Week: Who is the Holy Spirit?
As usual, we start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Let’s listen for a word or a phrase that the Holy Spirit may want to say to us today from Psalm 100.
Read by Bea
Psalm 100
Shout to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with joy; come before him with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends.
Come into his city with songs of thanksgiving and into his courtyards with songs of praise.
Thank him and praise his name.
The Lord is good. His love is forever, and his loyalty goes on and on.
Psalm 100 (NCV)
What word or phrase stood out to us from this Psalm?
God made the Universe and everything in it, and this Psalm is a reminder that He also made us; we belong to a loyal God whose love will never end.
And so, on this day of rest and joy, as we prepare to pray, let’s reflect on what it means to belong to God, to be loved by God.
Pause
In one of his letters to the church, Jesus’ disciple, John, wrote; ‘the Father has loved us so much! He loved us so much that we are called children of God. And we really are his children.’ (1 John 3:1a, NCV)
Thank You, Father God, for loving us so much, and for welcoming us into Your family. Help us to know your love more this week.
In John, Jesus says, ‘I am the way. And I am the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.’ (John 14:6, NCV)
Thank You, Jesus, for showing us the way to the Father and for inviting us into a brand-new life. Help us to follow You this week – we give our lives to you.
Jesus also gives us a name for the Holy Spirit, saying ‘I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it does not see him or know him. But you know him, because he lives with you and he will be in you.’ (John 14:16-17, NCV)
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for living with us and in us. You are our Helper – we ASK You to help us to become more like Jesus this week.
Let’s press pause and talk about our Sabbath question which is: As our week comes to an end, what was good about it – what are we thankful for? It could be something big or small.
As we finish our time together, let’s say this week’s amazing memory verse one last time.
Read by Bea
Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, ‘Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 2:38 (NCV)
God, help us to remember Your Word.
May this Sabbath bring rest and joy to our hearts and our homes.
May today be a little less go, go, go, and a little more slow… slow… slow…
May we care less about things, and care more for people.
As we relax in God’s love, may we take time to listen and remember that we are all God’s children.
Phil lives close to a beach in the north of England with his wife, his daughters and his dogs. Phil works for 24-7 Prayer, mostly doing Lectio stuff, and helping to run Prayer Spaces in Schools. He runs a lot, usually for long distances. He likes curry, mountains, reading books and he still plays Pokemon Go.
Bea is 14 and she lives in Hampshire, in the UK, with her family. Her favourite football team is Manchester United, even though she lives a loooong way from Manchester. Bea likes horse riding and running, and when she’s older, she wants to become a vet, or a professional horse-rider.
