Early in January, I took my final seminary class. I still have my internship class, but this was my last traditional course. It was one of the best classes I’ve had. We spent an intensive week learning about the Holy Spirit from an exceptional professor. However, as often happens, the learning between the lessons proved just as meaningful.
In the middle of the week, Dr. Levison and Dr. Pope-Levison, his wife, invited us over to their apartment for dinner. At dinner, Dr. Levison asked one of us if we wanted seconds. The student said, “Yes, please,” and rose to get more. Before he was even fully out of the chair, Dr. Levison said, “Sit!” His voice wasn’t mean but it was forceful and clear. We were their guests. We were receiving loving hospitality. That night, it was their role to offer kindness and our role to receive it. It was a window into the lives of people full of the spirit.
That week we learned they live on campus. In a dorm building. With undergraduates. Not the kind of thing most people sign up for, but they had felt the spirit calling them to do it. They answered and became “faculty-in-residence” at the dorm, helping to build community and support the undergraduates around them. Their lives became models of discipleship for us.
Our week was full of lessons about the Holy Spirit and it was full of the grace and love overflowing from people who strove every day to be full of God’s spirit. May we be people like that, who understand our calling to serve our neighbors with hospitality, grace, and love.
Blessings,
Pastor Luke