Here is a true story reported in the Boston Globe earlies this summer: Seventeen-year-old Verda Tetteh was the valedictorian of her high school class this year at Fitchburg High School in central Massachusetts. A brilliant student, Verda plans to study biochemistry at Harvard, on her way to a medical career.
At the graduation ceremony, the principal announced the recipient of the school’s annual General Excellence Award, given each year to a graduating senior. The prize includes a $10,000 scholarship, which can be renewed for up to four years. This year’s recipient was Verda.
Verda happily accepted the award to the cheers of her classmates. But when she sat down, she says, “it hit me. This is $40,000. That’s a lot of money. Obviously, I could use it. But there’s definitely someone sitting in this crowd who needs it more.”
So Verda got up and went back to the podium. She apologized for interrupting the ceremony, and then said in a trembling voice: “I am so very grateful for this. But I also know that I am not the one who needs this the most. Knowing my mom went to community college, and how much that was helpful, I would be so very grateful if the administration would consider giving the General Excellence scholarship to someone who is going to a community college.”
Her fellow classmates and the crowd at the ceremony were stunned. Then they cheered and rose in a standing ovation. The school superintendent said later, “Everybody got it. What we witnessed was the ultimate in generosity.”
Verda and her mother Rosemary came to Massachusetts from Ghana when Verda was eight years old. Her mother has been Verda’s inspiration: Rosemary got her associate’s degree from a local community college at the age of 47 while working full-time caring for people with disabilities and raising Verda and her three siblings.
“We’re blessed to be a blessing,” Verda said after the graduation. “I thought that I was in the position where God has blessed me so much, and I thought it was the right thing to do to bless someone else.”
In the gospel, there is young boy some bread and fish. Not much. But he offered what he had. He didn’t have enough to feed the entire crowd, but what he did have, he gave. Now each of us can think about what we don’t have. That is, I don’t have enough this or enough of that.
But we all have certain things. In fact, we all have gifts. I want you to think of a spiritual gift that you have. For example: laughter, understanding, tears, forgiveness, time, generosity, hope. Now what do you do with you gift? Well you could just hang onto it and use it for your own purpose. OR you could open it up, offer it out . . . . and do what the young boy did: give it to Jesus.
When that happens. Great things can happen. Actually miracles WILL happen. But it starts with you. So we have a challenge for you [reveal tag board with post-it notes of various gifts]. As you leave today, look over the gifts posted on the board. Choose one that you have. And take the slip with you and post it somewhere that you will see this week. Then each day . . . say a prayer that you can present this gift - somehow - somewhere this week. See what happens.
Verda recognized the gift she was given and she helped someone else. May you do the same.