Value & Formation: Head of School Address

June 21st, 2023

The following address was given by our Head of School, Jim Knight at Pacifica’s commencement ceremony on June 9, 2023.

Graduates, we are thankful for each of you. We want to express our love for you and are grateful that we have been part of your lives for the past four years. Tuesday evening was our senior dinner. It was like a rehearsal dinner. Today is the formal celebration that marks the end and the beginning of two distinct chapters in your life. So, we pause today to take it all in, to reflect, and to remind each other of what is good, true, and beautiful.

Graduates, you matter. Each one of you matters. All that you do matters—the accomplishments, the failures, the small and grand things, and everything in between matters. That is a profound claim and one that should shape who we are.

The question is: why do you matter? The answer to that question provides meaning and direction for your lives. It is the bedrock upon which to build your lives. Why do you matter? It is because you have been fearfully and wonderfully made. Each one of you has been created in God’s image. As such, you, and all of us, are image-bearers of a good, loving, sovereign, and eternal God. You are not just cells and DNA; although you are certainly physical, God intended it that way. You are not just minds solving complex problems, although our minds are God-given and are meant to be developed and used as gifts. You are not just emotions and desires; some bring joy and goodness, while others lead us astray. In addition to these things, you have an eternal soul. You have been marked with God’s image. You are an expression of God on earth. A picture of His goodness, love, creativity, grace, and wisdom. Not only are you a picture of God, but each of you is also a unique expression of God. Not one of you is alike. You were purposely and uniquely made in His image for a reason. To glorify God, to bring goodness to others, and to find joy and flourish in your own lives. You reflect God to the world. That is a significant truth; it is a privilege and something we should take seriously. Because you matter, you are not alone, have never been alone, and will never be alone. The God who made you, knows you and loves you, is with you, and will never let you go. He is close and walks with you through all of life—the good and the bad. In the heavenly dictionary, the word alone is not there. If you look it up, it doesn't exist. We are known and loved.

Graduates, knowing that we matter, why we matter, and that we have an eternal purpose, the question is to whom we shall look to as the source of all life, as the source of joy, goodness, peace, purpose, and wisdom. We have two choices. We can look to ourselves as the center point of life, looking in, or we can look to God as our foundation, looking out. Looking in or looking out: those are the options. If you are like me, I look in, into myself, far too much. The problem is that my heart, mind, desires, and emotions can be easily deceived. They’re sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Our society encourages us to look inside, to the self, as the source of all knowledge, goodness, meaning, and joy. Today, I want to remind us that looking outward, to God, to shape and mold our thoughts, desires, emotions, and bodies and feed our souls is a recipe for our own flourishing and that of those around us. It is in Him that we have our origin. It is in Him that we live, move, and have our being. Graduates: allow God to form your lives. Look outward. Place yourself in His capable hands; look outward.

While we are tempted to prioritize performance and expression, as is all the rage these days, and push formation aside, I posit that a well-lived life moves formation by God to the forefront. The creator brings life to the created, not the reverse. God is the artist creating a beautiful work. The valuable marble shows signs of greatness as the artist slowly and meticulously works. Let us allow Him to create and do the forming, delicate, important work in our lives that gives us breath, beauty, voices that mimic His eternal word, hearts that love as He loves, eyes that see as He sees, ears that hear as He hears, and minds that think as He thinks. From formation, we have something to say. Not our words, but words linked to and crafted with Him. From formation, we find joy and goodness and are a light to the world. From formation, we are vehicles of grace. From formation, we perform not our own truth, but eternal truths set before the foundations of the world were laid. Our performance comes out of the forming fire so graciously bestowed upon us by God. It is a beautiful dance between our heavenly father and all of His creation. The Heavens sing, and his creation tells of His goodness.

Psalm 121:1-2 highlights this encouragement to look out to our wise and loving God as the source of life. It says, “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” Let’s lift our eyes, cast our gaze, and focus on God. Let us simply look up. C.S. Lewis encourages this posture when he says, “Aim at heaven, and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and get neither.” As we prioritize the eternal, looking out, the temporal, the here and now becomes more beautiful. It is the order of things. This life and eternity are connected. They should not be severed. There is more than just me with my complicated ideas, needs, and desires. There is so much more: grandeur, beauty, and joy when we look out and up. St. Augustine knew it when he said, “My heart is restless until it finds rest in thee.” Let us find our rest, joy, meaning, and purpose in God. It is the way we are designed to operate. Let us set eternity in our hearts and live big and abundant lives, a life more than we could have ever dreamed.

Graduates, you matter. You matter to your parents, to your family, to each other, to us, and, most importantly, to God. More important than what you do with your life, as the options are numerous, is the question of who you are. You carry His image for the rest of your days. That is the centerpiece of your identity. I am excited to see what you will do. I am doubly excited to see who you become as you seek to flourish and bring the eternal down to earth, smashing into the ordinary details of life.

In a few minutes, you will graduate. Then you will head out these doors into the courtyard for pictures, hugs, and celebrations and to mark the end of something special. This will be the last time you will be gathered together. After a while, the sun will begin to set behind the hillside, and people will begin to leave. The crowd will dwindle. As is my tradition, I will step to the perimeter, take it all in, and look at the big picture. The crowd will further dwindle. My heart will be full as I quietly pray for your future. As the last family departs, I will head out, blessed by all of this and knowing that God is good, that He is at work, and that each of you matters. What a great end to this week. One day we will be together again in the presence of our Lord, hearing Him say, “Well done, my good and faithful servants.” Until that day, may God richly bless you, and may you continue to think and live well. Congratulations!