First Thoughts: The promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit must have felt confusing and a bit anti-climatic to the disciples. They had already been through so much. Surely they had learned all their lessons well enough to be on their own now. How could they know what would be coming in the days ahead? How do any of us know at the beginning of an adventure what challenges we'll face and what needs will arise? Many of us don't even realize we've begun an adventure until we hit the first big crisis. Sometimes we mistake the beginnings of things (starting a new job, getting married, having a baby) as the whole experience. We think getting the job, finding the mate, or having the child, means we have arrived. We are blessed indeed if we have someone in our lives who has been through a similar adventure, and who hangs around to give us some support when we come to the first (and second and thirtieth) bump in the road. Jesus knows that although the disciples have faced hard times so far, things are only going to heat up from here. They're going to experience amazing blessings and will be encouraged in their faith by miracles and outpourings of love and compassion. But they're also going to experience great resistance, sometimes resulting in violence and death. Even though they might not realize how much they need it, Jesus promises to send them a helper, the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will offer them a lifeline, a way to be connected to God when they discover their own resources are totally depleted. Think of a time in your life when you found yourself in the middle of a crisis, without any idea of what to do next. Who offered you counsel and support? How did your prayer life offer you grounding, hopefulness, and a way forward? Carry your gratitude for the Holy Spirit with you in your time with the children.
Teaching On Your Own: (fiddles with the cell phone) Hey, guys! Sorry, I'm just trying to save a very special number on my phone. Guess whose it is? My math teacher's! Do you want to know why I've got his cell phone number? See, we've begun a really hard section in math with difficult homework. The teacher knows we've been having a hard time, so he decided to give us his cell phone number. Now we can text him if we have a problem with our homework. Isn't that cool of him? It's like he's around for us all the time.
It reminds me of the promise Jesus gave to his disciples in our passage today. As you know, Jesus wasn't able to stay with his disciples forever. God had other plans for him. But before Jesus left them, he told them that even though he was going to leave them, things would be okay. God promised to send someone else to them, but not another person. God was going to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like the wind or the air. The Holy Spirit doesn't have a body we can see but lives inside each one of us, giving us life and helping us make good decisions. The Bible tells us that even when we don't know how to pray, the Spirit will pray for us. It's our constant connection to God. Just like my math teacher's cell number! Except we don't have to text God when we need help -- the Spirit will talk to God for us. And the Holy Spirit can help us with even bigger problems than long division. Isn't it great to know that the Holy Spirit keeps us connected to God all the time, no matter what?
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 fiddles with the cell phone)
Leader 1: Um, hello! It's time for church. Who are you texting?
Leader 2: No one. I'm just saving a very special number in my phone.
Leader 1: Whose number is it?
Leader 2: You'll never guess -- my math teacher!
Leader 1: Why do you have your math teacher's number in your cell phone?
Leader 2: We've begun a really hard section in math that has difficult homework. The teacher knows we've been having a hard time, so he decided to give us his cell phone number. Now we can text him if we have a problem with our homework. Isn't that cool of him?
Leader 1: Yes. It shows he really cares about you guys.
Leader 2: It's like he's around for us all the time.
Leader 1: Yeah. It reminds me of the promise Jesus gave to his disciples in our passage today. As you know, Jesus wasn't able to stay with his disciples forever. God had other plans for him. But before Jesus left them, he told them that even though he was going to leave them, things would be okay. See, God promised to send someone else to them...
Leader 2: Another leader, like Jesus?
Leader 1: No, not another person. God was going to send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is like the wind or the air. The Holy Spirit doesn't have a body we can see but lives inside each one of us, giving us life and helping us make good decisions. The Bible tells us that even when we don't know how to pray, the Spirit will pray for us. It's our constant connection to God.
Leader 2: Just like my math teacher's cell number!
Leader 1: Right. Except you don't have to text God when you need help -- the Holy Spirit will talk to God for you.
Leader 2: And I bet the Holy Spirit can help me with even bigger problems than long division.
Leader 1: You're right about that!
Closing Prayer: Loving God, who lives in our heart as the Holy Spirit, help us to trust in your presence in our lives and listen for your voice. Teach us to rely on you in every challenge and to guide us through the adventures of life. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a classroom or home environment, spend more time talking about how the Holy Spirit helps us. Ask the children to think through different situations when they might need help from God (scary times, times when they're feeling angry or lonely, times when they don't know what they should do). Ask the children how they might talk to the Holy Spirit when they need help. After they make their suggestions, remind them that the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit already knows what we need, even if we're not sure ourselves. It's good to ask for help, but it's also nice to know that when we forget or are just too stubborn to ask for help, the Holy Spirit is still with us, working on our behalf.
For a craft idea, you might provide the children with beads and some type of cord to make bracelets or necklaces. Provide each child with a pendant in the shape of a cell phone (available in craft stores or online). Now invite the children to create a bracelet or necklace with the beads, putting the cell phone in the middle of their creation. Tell the children that the cell phone is a reminder of the Holy Spirit, which is God's cell phone for us. Ask the children how many of them have cell phones. Why do their parents provide cell phones? Likely because it gives the parents a way to stay connected to the children when they're separated. That's what the Holy Spirit does for us and God. The Holy Spirit keeps us connected to God all the time. Unlike a cell phone we might use, the Holy Spirit never runs out of power, is always in a service area, and is never disconnected. Even when we're sleeping, God's cell phone -- the Holy Spirit -- is still plugged into our lives, keeping us connected to God, and God to us. Close with a prayer of thanksgiving for God's loving attention to every moment of our lives.
