AGE: Juniors |
THEME: God giving New Life |
AIM: |
| To develop an understanding that the work of the Holy Spirit brings life. |
PREPARATION / RESOURCES: |
You will need:
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PRESENTATION: |
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I've brought something with me today but I hope I won't need it! It's in my pocket. Any ideas what it could be? If it's in my pocket is it going to be big or small? A quick clue: 'I use them when it's very cold outside'. Yes it's a pair of gloves. Describe this glove for me. What colour is it? What material is it? Is it thick or thin? Any clue if it's a right or left handed glove? Does it move on its own? A glove looks completely lifeless on its own. It can't pick anything up, give a wave or keep your hands warm! How can you make a glove useful? Yes - you must put it on! There, that's better - my hand's nice and warm now and it's filling this glove. The Bible encourages Christians to be filled by the Holy Spirit. When I placed my hand into this glove it took control of the glove and gave it movement - gave it life. See - its fingers are moving; waving; pointing; stopping; showing the way, calling you over. My hand has taken full control of the glove. Part of the work of God's Holy Spirit is to take control of the lives of Christians. What happens to my hand when it's in the glove? That's correct - you can't see it. Can you think of a better word to describe this, Year 5 or 6? Well done - it's invisible. In the second chapter of the book of Acts (in the Bible) we learn a lot about the work of the Holy Spirit. There the Holy Spirit is described as a wind. Why do you think the author of Acts chose that comparison? Yes, because the wind is also invisible. A quick puzzle: If you can't see the wind how do you know it's there or that it really exists at all? Yes, you can see its effects - leaves blowing in the wind, for example. When God's Holy Spirit is at work in a church, community or in the life of an individual you can also see its effects. Some of you might like to research in the New Testament to find examples of this. On its own the glove can't pick anything up. Who can remember what it needs to be able to pick up this book? Yes, it needs a hand in it to help it. The Holy Spirit is also described by Jesus as a helper who can help us face things and do things that would be impossible otherwise. 'I will ask the Father, and he will give you another helper, the Spirit of truth, to stay with you forever.' (John 14:16). Jesus knew that his disciples would be at a loss without him but here he promises that God would send the Holy Spirit to be with them forever. And what a difference it made to their lives when the Holy Spirit came (see Acts 2). What is the glove doing now? Yes, pointing. We've already heard that the Holy Spirit is a helper but now we also find that the Spirit helps by pointing the way or guiding people to God. 'He is the Spirit who reveals the truth about God.' John 14:7 (Good News Bible). Before we finish I want you all to do one thing for me. Act as someone pointing a finger at someone else, but I want you all to point towards me - isn't that a change!!! Go on point your finger towards me as if you are giving me a row. OK - freeze! Have a look at the hand that's pointing a finger towards me. What do you notice? How many of your fingers are pointing towards me? Yes, one finger only. Where is your thumb pointing? Yes, upwards. Where are the other three fingers pointing? Yes, back towards you! There are more fingers pointing back towards you than there are towards me!!! Part of the work of the Holy Spirit is to show that although we often find faults in others (the one finger pointing towards me) the thumb points upwards towards God and when we start to look at our own lives then we realise that we have a lot of faults of our own (the three fingers pointing back towards us). So we need forgiveness. In the same way as my hand gives life to this glove, so the Holy Spirit, although invisible, gives life by helping and guiding people to Jesus Christ. Now let's listen to this morning's readings. |
READINGS: |
| John 14:16-17; Galatians 5:22-23; Acts 2: 1-8, 12-13. |
PRAYER: |
| Dear God, Thank you that you have not left us alone and that your Holy Spirit is with us today helping and showing the way to you through Jesus Christ. May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit remain with us all. Amen |
SONGS: |
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'Spirit of the living God' This can be found as: No.510, Songs of Fellowship, pub. Kingsway Music, ISBN 0-860-65935-6 No.612, Mission Praise, pub. Marshall Pickering, ISBN 0-551-01986-7 No.454/5 Hymns Old and New, pub. Kevin Mayhew, ISBN 0-862-09806-8. |
FOLLOW-UP IDEAS: |
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