God gives the Holy Spirit to every Christian. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God within each one of us. The Holy Spirit helps us to know God––and to understand what God wants us to do. The Holy Spirit also makes it possible for us to do great things––things that we couldn't ordinarily do. At the first Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave the disciples power to speak in languages that they had never learned.
Children's Sermon Genesis 1:1-5 The Light of Love By Lois Parker Edstrom Many strange and wonderful creatures live in our world. There are types of fish that live so deep in the oceans that they have no need for eyes. It is totally dark that far down in the ocean and the fish that [...]
This verse reminds us, especially when we feel discouraged, to think about those invisible things that are powerful and last forever. Can you think of what some of these powerful, invisible things might be? Yes, love is an important thing that cannot be seen, but is very powerful. When you feel discouraged think of all the people who love you and yes, even your pets that are always there for you.
There is a story that the first Raggedy Ann dolls had candy hearts because they were so sweet. Today each Raggedy Ann doll has an embroidered heart stitched on its chest. Inside the heart are the words, "I love you." When you read the Raggedy Ann stories, which are available at libraries, you will find that Raggedy Ann is kind and knows about friendship and love.
I learned recently about an experiment which shows why it is important to pray. Patients in a hospital being treated for heart problems were divided into two groups. One group of patients was prayed for and the other group was not. The patients did not know about this experiment and neither did the doctors who took care of them. After the experiment was over, everyone was amazed to find that those patients who were prayed for got well faster and had fewer things go wrong than the patients who did not receive prayers.
Paul explains that each one of us have "extraordinary power that comes from God." At times we may feel weak, or tired, or discouraged, but we must remember that we can call on the power of God to help us through tough times. You may be surprised at the power of God's love. When you feel as if you are being pushed around, God provides a soft place to land.
Can you imagine what our world would be like if everyone was kind? The Bible teaches us that God is kind and shows his love to all of us, not because we have done anything to earn that kindness, but because of God's love for us. (Titus 3:4) You are loved! Every day think of ways to share that love by showing kindness to others.
Jesus was talking about Holy Spirit who would forever be with the people who believed in God. Jesus explained that the disciples would be stronger once they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. In fact, they would be able to tell other people about Jesus and explain that Jesus is the Savior of the world. And, while Jesus’ friends were watching, Jesus began to rise up from the earth and they watched until he was no longer there and they could only see clouds in the sky. Jesus had gone back to be with the Father in Heaven.
You can hear a lot of people talking, but you will only recognize the voice of someone close to you, like your parents, your brother or sister, or your teacher. Earlier, it was hard to tell who said, “Follow me,” because we didn’t know the person who said it. Jesus wants us to follow him, doesn’t he? He’s the Good Shepherd who will guide us, help us and teach us. He helps us when we are in trouble, but he is always with us. He speaks to us through the Holy Bible. Let’s follow Jesus.
Microscopes are used for many kinds of important work. What is needed to be able to make small things appear larger so we can see them is light. Without light we would not be able to see this world of small things. It is light that allows us to gather wonderful and useful information. This brings us to our lesson for today. In the Bible we find this verse: "seeing it is God who said, 'Light will shine out of darkness,'…" (4:6).