Acts 1:1-11
My Story
Have you ever had to wait for something that you were sure was going to happen? You wait with nervous anticipation, excited and scared at the same time. I went to Paris when I was 16. My mom and I traveled with my French teacher and other students and parents from my school. Going to Paris was a huge dream of mine, so I waited with anticipation for months until the day finally arrived. I was so excited but I was also nervous—what if Paris wasn’t what I expected? What if I didn’t like it? Finally we made it to Paris! And I absolutely loved it. The time I spent waiting made the trip even more special to me. And of course, once I went to Paris, I was never the same. It opened up another world to me and made me want to travel as much as I could. Going to a different country opened my eyes in a way that would never have happened had I simply stayed where I was.
Your Story
Have you ever had to wait for something? Perhaps it was waiting to hear about a job, or waiting for a trip you had been dreaming to take. Maybe your waiting was awaiting the birth of a child, either through pregnancy or adoption. Talk about a time when you were waiting and knew that the thing you were waiting on would change your life.
The Bible Story
Read Acts 1:1-11. From the NIV: In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
One of the last things Jesus told the disciples was to wait. The disciples were to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. Have you ever thought about what must have been going through the disciples’ heads? Their world had already been turned upside down. Their wonderful teacher, who they thought would change the world and overthrow Rome, had been killed on a cross. And then suddenly, he was back. Jesus had risen from the dead! But just as they had finally gotten used to the fact that Jesus was, in fact, alive again, he talked about leaving. But he wasn’t going to leave them alone. Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to them. But what did that mean?
Once Jesus was taken up into heaven, I imagine the disciples looked at each other and thought “what now?” They waited in Jerusalem like Jesus told them to, but they didn’t know quite what they were waiting for. But having seen Jesus alive from the grave, they trusted that he would do what he said. Can you imagine the anticipation they must have felt? Jesus had totally changed their lives once, and deep down, they knew that the Holy Spirit, whatever that was, would change their lives again.
We know that the Holy Spirit did change their lives forever. They would no longer have to ask the priest what God wanted them to do. Instead, they had the Holy Spirit living in them, guiding their path and showing them what was right.
Discussion
• Ask your kids about some of the things they’ve had to wait for, like Christmas, their birthday, finding out if they made a team, etc. How did they feel as they waited? Did what they were waiting for change their lives? How?
• If your children have been baptized, ask them how they felt waiting to be baptized.
• Explain to your children that the Holy Spirit is actually God. Talk to them about the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—you can talk about how the Trinity is kind of like an egg: an egg is one thing, but it is made up of three things—the shell, the egg white, and the yolk. In the same way, God is God, but God is also the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Action and Prayer
• Is there anything you are waiting for as a family? If so, talk about the anticipation of it together.
• As you wait for something (even if it’s just the school bus) this week, remind your children that the act of waiting can be very important. It can help us be more patient as we learn to wait. It can also make what we are waiting for more exciting and even better than we are expecting.
• Thank God for giving us the Holy Spirit. Ask God to help you and your family to listen for what the Holy Spirit wants you to do this week.
Jessica Asbell is currently serving as the Minister to Children at First Baptist Church of Roswell, GA. She has worked with children in various capacities at several churches, including Winter Park Baptist in Wilmington, NC, First Baptist of Decatur, GA, and Highland Hills Baptist in Macon, GA. She has a Master of Divinity from McAfee School of Theology and a BBA from Mercer University. In her spare time she loves to read, watch movies, and of course spend time with her sweet kitty, Lucy.
