Matthew 13: 3-8: And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow."And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots. Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty fold.

Seniors: Here you are. It’s your last big event in Cordier Auditorium. You’re four hours from leaving us, and we will genuinely miss you. But for a few short minutes, I want to talk about how you were when you arrived ... and then, how you grew here.   

When you got here, you were like the seed in the parable. Most of you were ready to grow. But the growth did not happen the same way for everyone. How you came to be sitting here now is the gift we celebrate today.

You didn’t get here by yourself. None of us did. You are sitting here today because a choir of family members, friends, teachers, neighbors, roommates, pastors, police officers, counselors, tutors, coaches, choir directors, siblings, and professors helped you. To those people, you can honestly say, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

In the long procession of Manchester College professors and graduates are many whose lives were transformed by their time here.

When he was just 21, the chair of our Board of Trustees, Sam Gunnerson, arrived at Manchester with his wife Norma and their little baby. Dr. Bill Eberly, the Manchester College biology professor and pastor who had officiated at Sam and Norma’s marriage, helped them make the transition here. Sam got a job delivering milk to people’s homes, as was the practice then. He studied accounting with Professor Art Gilbert and quickly learned the demands of that rigorous program. His professors encouraged him, and they also challenged him to build habits of reliability and focus.

After they graduated, the Gunnersons developed a very successful system of retirement homes where residents and employees were treated with integrity and respect. They often say, “We couldn’t have done it without others helping us find our way.”

Sam’s experience is like the parable that we heard. Yours may be, too. 

The biblical story tells us that “he spoke to them at length in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow.’” Imagine that the story was about your arrival at Manchester College.

When he sowed this new class for the College in August 2004, some students attended too many parties and skipped too many classes, and the Academic Standards Committee said, “You need to leave for a while, get a sense of direction, build some good study habits and reapply.”

Other students fell on rocky ground by getting involved in too many clubs and sports so that there was no time to study. They lost their sense of direction. They spent many tuition dollars without much progress or learning. Some students first fell where there was little soil because they watched TV and did so much texting that they didn’t dig into their coursework, and their learning and their GPAs withered for lack of roots.

Other students fell among friends who didn’t stay focused on school – but they had a great time on spring break and fall break and Christmas break and Easter break.  They just forgot about studying because all that fun choked it out.  

But most students eventually fell on rich soil. In fact, they look like the graduates sitting right here with us. They connected with their faculty members. They went to the Success Center. They developed roots here. They organized MAC events and tutored with Americorps. They studied abroad, and took advantage of conversations with their professors to learn even more than what was covered in class.

They avoided studying for finals by playing ball each pre-finals week in the Rhiney Bowl. They found that what their coaches taught them also applied to their classes. They even went to Career Services before they were seniors. And these students produced fruit. They completed their requirements. They learned important concepts in classes. They learned how to speak and write well.  

Every one of the students graduating today arrived with the seed for learning and growth, but like us all, some of them landed in places and with people that damaged their potential. Some of you have made bad choices, gotten in trouble with the law or with our conduct or code or with a professor or coach. Our mistakes can derail us, but more often, they are lessons that prepare us to make better choices in the future. You turned mistakes into lessons. Look at you now. More focused. More grateful. Ready to graduate.

Others of you could not germinate quickly to your full potential because of factors beyond your control. Family illnesses and deaths. A parent losing a job.  Financial challenges. Torn ACLs. But look at you now. More focused. More grateful. Ready to graduate.

Some of you shared stories about people from whom you have learned a lot during your time here. The people who represent the “fertile soil” where you landed and learned:

• During her student teaching, Melanie DeGrandchamp learned a lot about determination from a fifth-grade physical education student in a wheelchair who has many physical challenges. Melanie observed that on those days when we are not being thankful for what we have, we need to look at the world like this little girl does, because she wants to do everything she possibly can.

• Ryan Deeter learned from his mother, “Always be aware of all sides of the story, even if you disagree.” Ryan has taken this counsel to heart and knows that “being able to gain different perspectives and realize that you don’t know everything is essential to learning. He adds: “Thank you, Mom.”

• Sarah Yocum’s wise father told her, before she left for study abroad with BCA in Barcelona, “Don’t let your education get in the way of your learning.” While Sarah (a Spanish major) immersed herself in the Catalan culture in Barcelona, she realized the wisdom of her father’s advice about appreciating diversity and the value of travel. The seeds of her curiosity sprouted.

• Joe Klee, an education major, found Professor Stacy Stetzel’s classes to be fertile soil for learning. He reflected that “Professor Stetzel has an amazing ability to open students’ eyes to all of the different ways to teach. I have always known that I wanted to teach and thought I knew how, but she bubbled over with so many different and fun ways to get the content from the book to students’ brains.”

• Shawn Baker’s influential teacher is his dad, who taught him the value of hard work. Shawn remembers his dad working ... a lot. Shawn says: “Dad worked hard all the time. He would go the extra mile to make sure the customer was happy. He always made sure that the job was done on time. It was always done right the FIRST time; It had to be. I know, I've worked for him. I don't think he knows he has had this effect on me, but I appreciate the fact that he did it and I look to take the values he taught me into my profession. Thanks, Dad.”

The parable of the sower is a story about a Manchester College education like the ones these students and all of you have had.

You didn’t do it alone. At some point, you landed on fertile soil. Perhaps it was a professor or a friend, or even your mother lettting you go so that you could make your decisions yourself.

God brings people into our lives at just the right time. Today, amid the bustle and excitement of the day – and every day – I hope you will take a moment to breathe in deeply and consider: Who helped me get here today? Then do two things:

• Tell them thank you.

• Pass on the gifts you received to others, including gifts to this College so that future students can receive scholarships like you did. In all places you work and live, pass on the gifts you receive.

Take time to breathe in deeply and consider right now: Who helped me get here today?

And be thankful. 

And the people said: Amen.