Father, Son, Spirit
Children's sermon
Object:
a shamrock
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. (v. 16)
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit. How many of you can tell me what the Holy Spirit looks like? (allow answers) Actually, we don't know what the Holy Spirit looks like! When we draw images of the Holy Spirit, we often make it look like a dove. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven in the shape of a dove. But really, the Holy Spirit doesn't have a shape. We sometimes call it the Holy Ghost: It is everywhere, with all people, in all places, at all times. It is around us; it is within us. Wow! It's everywhere!
Although we don't talk about the Holy Spirit very much, it is an important part of our faith. Think of the creeds we say during our worship service: "I believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is part of what we call the Trinity. The Trinity is how we think about God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.
How many of you have heard of Saint Patrick? (allow answers) Saint Patrick was a pastor in the country of Ireland hundreds of years ago. In March, we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day to remember this man. One of the reasons we remember Saint Patrick is because of the way he explained the Christian faith to others.
Saint Patrick used a plant called a shamrock -- like this one (show shamrock) -- to explain the Trinity. Christians only believe in one God -- but that can be confusing, because we talk about the Father and the Son and the Spirit. That sounds like three different things!
We believe that the Father and Son and Spirit are the three different forms of the one true God. Patrick explained this by showing people the shamrock. A shamrock has three different leaves -- three very separate leaves. But the leaves are all part of one plant. Just like that, the Father and the Son and the Spirit are three different parts that make up one God. God the Father is who we think of as our loving parent; we think of God the Father as the one who makes the rules, who created the universe. Jesus the Son is the human form of God. Jesus came to earth to be both human and God at the same time. He came so that he could experience what we experience and so that we could see him and touch him. The third part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the part that is invisible. It is the part of God that we carry in our hearts. It is the part of God that is everywhere, everyplace, every time.
Pay attention during the rest of the worship service. See how many times you hear us talk about the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Remember that these three are all one God -- just like this shamrock is only one plant. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) Today we are going to talk about the Holy Spirit. How many of you can tell me what the Holy Spirit looks like? (allow answers) Actually, we don't know what the Holy Spirit looks like! When we draw images of the Holy Spirit, we often make it look like a dove. When Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit came down from heaven in the shape of a dove. But really, the Holy Spirit doesn't have a shape. We sometimes call it the Holy Ghost: It is everywhere, with all people, in all places, at all times. It is around us; it is within us. Wow! It's everywhere!
Although we don't talk about the Holy Spirit very much, it is an important part of our faith. Think of the creeds we say during our worship service: "I believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is part of what we call the Trinity. The Trinity is how we think about God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost.
How many of you have heard of Saint Patrick? (allow answers) Saint Patrick was a pastor in the country of Ireland hundreds of years ago. In March, we celebrate Saint Patrick's Day to remember this man. One of the reasons we remember Saint Patrick is because of the way he explained the Christian faith to others.
Saint Patrick used a plant called a shamrock -- like this one (show shamrock) -- to explain the Trinity. Christians only believe in one God -- but that can be confusing, because we talk about the Father and the Son and the Spirit. That sounds like three different things!
We believe that the Father and Son and Spirit are the three different forms of the one true God. Patrick explained this by showing people the shamrock. A shamrock has three different leaves -- three very separate leaves. But the leaves are all part of one plant. Just like that, the Father and the Son and the Spirit are three different parts that make up one God. God the Father is who we think of as our loving parent; we think of God the Father as the one who makes the rules, who created the universe. Jesus the Son is the human form of God. Jesus came to earth to be both human and God at the same time. He came so that he could experience what we experience and so that we could see him and touch him. The third part of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the part that is invisible. It is the part of God that we carry in our hearts. It is the part of God that is everywhere, everyplace, every time.
Pay attention during the rest of the worship service. See how many times you hear us talk about the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Remember that these three are all one God -- just like this shamrock is only one plant. Amen.
