President's Remarks on the Academic Year - Commencement 2026
Graduates, it is my sincere prayer that you will leave this university with two simple but profound lessons that can and will transform everything going forward.
First, it is my prayer that you leave here knowing that, while you are an imperfect person who sins and falls short, you have a God of justice, grace and mercy who loves you more than you can possibly imagine. As one philosopher explained it, you have a God-shaped hole in your heart that can only be filled by God’s love in Christ. You matter to God, so much so that He sent His one and only Son to die for your sins, that you might have life to the full on earth and life eternal with Him and all the saints. That sustained you through the joys and challenges of our time together at Concordia, and it will sustain you in the future. Know this truth. Speak and think about it often. Remind yourself and others about it. It has more relevance to your daily life than you may be able to imagine. No matter what successes or failures await you in the future, God’s love for you and declaration of your worth is beyond doubt. It is certain and secure no matter what anyone else thinks or says. Now to the second lesson.
No matter what successes or failures await you in the future, God’s love for you and declaration of your worth is beyond doubt.
Now that you know this profound and central truth of God’s love for you, you are free…free to live boldly, confidently, courageously, taking on pressing problems, using what you know and can do to bless others, taking on noble and mission-minded quests. You have the freedom now to not only graduate here with a major but knowing that you are embarking on a life of missions, quests and callings to bless and befriend, using all that you have been given to love the many and different neighbors that you will encounter in your life. May God bless each of you as you embark on what He has in store for you next.
Lord God, you have called Your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that Your hand is leading us and Your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
About the Author
Dr. Bernard Bull serves as the 11th President of Concordia University, Nebraska. His work focuses on futures, the philosophy and praxis of Christian education; models of educational research and development; and the intersection of education and digital culture.
Meet Bernard