Congratulations to the 2009 graduates of Morden Collegiate Institute. Thank you for the humbling honour of praying the prayer of invocation here today.

An invocation is a time honored tradition that is a calling upon God for assistance. It is a recognition of God’s presence in this place and a public witness of God’s role in the lives of these graduating students. Most importantly it is a welcoming of God’s presence into this moment and a seeking of God’s blessing upon these proceedings and all who are involved.

To invoke God at the beginning of this celebration is surely a good thing. The challenge that each of you, the graduating class, must consider however is to ask yourselves if this is enough and to invoke God’s presence and seek God’s blessing every moment of every day for the rest of your lives and not merely on this one occasion, as important as it is. I know you are up to that challenge and I know God desires to meet you each time you call.

Would you bow with me in prayer?

Almighty God and Loving Lord,

We come before you today in the spirit of anticipation and celebration as we seek to honour the hard work and perseverance of the 2009 graduating class of Morden Collegiate Institute, these your children assembled here before You.

It is our humble request that you gift us with an awareness of your gracious presence and call upon your blessing in the lives of each of these students gathered here, all of the teachers and dignitaries present and every friend and family member as well.

My prayer Lord is that the blessing you bestow here today be carried forward in each of these lives and that it become an empowering strength guiding these young women and men to become a movement of unity, love, justice and compassion rooted and founded upon you.

May each person here, especially the graduating class, take hold of the spirit you offer them and may you be their strength, comfort and guide all the days of their lives. May they learn to invoke your blessing and presence in every moment of every day from this day forward and may they carry you into the world transforming it by your power along the way.

Finally Lord may each one here today come to know that the greatest knowledge to be found is the knowledge of your love and forgiveness freely offered to all who call to you.

Thank you for this graduating class, may they reflect your glory in the lives of all that they encounter.

In Jesus name I pray – Amen.