8th Grade Celebration Opening Speech

8th Grade Celebration Opening Speech

Good morning. I'm glad you're here and I'm excited to finally be here with you. This is my last 8th grade celebration, and because of that I wanted to take a few extra minutes to share some things with you that are on my heart.

I have watched many of you grow up in these halls. I've seen you on your best days and your not so great days. I've seen you try to figure out who you are, struggle with it, and try to figure it out again. Getting to be here this morning and celebrate with you feels really good.

You made it through three years of middle school. Which, let's be honest, is not always a graceful process. You showed up. You kept going. And this morning we get to celebrate that.

For the last several years I have been coming back to three words with every group of students that comes through these doors: identity, purpose, belonging. It's the very first thing I share at new student orientation. It felt right to close out your middle school years the same way we opened them.

Who am I? Where do I fit? What difference can I make?

Those questions follow you everywhere. They get especially loud at moments of transition, and that's exactly where you are right now.

Let me take a few minutes and work through each one.

Identity - An adolescent's core self-view.

Before you are a student, an athlete, a musician, a class clown, or whatever role you've carved out in these halls - you are an image-bearer. Made by God, known by God, loved by God.

Brad Griffin from the Fuller Youth Institute reminds us that identity exploration is a healthy, non-linear process. Trying different things, changing your mind, not having it all figured out - that's not failure. That's exactly how this is supposed to work. So give yourself some grace.

And here's what grounds all of that. John 15 says: "You did not choose me, but I chose you." That's your foundation. Not your GPA - and nobody has asked me mine in nearly 40 years, and frankly, I don't even remember it. And it is definitely not your social media following. In fact, comparison is the thief of joy, and the minute you start measuring your identity against someone else's highlights, you've already lost. You were chosen. That doesn't change with your performance or your circumstances. When you do your very best and feel good about the results, that's enough. There is no need to compare yourself to anyone else. People compare for all kinds of reasons - some to feel better about themselves, some just looking for reassurance that they're doing okay. But here's what I want you to hear: when you're tempted to compare, and you will, look at Christ. His example will inspire you to do your very best, and his love will comfort you when you fall short of your own expectations.

Some of you are going to receive an award this morning. Maybe more than one. And that is awesome - you should be proud of that. But that award is not your identity. When the applause stops and the certificate goes on the shelf, you are still exactly who God says you are. Chosen. Known. Loved. Whether your name gets called this morning or not - that doesn't change.

Families - when they come home today, remind them that their identity is in Christ. That's the conversation that matters most.

Purpose - what you're here to do.

Jesus talks about bearing fruit in John 15. And I love that image because there are so many different kinds of fruit. Not everyone is wired the same. The fruit you bear is going to look different from the person sitting next to you and that's great.

But all fruit has this in common - it's not for you. The branch doesn't eat its own fruit. It grows something that feeds others. And while you're doing that, the people around you are doing the same for you. You give and you receive. That's how it works.

The way you think, the way you lead, the way you make people laugh or feel seen - that's not accidental. The question worth asking as you head into high school isn't just "What do I want to do?" It's "Who is my life going to be for?"

Alan Noble puts it this way in his book To Live Well: Practical Wisdom for Moving Through Chaotic Times: "Christ has called us to do justice wherever we are, to do whatever extent we are capable. Whenever it is in our power to do good, we are required to do so." That's purpose. Right where you are, with what you have, for the people in front of you. You are not a people who walk alone - you are a people who carry one another.

Make plans - but hold them loosely. The future doesn't exist yet. When your brain starts projecting worst case scenarios into next week or next year, and it will, that's future tripping, and it will rob you of what God is doing right now. His grace is for today. Get back to the people right in front of you. That's where your purpose lives.

Families, your job isn't to push them toward what looks good on a resume. Your job is to pay attention. Watch what lights them up. Get behind that and keep pointing them back to Christ. Remind them that their purpose isn't just about them - it's about the people around them and pointing those people back to Christ. That's your job.

Belonging - where you fit.

High school makes belonging feel like something you have to earn. The right clothes, the right group, the right everything. And if you're not careful, you can spend four years chasing something that was already yours.

You belong to Christ. That's not a consolation prize. That's the most secure thing about you. You can walk into every new room and every new relationship without being desperate for acceptance from people who haven't decided yet whether you're worth accepting. You already know the answer.

That doesn't mean high school is easy. It's not. But you don't have to go into it empty-handed. Sometimes you have to let go of what you're holding so you can receive what's coming.

Families, when they come home feeling like they don't fit - and they will - remind them where they belong. Not just to your family, but to Christ.

Keep pointing them back to these three things - identity, purpose, and belonging. Remind them who they are in Christ when the world - or even they themselves - try to tell them something different. Celebrate their achievements without letting those achievements become the whole story. And when they're not sure where they fit, remind them that their belonging was settled long before high school ever started.

Families, if you've learned one thing from me over the years, it's this. These kids need constant reminders. Their identity, their purpose, their sense of belonging - all of it needs to be rooted in Christ, and it is our job to remind them of that every single day. Not just on the good days. Every day. Accolades are great. Celebrate them. But never let the accolades become more important than who they are in Christ. That's the work. That's your work. And I'm grateful you've trusted us to do it alongside you.

Students, you are known. You are chosen. And we love you as image-bearers of Christ.

Now let's get this morning started. Chaplain Frankie is going to open us in prayer.