Graduation 2005: "glory to God!"

by Judy Vetter, class of 2005

As the graduating Class of 2005 gathered in the basement of Lehman Auditorium, there was an air of excitement and sadness, of apprehension and relief.

We were gathered together for the last time as a group of seminary students. Soon we would be sent out into our various ministries. It would not be as simple as showing up for class to meet with our classmates ever again. We would have to be intentional about being together from now on. As we put on our gowns, arranged our mortar board hats and tried to figure out how to carry our hoods we savored this last time together. We were led in prayer by Lawrence Yoder as we prepared to come upstairs for our commencement exercise.

The day before the auditorium had been empty as we had practiced how to walk, where to sit, how to 'scooch' over to the end of the bench as we prepared to go up to receive our diplomas. The day of graduation the auditorium was filled with our family, our friends and the faculty and staff of Eastern Mennonite Seminary who had become our friends too. It was daunting as we seriously processed down the aisles, three bench lengths apart. The years of reading, writing, listening and reflecting had finally borne fruit. We were there to be recognized in the midst of the assembly for our educational efforts.

As we were seated many of us were able to locate the familiar faces of family and friends behind us. We could see the faces of faculty members as they looked back at us and smiled, assuring us that we had indeed passed their classes. It was almost like watching your life as an observer and realizing that a large part of our lives was being completed and a new thing was about to begin. EMU President Loren Swartzendruber welcomed us and Seminary Dean Ervin Stutzman prayed for God to come and be among us. The singing of "What is This Place?" by the congregation was so beautiful that it sounded like what I imagine heaven will sound like one day.

Seminary graduate Judy Vetter

As Debbie Koontz read the text to be expounded on in the address of Dr. Nelson Kraybill of AMBS, she made the words come alive in a way that I had never heard them before. I was filled with God’s love and knew to expect a word from the Lord in the next few minutes. Dean Stutzman introduced Dr. Kraybill and as soon as he began to speak I felt as if I had always known him, as if he were our pastor.

Indeed, in those moments he became a pastor to pastors, he ministered to those who were being sent out to minister. Using Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, Kraybill reminded us that we were being sent out as leaders in Christ’s holy church. He also warned us that we would meet with opposition, it was normal and to be expected.

He told us that how we faced this future conflict however would determine our effectiveness in ministry. He shared with us a powerful encounter he had with a church leader soon after receiving his call to church leadership. The sage advisor sternly told Nelson to take up his mantle of authority as a true servant of the Lord.

Short of grabbing us by our collars, much as he had felt the force of his mentor’s words, Kraybill told us not to take the authority given to us by Jesus Christ lightly. He counseled us to always be grounded in Christ and to lead with integrity and take up our God-given responsibility. It was a powerful message that many of us needed to hear as we leave the sanctuary of seminary and go out to lead. I will always remember his words of advice.

I was so proud of Ken Burkholder and Lorie Hershey as they stood to represent our class and reflect upon our collective reflections. They spoke with ease and with God’s grace as they made us laugh at ourselves and at the same time brought us close to tears.

As Stutzman and Associate Dean Sara Wenger Shenk took their places on the stage, my heart began to race as I realized that this was it. This was the culmination of many years of following God’s call. It seemed like only yesterday …

We all sat and listened as our names were called. We received our diplomas from Swartzendruber as Shenk prophesied our futures. Then we carried those strange hoods to the dean as he correctly placed them on our shoulders, much in the vein that Elijah passed the mantle on to Elisha. I watched as each of my friends received both the rights and the responsibilities of the fruits of their labors.

As we processed out of the auditorium, we could see the smiles on the faces of those who had come to celebrate with us. It was a most excellent day. Glory to God!