A Tribute to
KENNETH OSWALD SMITH
Who is Awarded the Degree of Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa)
this 9th Day of May, 1994
by the Regent College Faculty, Senate, & Board of Governors
Bless God for this measure of a man whose light
is not hidden under a basket, though his right hand
hides itself from his left.
Whose quiet giftedness has not been buried, nor wrapped uselessly
in a cloth in the ground, but gathers and gathers,
multiplying itself to make rich the kingdom.
Who has always given his gold to God, asking no return.
Whose salt is potent, flavoring the world’s blandness,
blunting its bitterness in the mouths of the needy, seasoning food for
the hungry,
Because he himself has an appetite and thirst for God,
he will be fed the food of heaven, and the best wine at the last.
Blessed is this man for whom frustration is a challenge for faith,
whose vision sees beyond the barrier, who lifts prayers like banners
before the Lord.
It is he who steps out boldly, leading the fearful,
showing them a way through the wasted land.
Blessed is he in whose heart is music,
and whose voice makes a song for the Lord and his people.
Jehovah will inhabit his praising.
Glory be to God for a man whose covenant does not waver,
who lives his promises, making truth visible--a beacon in a dark night.
The lantern in his steady hand shows God-light in the faces of the
faithful,
and in his own face (though he does not know it).
He shall be honored, because through him
the believers are heartened, the kingdom is enlarged,
and the Lord’s name is made beautiful and precious.
Luci Shaw - 1994