"Courage for Justice & Peace"

By Ron Swain

The following Baccalaureate address was delivered to the graduating seniors of Southwestern University by Rev. Dr. Ron Swain in the Spring of 2022.

Imagine that in 2072, fifty years from now, you are attending your 50th class reunion at Southwestern University. You are seated at a round lunch table with a group of your fellow alumni. What are the themes of your conversations?

Or, imagine that in 2072, Southwestern University is honoring you as the Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Talk about the Award and what did you do to receive this recognition?

What are your remembrances of Southwestern? Who do you remember? Faculty, mentors, staff, students?

What was unique about your Southwestern educational experience?

• 2018 – 19 – most of you enrolled as first-year students, excited and anxious, meeting new friends, getting involved in campus activities

• 2019 – 20 – your sophomore year. COVID-19: Spring Break – remote learning

• 2020 – 21 – your junior year. Continued remote learning, limited on-campus activities, no studyabroad, virtual internships

• 2021 – 22 – return in-person to campus in spring. Now you are leaving. What’s next?

Some thought leaders have termed these past two and a half years a proverbial “wilderness” or “desert time.”

How did you use this “wilderness/desert time?”

How were you impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic? The 2020 national election? The murder of George Floyd? The war in Ukraine?

When asked, one campus leader said, “More than anything else. These students developed resilience.”

So I asked, “How do you define resilience?” Her response, “When the world around you is crumbling, they continue to show up.”

So, I ask you. What is your takeaway from these past two and a half years? What did you learn about yourself? What did you learn about the world in which we live? What did you learn about your place in this world? What have you learned at Southwestern that will give meaning and purpose for you in this world?

I invite you to consider these three words: Courage, Justice, and Peace.

The Old Testament Prophet Micah says it this way, “What does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

Courage – the strength of heart to rise up, stand up, and speak up for what you believe in, what you value, what you are passionate about. Courage causes one to take risks, to move from places of ease and comfort. Courage is a willingness to be vulnerable and to face uncertainty with confidence. Courage calls one to act on behalf of those who cannot or who lack the confidence to act for themselves. These actions may cause one to get into trouble, but the late Congressman John Lewis, said “I don’t mind getting into trouble, if it is good trouble.”

Justice – Doing justice suggests seeking the truth and following it. Justice is righting the wrongs. Standing against violence, poverty, racism and bigotry. Justice is working to create a safe, clean habitat for everyone. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once wrote, “I believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.” In 1964, Ernest Clark was the first African American full-time student to enroll at Southwestern University. Fifty years after Mr.

Clark’s graduation in 1969, the University named a residence hall in his honor in 2019.

Peace – President Ronald Reagan once stated that “Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” Our world needs peace makers and peace builders. After witnessing George Floyd’s murder on TV and controversies over wearing masks and getting vaccinations because of COVID-19 and the 2020 national elections, an 86-year-old woman explained that she could not get the word “PEACE” out of her head. During Advent of 2020 she heard a sermon about Peace. At the end of the sermon the musician sang “Let there be Peace on earth and let it begin with me.” In her sleep, she saw the word “PEACE.” So she concluded that perhaps the message was for her to do something about peace. And she did. She gathered a small group of seven people and together, they planned the first annual Walk for Peace in Georgetown, Texas. On March 19, 2022, more than a hundred folks in Georgetown gathered at the San Gabriel Park for this Walk. Laurie Schwenk is eighty-six. She witnessed injustice and she had the courage to walk for peace. Margaret Mead, the American cultural anthropologist, said, ”Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.”

Fifty years from today, you may be invited back to Southwestern to tell your story or to receive an honor. What will be your story?

Benediction: Take Courage, Work for Justice and Peace. Dietrich Bonhoffer, the German theologian, said it this way, “Silence in the face of evil, is evil. Not to act is to act. Speak up and do justice.”

Ron Swain joined the First United Methodist Church Georgetown Discipleship Team in March 2014 as director of Transformative Mission Ministries, which is grounded in the Great Commandment, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart … and Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36–40) Previously, he had an extensive career in higher education administration, most recently as senior advisor to the president at Southwestern University. In addition, he was engaged in numerous civic and nonprofit organizations in Georgetown, Texas, including the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce, the City’s Economic Development Commission, The Georgetown Project, Habitat for Humanity, the Rotary Club of Georgetown, and the Williamson County Institute for Performance Excellence in Nonprofits.

Ron’s passion for human development, organizational performance, and community service has been reignited by his reading of Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts. His thinking about Christian community development has been enhanced by site visits to Mission Waco, Mission Houston, and participating in the Texas Christian Community Development Conference. Ron has also been inspired by the current work of the Texas Methodist Foundation (TMF), and especially the writings of Gil Rendle. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Ron aspires to become a servant-leader. Ron is married to Chrystle, and for fun they enjoy Friday nights at the movies.