First Thoughts: This scripture gives us an opportunity to prepare our children for Pentecost, which is only a few weeks away. Here Jesus promises to send an advocate, the visitation of the Holy Spirit, which we celebrate at Pentecost. Many churches seem to deemphasize the role of the Holy Spirit in the work of the Trinity, focusing instead on God the Creator and God the Christ. Perhaps that's because our experience of the Holy Spirit is a fairly common one -- and one that can often be ignored. That little glimmer that calls us to pause in our day to pay attention to beauty, that sinking feeling in our stomach which tells us to be silent and not speak out in anger, that burdened feeling in our hearts that tells us to reach out to someone in need -- all these are ways the Holy Spirit can speak to us. We often sublimate these "Spirit-whispers" to our hurried agenda and logic-oriented brain. This is an opportunity, though, for us to re-discover how persistent that voice is and how powerful it can be. This passage also reminds us that the purpose of this voice isn't to put a guilt trip on us or to create new burdens; it is to be our advocate. Its purpose is to guide us into deeper and more abundantly joyful life. It moves not only for our sakes, but for the sake of the whole of creation. It is a wise person indeed who learns not only to pay attention to the "Spirit-whispers" but to actively seek them out as the regular voice of ultimate wisdom in our lives. Spend a few moments reviewing your day, looking for where the Spirit has spoken to you. Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit speaks to us through our emotional states (good and bad), as well as in nature and in other people.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey guys! See what I have here? I read in the scripture passage today that Jesus told the disciples that he would send them a spirit. You know, like a ghost. Have you ever heard of the Holy Ghost? That's what I'm going to catch. Do you think I can do it? I hope so, because ghosts are scary. Don't you think ghosts are scary? Yeah. But wait a minute -- in the Bible Jesus is always telling us not to be afraid. Why would he send something scare to us? Maybe it is not that kind of ghost. (set down ghost-hunting paraphernalia now and pick up Bible to check scripture) Actually, in this scripture passage Jesus was telling the disciples not to be afraid, because after Jesus was gone the Holy Ghost would come to them. So it must be a friendly ghost, right? Also, he said the Holy Ghost would be an advocate. Do you children know what that means? An advocate is someone who looks out for you and helps you make good decisions in your life. So I don't have to catch the advocate. The advocate wants to help me. And I guess I don't need a flashlight either, because the advocate isn't going to hide from me. In fact, it is going to help me see things more clearly. But how will we know that the Holy Ghost is here? It says in the scripture that the Holy Ghost will be inside us, in our hearts. It is that voice in your heart which tells you to be kind, shows you the beauty of the world, and tells you you're loved. It's the voice of God that lives inside you. Hey, I have a voice telling me those things. Do you? You do! I guess the Holy Ghost is already with us. And it turns out we didn't have to catch it after all. It caught us! Thankfully this ghost is on our side!
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 carries/wears his ghost-catching apparatus)
Leader 1: Hey, (name). What exactly are you doing with all this stuff?
Leader 2: I read in the scripture passage today that Jesus told the disciples that he would send them a spirit. You know, like a ghost. So I'm gonna spot the ghost and catch it!
Leader 1: But it's not that kind of a ghost!
Leader 2: What do you mean?
Leader 1: This is the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the disciples didn't need to be afraid, because after Jesus was gone the Holy Ghost would come to them.
Leader 2: I don't like the idea of a ghost showing up out of nowhere though. I mean, what is it going to do when it gets here?
Leader 1: Jesus said that it would be our advocate.
Leader 2: What does that mean?
Leader 1: An advocate is someone who looks out for you and helps you make good decisions in your life. You don't have to catch the advocate. The advocate wants to help you.
Leader 2: So I don't need a flashlight then?
Leader 1: No. The advocate doesn't hide from us. It helps us see things more clearly.
Leader 2: But how do we know when the Holy Ghost gets here?
Leader 1: It's actually with you right now.
Leader 2: (looks around, swats with butterfly net) Where? Where?
Leader 1: In your heart. It is that voice in your heart which tells you to be kind, shows you the beauty of the world, and tells you you're loved. It is the voice of God that lives inside you.
Leader 2: Oh! Well, that's not scary then.
Leader 1: Of course not. And now you know -- it's not we who catch the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost who catches us!
Leader 2: But thankfully this ghost is on our side!
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for sending us the Holy Spirit who walks with us every day and tells us we are loved. Thank you for helping us to know the right things to do and to know how to fix our mistakes. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: A good way to reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment is to continue the conversation about how the Holy Ghost advocates for us. (Make sure the children know that Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit are often used interchangeably.) Talk about other folks who act as advocates -- people who try to make our lives better: friends, parents, teachers, civil servants. Our world is better because so many people are caring for us and making our lives safe. The Holy Ghost is different, though, because it lives inside of us. It helps us to make decisions that are good for us. Give the children a few examples of situations in which they need to make a decision. For example, they come home from school and plan to watch TV, but their dog wants to play outside. It's a beautiful day. What do they do? Or someone at school says something mean to them. They have the perfect comeback. Do they say the mean thing back or stop themselves? Allow the children to come up with scenarios as well.
As an activity, play with the idea of "Spirit-as-Light." Talk about how the Holy Ghost helps us see things clearly so we can make the best decisions. Prepare a room by removing all sharp-edged furniture and filling it with pillows or beanbags. Then plant a flashlight somewhere in the room. Darken the room and invite the children to enter. Their job is to search for the flashlight. When someone finds the light, they are to get everyone together and leave the room. Before you let the children enter it is important to stress this is not a competition. The task isn't to find the flashlight first but to find it safely and then safely get everyone out. Afterward, talk about the experience: What was it like being in the dark together? What was it like when they found the flashlight? How does this connect to our relationship with the Holy Spirit? There are many things in our lives which keep us in the dark: being afraid or angry, feeling unloved or helpless. The Holy Spirit shows us the truth about ourselves: that we are loved and cherished by God and our greatest strength comes from loving others. When we make decisions with this "light" on in our lives, we can be sure that we are living the best lives we can and are making the world a better place. Close your time in prayer.
