Spirit Unbound

Children's Message

Object:

• Stickers or small trinkets
• Stuffed animal

Sermon:

Good morning! Our Scripture today is about sharing so I brought something to share with all of you. Pass out stickers or small trinkets.

Oh no! We seem to have a problem. There’s enough for all of you but not enough for everybody else. I don’t have enough for the adults to have some too. Bummer. It’s a real problem when you run out and don’t have enough for everyone right? Has that ever happened to you? Allow time for kids to answer.

I have an idea. I brought this stuffed animal today and it’s so soft and cuddly, I just love to give it hugs. Hug stuffed animal. Would you like to hug it too? Pass around for kids to hug.

You know what’s so cool? Everyone got to hug my special stuffed animal but we didn’t run out of hugs, right? If I passed it around again, we would still have more hugs to share. We could even pass it around to the adults and there would still be more than enough hugs. The amount of hugs is limitless, it’s infinite!

In the Scripture today, Peter says that God’s Spirit is poured out on all people. The boys and the girls, the young and the old, the rich and the poor. Everyone gets to share in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit isn’t like the stickers. It can’t run out after just a few people. The Holy Spirit is like the hugs: limitless, infinite. It gets poured onto us but it will never run out. And that’s a good thing!

See, when we have the Spirit of God, we can lead with truth, with empathy, and with love. We get to share with the world and we don’t have to be afraid that the more we share, the less we have. God’s Spirit will never run out.

Prayer:

Dear God, we praise you for the Spirit that guides us each day. Show us how to share in the Spirit with a heart of abundance, unbound by our own limits, so that we can live in your infinite love. Amen.

Between the Sundays Ideas:

Family Activities and Conversation Starters

• Look up videos of small little streams, rushing rivers, and flowing waterfalls.
  • Which do you think is most like the pouring out of God’s Spirit?
  • When do you feel like the slow flowing stream? What about the rushing river?
• Dress up in red to celebrate Pentecost.
  • What does the color red remind you of?
  • What other colors might represent God? Why?
• Read Acts 2:1-21 or look up the Pentecost story in a children’s Bible.
  • What do you think tongues of fire would look like on someone’s head?
  • If you could start speaking another language, what would you want it to be?

Written by Sammy Waters. Sammy has served in family ministry in the North Georgia and Horizon Texas Conferences over the past 6 years. After receiving her Master of Divinity from Candler School of Theology, she moved to Texas where she has enjoyed working with children, youth, and families to design new ways to engage in worship, learn the stories of God, and create space for wonder.