gave his all; he wrote such compelling letters that his friends believed he would never leave. In each place, the people loved him and wanted him to stay. In the Philippines, he was Dean of Union Theological Seminary, and people begged him to stay. That was not to be, for God was doing a new thing and Romy perceived it. Romeo is now in Cambodia, perceiving God’s new thing all over again. The people there want a seminary so they can train pastors and eventually educate their own seminary faculty. Romy has written me this week to ask, “Do you perceive this new thing that God is doing? I want the BU School of Theology to help this happen. Do you perceive it?”
Perceiving is a gift from God, but it is polished through intellectual inquiry and spiritual discernment. Through these, we come to see and hear what God is doing. As you go forth today, diplomas in hand, we pray that you will continue to grow in your intellectual and spiritual senses so you can perceive what God is doing. The future is not yet written, but you do have a promise: “God is about to do a new thing!”