Our main time of discussion in this week's session was centered around the question: "How have you experienced the Holy Spirit?" Each of the table groups spent about ten to fifteen minutes sharing with one another their responses to this question. Since our class is quite diverse in terms of faith background, there was a possibility that some people may not have had an answer to this question, while others may have had an entire catalog of these moments. Here are two of the experiences members of the class shared:
Shannon - Movie Theater Nudge
Her son had gone to see a movie with a group of friends, and right before the movie began, an attendant came through the aisles to perform a ticket check. Unfortunately Shannon's son had thrown his stub away, and was then kicked out of the theater. Standing outside, while all his friends remained, he called her to inform her about the situation. On her way to the theater, she began to get more and more angry that her son had done what was right, by paying for admission, but was being punished for it, while others had gained entry dishonestly. She thought of all the things she wanted to unleash on the management and attendant, but by the time she arrived at the theater, a calmness had come over her. She'd been reminded of her Bible study lesson from that week - do not take vengeance. The Holy Spirit had moved within her, to direct her thoughts, speech, and action towards being more Christlike. When she picked up her son, she spoke with the attendant and management, but rather than yell and fuss, they were able to have a civil and productive dialog.
Mike - From Norman to Christchurch
Mike's family is friends with another family whose daughter is blind. In order to be able to share in community with other blind men and women, she had joined a voice-prompted social network online. One of the people she had begun to develop a friendship with lived in New Zealand. After not receiving any messages from her friend for several days, she felt led to give her friend a call. On the other end, her friend, audibly distressed and in pain, answered. She had been trapped under rubble following the earthquake which rocked Christchurch days before. For whatever reason, her phone had not been able to make or receive calls, and she had given up hope of being found. But then, Mike's friend here in Norman called and it went through. The woman in New Zealand, being blind, was able to give an exact of her location - each step counted, purposed, remembered. From Norman, Mike's friend was able to lead rescue workers directly to her friend's location, where they were able to save her and get her the medical attention she needed.
The Holy Spirit's movement within and among us is powerful. Whether it is the small prompting reminding us of the Scripture we'd read earlier in the day, or as grand as an unprovoked call which saved someone's life, we all are participants in the movement of God's grace.
How is it that you have experienced the Holy Spirit?
Yours,
Michael C. Andres
Director of Discipleship
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