Christian Graduation Gifts With a Verse to Carry Forward
A grandmother sits at the back of a gymnasium, a programme folded in her lap, waiting for one name in a long alphabet. She has a card in her purse and no idea what to put inside it.
Short answer: a good Christian graduation gift is small, lasting and honest, such as a print with the graduate's name and a verse, a mug for the first apartment, a Bible, or a letter.
Graduates get a lot of envelopes. What they rarely get is a sentence from someone who knows them, and a verse that was chosen on purpose. That's what a Christian gift can add: not pressure, not a lecture, just a reminder from a person who is on their side.
A word of caution first. Graduation can also be a season when young people drift from church, and a gift that preaches can make that worse. Aim for warm and plain. The graduate should be able to put it on a shelf without feeling watched.
The eight ideas below are in two groups. Three are ours, and I've said what each is and isn't. Five cost little. Our prices were checked on 24 Oct, in Canadian dollars.
Three from our shop
Thoughts of Peace Graduate Print, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). Jeremiah 29:11 on a typographic print with the graduate's name and year. You choose from three sizes, the frame isn't included, and we print it to order with our production partner and ship it to you or straight to the graduate. You see how it will print before you pay. One thing worth knowing: that verse was written to people in exile, and it promises God's care rather than a smooth road. If that fits the graduate, it's a good verse. Best for: a graduate heading into something uncertain. Not for: anyone who would hear it as a promise that everything will go well.
Wisdom Builds a House Mug, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). Proverbs 24:3-4 on a mug, about a house built by wisdom and made firm by understanding, with the household name at the base. We sell it as a modest gift for someone moving into a first place, which is where many graduates are going. Best for: a graduate with a first apartment or a shared house. Not for: a graduate who is living at home and not moving.
Names of Christ Mug, from $25 (our price on 24 Oct). The names given to the promised child in Isaiah 9:6 stacked around a mug in graded type, with the option of adding a name at the base. It isn't a graduation piece, and I don't pretend it is, but it is something to read over the first coffee of a long morning. Best for: a graduate who drinks coffee and likes plain type. Not for: anyone who wants a mug that says "Class of" anything.
Five that cost little
A Bible they will actually open. Choose a readable translation in a size that fits a bag. If you can, let the graduate pick it, or ask their youth leader what they've been reading.
A letter about who they have become. Write two paragraphs about one thing you saw in them in the last four years. Put it in a card and seal it. It's the gift graduates keep.
A care package for the first month. Tea, a small pot plant, a stamp or two and a card with your phone number. It's a gift for the student heading away for the first time.
A written prayer, with a date. Write the prayer you will pray for them in September, and then do it.
A phone call at the first hard week. Put it in the calendar. Some graduates struggle in October, and a call from a trusted adult is worth more than anything you can wrap.
For churches honouring graduates on a Sunday
Many churches give every graduate the same small gift on graduation Sunday. We take church orders from 10 to 200 pieces through the quote form on our church page. Tell us which print you want and how many graduates you expect, and we'll tell you what's possible and what a proof looks like before anyone pays.
What the Scripture says
The psalmist doesn't promise a map. He promises a lamp.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. (Psalm 119:105, KJV)
A lamp shows you the next few steps, which is about what a graduate needs from a gift.
How we chose
Three of these are ours, and I've said that only one of them is designed for graduates. The other five are ideas, not products, because what a graduate remembers is often a letter. We haven't named other shops, and we haven't ranked anything.
Questions people ask
- What is a good Christian graduation gift? A print with the graduate's name and a verse, a Bible, a letter, or a care package. Keep it warm and plain.
- What verse is good for a graduate? Jeremiah 29:11 and Psalm 119:105 are common choices. Pick the one that matches the person.
- Is Jeremiah 29:11 a good verse for a graduate? It's often used that way. It was written to people in exile and promises God's care, so use it with that in mind.
- Can the graduate's name and year be added? Yes, on the Thoughts of Peace print. Check the preview before you pay.
- How much should I spend? Our graduate print starts at $25. Spend what you would on any other family occasion, and write a letter.
Browse our graduation gifts.