Sermón
The Holy Spirit - Our Big Brother
Tema
The Holy Spirit is a person - not just a power - who helps us reach our goal to be disciples of Jesus.
Objetos
Snacks (Little Debbie cookies, peanut butter crackers, - just be thoughtful about food allergies)
Escritura
"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you." John 14:15-17 - ESV
Have you ever tried to reach something on the top shelf, but you were just too short? Wat do you do?
When I was a boy, my mom kept the peanut butter on the top shelf in the kitchen. Whenever I wanted some, I would go into the kitchen, and call out "MOM-MMM! Can I have some peanut butter please?"
You know what she would do then? Usually, she would send my big brother to the kitchen to get it down for me. Do any of you have big brothers or big sisters? My brother was so tall, and he would pick me up and put me on the counter so I could reach the snack on the shelf.
Why do you think my big brother helped me? Because Mom told him to help? You're right! He loved my Mom, and because he loved her, he did what she told him. But my brother also loved me, too, and so he gladly helped me.
God is kind of like that. John 14:15-17 says that the God the Holy Spirit loves God the Father and Jesus the Son, so he wants to do what God the Father and Son want him to do. And because God loves us, he helps us as the Holy Spirit to reach our goal to be followers of Jesus, and lives with us ... sort of like a bog brother or sister.
Our passage also tells us that we should be like God the Holy Spirit; if we love Jesus, we should do what he tells us, and if we love our brothers and sisters and neighbors, we should help them, too.
Lets pray:
Father God - thank you for loving us - thank you for giving your Son, Jesus, for us - and thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to help us! Please help us to be more like you - in the things we do and say - in Jesus' name we pray - Amen!
