Earlier this month I spent a weekend in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Mount Zion Baptist Church, which is led by my friend Bishop Joseph Walker, III.

Bishop Walker had invited me to preach to his congregation on a day devoted to honoring those who were graduating from one level of education to another.

Early in a two-hour (plus) service, the graduates paraded, single-file, to the front of the sanctuary to be acknowledged by the audience, to receive a gift, and to pose for individual photos with the Bishop. I'm guessing at the number of people in that parade, but I'll bet it was well north of 200.

First, came beautiful children who were transitionng from kindergarten to first grade. They were followed by handsome teen-agers who graduate this month from high school. After them: a dignified line of college graduates and those who have just received master's and Ph.D. degrees.

As each—from the smallest to the oldest—was introduced by name, a word was said about what they intended ...