The Spirit of Truth Guides You

Short Talk (SHT155) The Spirit of Truth will guide you © Jane Hulme 2019 Aim of Short talk: Use of Short talk: Main themes: Biblical references: Lectionary: Before the Service: Props: To encourage people that the Holy Spirit will guide them through life, as Jesus promised His first followers. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, who is none other than God Himself, making known to us Jesus and the Father’s words. This is a short All Age talk picking out one issue from the Lectionary Gospel reading of the Sunday main service. The talk stands alone and assumes that the Gospel Bible reading may not yet have been read to the congregation. It could be used for example, for the whole congregation before the children go out to their age specific groups, leaving the adults with a full sermon later. Holy Spirit, Guidance, Truth, Trinity John 16.12-15 Year C – Trinity Sunday You need a child “volunteer” and their mum or dad. Brief them before the service about what will happen, without telling them what is inside the bowls. The key issue is that when you ask the child if they trust their mum/dad that they reply “yes!” Without that response, the illustration doesn’t work! You will need 5 bowls containing the following: 1. Somesliceduppiecesoffruit 2. Afewworms 3. Somedogfood(orcatfood) 4. Somebrokenglass. 5. Somepiecesofchocolate Cover the bowls with tinfoil so that what is inside them is invisible. Stick a number on the outside of each bowl. Lay the bowls out in a line on a table in front of the congregation. SHORT TALK: “The Spirit of Truth will guide you” You will also need a scarf or some other good blindfold. .................................................................................................................. Some of us can feel hungry when we are in church can’t we, so today I have brought along some food with me. • Inside these 5 bowls are 5 different things to eat. • Who is hungry and would like to come and try some? (Receive your child volunteer) If I took the tinfoil off the bowls, you would be able to see what is there to eat. • You would be able to pick and choose what is good for you, • but I am not going to let you do that. Today you are going to have to pick a bowl and eat what is inside it whilst blindfolded. • so let’s put a blindfold around your eyes. (Blindfold child) © Jane Hulme 2019 2 Now that you are blindfolded, I need to tell you that in some of these bowls are foods that are good for you to eat. • In other bowls there are things that are definitely not good for you to eat. • In one bowl there is something that is positively dangerous for you to eat. Which bowl are you going to pick to eat from? • Will it be bowl 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6? (Child hesitates) • It’s hard to choose isn’t it because you don’t know which bowl has the good food and which bowl has the bad food? What if I said that you could choose someone to help you? • Someone who can see what is inside the bowls and who will tell you the truth about which bowls are safe and which bowls aren’t. • Who do you trust most in the world to help you? (Child volunteer says, “My mum/dad” and you invite them to come and join you.) So while N (name of child volunteer) is blindfolded, I am going to uncover the bowls so that we can see what is inside them. (Take the tinfoil off all of the bowls) • In one of the bowls there is some delicious chocolate. • In another there are some tasty worms. • In another there is some crunchy glass. • In another there is some healthy fruit. • In another there is some smelly dog food. OK N, ask your mum/dad to tell you which number bowl of food has something good for you to eat in it. (Child asks parent and the parent tells them the number) • Do you trust your mum/dad to tell you the truth? (Child responds positively) • Knowing that there are live worms in one bowl and dog food in another, do you really trust mum/dad to tell you the truth or might they trick you? (Child responds positively) Let’s give you some of what is in the bowl that your mum/dad said was good to eat. (Give child piece of fruit or piece of chocolate to eat and child eats it) • Was that good? (Child responds) You were right to trust your mum/dad because they guided you well. • They guided you in the truth of what was safe and good to eat, and helped you avoid eating something that was bad for you or dangerous. • Let’s take off the blindfold now so that you can see what they helped you avoid eating. (Remove blindfold from child and let them see what is in the other bowls) • Thank you.....do go and sit down. Having someone we can trust to guide us when we don’t know what to do is a precious thing isn’t it? • On our own it can sometimes be really hard to know what is right and what is wrong. • We need someone to help us, someone who will speak the truth to us. © Jane Hulme 2019 3 Jesus told His first disciples that after He had left them, He would send them someone to help them; • to guide them and teach them so that they could walk in the ways of God. • He told them that He would send them the Spirit of Truth. (John 16:3) And that promise of Jesus came about on the day of Pentecost, which we celebrated last week. • That was the day when the Spirit of truth was given to the first disciples. • He came to live inside them, guiding them and teaching them day by day, • speaking truth to them so that they could make good choices and live lives that would bring glory to Jesus. It is the same today. • The Spirit of truth is still being given to live inside followers of Jesus. • He is the One who will guide and teach us day by day, • speaking truth to us so that we can make good choices and live lives that bring glory to Jesus. Now the Spirit of Truth isn’t any old spirit. • The Spirit of Truth is the Holy Spirit...He is God. • When He speaks to us, He speaks Jesus’ words of truth to us. He speaks our Heavenly Father’s words of truth to us. So be encouraged today. • As a follower of Jesus, you are not on your own like N was, trying to work out what to do before their mum/dad came to help them. • You have been given the Spirit of truth, God Himself to live inside you. • He will guide you day by day if you let Him. • The key thing is, are you letting Him guide you? • Are you listening to the still small voice inside you? © Jane Hulme 2019 4