First Thoughts: It seems we spend a lot of time in our churches speaking about God the Creator, who made heaven and earth; and the Christ, who came to us in the life and work of Jesus. But the Holy Spirit doesn't really get the same amount of attention, does it? Maybe it's because the action of the Spirit is often invisible to us, working beneath the surface of our lives. It is our constant connection to God, maintained even when our conscious mind is distracted by other things. It is the breath of our lives -- common, familiar, and easy to take for granted. But Pentecost Sunday gives us a chance to focus on the marvelous relationship we have with the Holy Spirit. It inspires us, directs us, teaches us, and speaks on our behalf. It is our constant companion, so close we might mistake it for ourselves, which really it is. It's the core of who we are, the place in our hearts where we are wise and kind and faithful. Spend a few moments getting in touch with that core inside yourself where your faith lives, and where you can hear the still small voice of God's speaking peace in your life.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey guys, guess what I did this weekend? One of my friends had a baby and I went to the hospital to see it. Have you ever seen a newborn baby? What did you think? They're cute, right? But they're also confusing. See, I was holding the baby and she seemed perfectly happy. But then suddenly she burst out screaming. What would you do? Know what I did -- gave her back to her mother! Then the mom said, "Oh, that's Abby's hungry cry. She must be ready for lunch." Now how did she know that the baby was hungry? I guess she recognized the sound. That's something mommies get good at, being able to tell what different cries mean. It's almost as though the mother translates her baby's feelings into a language we can understand. It reminds me of the Holy Spirit. In our passage today Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit would be our Advocate, a kind of translator between us and God. Whatever our feelings and our needs, the Holy Spirit will make sure that God knows and understands. It's true the other way too -- whatever God wants to tell us, the Holy Spirit makes sure we understand. Ever notice how safe a baby feels when she's with her mommy? Psalm 131 says that's how we can be with God -- like a child resting in her mother's arms, knowing she'll never be alone and all her needs will be taken care of. You know what's even more amazing? Even when we don't know what's wrong or what we need, the Spirit does and lets God know. Isn't that great news?
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: Hey (name), what did you do this weekend?
Leader 2: I went to the hospital.
Leader 1: Oh, no. Were you sick?
Leader 2: No, a friend of mine had a baby, and I went to visit. You know, babies are cute but they're also confusing.
Leader 1: Confusing, how?
Leader 2: Well, I was holding her and she seemed perfectly happy. But then suddenly she burst out screaming.
Leader 1: Yeah, babies are like that. So what did you do?
Leader 2: Gave her back to her mother! And you know what the mom said? "Oh, that's Abby's hungry cry. She must be ready for lunch." Now how did she know that the baby was hungry?
Leader 1: I guess she recognizes the sound. That's something mommies get good at, being able to tell what different cries mean. It's almost as though the mother translates her baby's feelings into a language we can understand. It reminds me of the Holy Spirit.
Leader 2: The Holy Spirit?
Leader 1: In our passage today Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit would be our Advocate, a kind of translator between us and God. Whatever our feelings and needs, the Holy Spirit will make sure that God knows and understands. It's true the other way too -- whatever God wants to tell us, the Holy Spirit makes sure we understand. Ever notice how safe a baby feels when she's with her mommy? Psalm 131 says that's how we can be with God -- like a child resting in her mother's arms, knowing she'll never be alone and all her needs will be taken care of.
Leader 2: So that makes us like the baby and the Holy Spirit like the mother.
Leader 1: Right. What's even more amazing, even when we don't know what's wrong or what we need, the Spirit does and lets God know. Isn't that great news?
Leader 2: Sure is. It's a good thing too. Without the Spirit to translate for us, there would probably be a lot more crying babies in the world.
Closing Prayer: Mothering God, help us to settle ourselves in your hands, trusting you to understand us and care for us. And help us to listen to the guidance of the Spirit, so we can understand you too. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, spend more time talking about translators. What do they do? They help people understand each other and to stay connected. You might bring in a foreign movie and show just a clip of it. (Many children's DVDs are available with different language options, so you could try that.) Ask the children how it feels when they are watching a movie and don't understand the words. Ask them to imagine what it would be like to actually live in that movie, trying to ask for help. How would that feel? Not being able to communicate is a lonely experience. Having a translator is very important. What does a translator need to know? The translator should know the language of both the person talking and the person listening. Our scripture passage tells us that the Holy Spirit knows our language and the language of God. So the Spirit can talk to God on our behalf and talk to us on God's behalf. What's something we might want God to know? What's something God might want us to know?
For a craft idea, give each child several slips of different colored paper, with various translations on it of Psalm 131:2b: "Like a weaned child is my soul within me."* (Include one in English too, but don't provide it immediately.) Give out the slips of paper and ask what they think the words might mean. Then ask if they remember the psalm mentioned earlier in the children's moment, about the child resting trustfully in his mother's arms. Read the verse in English and explain that each of these languages is saying the same thing as the English. The Spirit speaks all these languages and many more, so all of us can feel just like that child in her mother's arms. Either provide an image of a mother and child as a coloring page or invite the children to make their own drawing. Finally have the children paste all the different languages on the page, framing the picture. Close by thanking God for giving us the Holy Spirit, who knows us even better than we know ourselves and is our constant friend.
*Please download the different possible translations.
