John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15
Your Story
Tell your family about a time you relied on the Holy Spirit to help you know the truth. Talk about the situation and how you felt relying on the Holy Spirit.
My Story and the Bible Story
When I write my children’s sermons, I have a process. Usually, I read the Scripture, think about it for a few minutes, and then go do something else. I don’t start writing until I find inspiration. I wait for the Holy Spirit to speak to me. It is only when the Spirit speaks to me that I begin to write. I have learned, by trial and error, to wait. If I try to rush the Holy Spirit, I usually end up rewriting. The Holy Spirit inspires us and helps us know what to do and where to turn. And it even helps us know the right words to say.
Before Jesus left, he told the disciples about the Spirit of Truth. He told them that the Spirit of Truth would be coming from the Father and would help them.
Read John 15:26-27 and John 16:4b-15.
In this passage, Jesus reminds the disciples that if he left them, then the Spirit of Truth would come. With Jesus there, the disciples could ask him what they should do, but after Jesus left, they all would receive the Spirit of Truth. We also call this the Holy Spirit. God gives us the Holy Spirit to help us. When we’re not sure what to do, the Holy Spirit guides us.
On Pentecost, we remember the day the Holy Spirit came down to the disciples. Acts tells us that the Holy Spirit came upon them like tongues of fire. While we can’t see the Holy Spirit the way the disciples did, we know that the Spirit is with us, helping us and leading us. When you’re not sure what decision to make or which way to turn, ask God to help you. God will use the Holy Spirit to help you know what to do. Sometimes this kind of help comes through family or friends, sometimes through people at church, and sometimes in a thought you have that you know is right.
Discussion
- Ask your kids about times when they felt like God was guiding them and showing them what to do. Talk about how that was the Holy Spirit guiding them.
- Make sure your kids understand that the Holy Spirit comes from God, and that it is part of God. Talk about the Trinity (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) and how they all work together.
- Talk about ways you can listen for the Holy Spirit.
- Pray, thanking God for sending the Holy Spirit to help us. Ask God for help in listening to the Holy Spirit.
Rev. Jessica Asbell is the Minister to Children and Families at First Baptist Roswell, where she has been serving since 2012. She has written the children’s curriculum for Smyth & Helwys’s Annual Bible Study for the books of Daniel; Ezekiel; Luke; Jonah; 1 Corinthians; 1, 2, 3 John and Jude; Colossians; The Story of Israel’s Ancestors: Living toward a Promise; and Where Faith & Family Meet: A Book of Weekly Devotions. She has also written for CBF’s Spark and Form and for Affect in CBF’s fellowship! magazine. Married to Jonathan Oravec, Jessica reads every chance she gets.
