Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, you we thank you for giving us Jesus to be our Light. Help us to follow Him and be thankful that His light shines on us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sorry Song (to the tune of If you’re happy and you know it)
When we say that you are sorry, God forgives.
When we say that you are sorry, God forgives.
If our sins are large or small,
God will still forgive them all.
When we say that we are sorry, God forgives.
Then sing the Gloria (tune of Row, Row, Row your Boat)
Praise, praise, praise the Lord, Praise our Father dear.
As we listen to his word, feel his spirit near.
Gospel – John 14:15-21
The Lord be with you. All: And with your spirit. (teach them this)
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John. All: Glory to you, O Lord. (teach them this)
Jesus said to his disciples: “If you love me, you will do as I command. Then I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you. The Spirit will show you what is true.” “The people of this world cannot accept the Spirit, because they don’t see or know him. But you know the Spirit, who is with you and will keep on living in you.” “I won’t leave you like orphans. I will come back to you.
In a little while the people of this world won’t be able to see me, but you will see me. And because I live, you will live. Then you will know that I am one with the Father. You will know that you are one with me, and I am one with you. “If you love me, you will do what I have said, and my Father will love you. I will also love you and show you what I am like.”
The gospel of the Lord.
After Gospel - All: “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ”
Suggestions for the Discussion
Sometimes our friends or family move away to live in different parts of the country or even different parts of the world. Some people have relatives who only see them once or twice in their lifetime. Have you ever had to say goodbye to a close friend or relative knowing that you wouldn't see them again for a long time? If you haven't, try to imagine what it would feel like. Would it be difficult to say goodbye? How would it make you feel? Saying goodbye is often a time for sadness and tears. Sometimes we are lost for words, even though we have so much we would like to say and don't even know where to begin!
In our Bible story today, Jesus was getting ready to return to His father. How do you think the apostles felt when they realised. Sad, afraid, worried. They had grown to love him so much that they were prepared to keep going out and preaching His word.
Jesus also promised a gift. What was the gift He promised? (the Holy Spirit). Why do you think He wanted to give us the Holy Spirit? (because He loves us and wants to help us). God loves us so much that he wants us to have someone to help us continue the work that Jesus started and God doesn’t want us to be alone.
We can't see the Holy Spirit but we can feel it. Just like we can’t see wind or touch it but we can feel it and we can see what it does. We see the grass, flowers and trees move because of a gentle breeze. or can you think of a time that we see the power of the wind when trees are blown over? During a storm or a tornado. The Holy Spirit is like that. We can’t see it but we can see it gently working in our lives and sometimes even powerfully directing us
The Holy Spirit would give the apostles the strength and courage they needed to go on. They knew they were not being left alone, but would always be watched over.
Sometimes when we are feeling worried or afraid, we can ask Jesus to watch over and care for us and know that He will hear us and answer our prayer, because He loves us so much. With Jesus beside us, we have nothing to fear.
What are some of the things we try to remember every week to help us stay close to Jesus? Being thoughtful, truthful, more sharing and caring. We should pray every day, ask for forgiveness for our mistakes and listen to our parents, carers etc. We can also encourage our friends to come online to church as we do, to learn about God and Jesus so they can find out how much He loves us all too.
Prayer: Dear Father, we do not need to feel afraid, because you are always with us.We know that you will protect us and listen to our prayers. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen
