10 May – The Sixth Sunday of Easter, John 14.15-21
‘If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. 17This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 ‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
21They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.’
Things to think about with the child at the centre:
Hymns & Songs
- Come Down, O Love Divine
- Breathe on Me, Breath of God
- Holy Spirit
- Spirit of the Living God
- Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
- Good Good Father
- The Blessing
Activity
“Helper Dove” Craft (Holy Spirit symbol)
You’ll need:
- Paper plates or white card
- Scissors, glue, pens
- Feathers or tissue paper
Instructions:
- Cut out or decorate a dove shape
- On the wings, write or draw ways the Spirit helps us (e.g. “be kind,” “be brave,” “forgive”)
- Hang with string as a reminder at home
Alternative:
Make “promise bracelets” with beads representing love, help, presence
Reflection
Key points:
- Jesus’ friends were worried about him leaving
- Jesus promises a Helper — the Holy Spirit
- The Spirit helps us:
- feel God’s love
- remember Jesus’ teaching
- make good choices
- Loving Jesus isn’t just words — it’s how we live
Prayer
“Come, Holy Spirit” Prayer
Use simple actions (hands open, hands on heart)
Leader: “When we feel alone…”
All: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Leader: “When we need help to love others…”
All: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Leader: “When we need courage to do what is right…”
All: “Come, Holy Spirit.”
Invite a moment of quiet, then:
“Fill our hearts with your love. Stay with us always. Amen.”
Easter to Pentecost lectionary reflections from David Sherwin
Over the next few weeks, beginning with Easter Sunday, we are looking at the stories within the narrative of the lectionary Bible readings leading up to Pentecost. As we do this, may it help us consider where we fit into the story, how our encounter of faith, our meeting Jesus in our lives, has affected us and changed us? What would we write down as our story? Perhaps over the next few weeks, we might write down our journey of faith, our encounter with Jesus, and how our Lord impacts our lives day by day. We can also consider how we might share the Gospel story, the story of Jesus, with those around us and how it might impact their lives. Each week, we consider the principal readings for the day and what they might be saying to us. Allow the reading to speak to you throughout the week and let the story open up before you.
There are two readings for each day. If you only want to concentrate on one reading, that’s fine; maybe one reading speaks to you more than the other, that’s okay, let it do so.
Easter 6, 10th May, Acts 17:22-31, Paul preaches in the Areopagus in Athens
Read the account and think about what stands out to you before reading on.
Paul bravely steps out of his comfort zone, preaching in the synagogues, into the arena of the Areopagus, where he finds altars to many deities worshipped by the people in Athens. He carefully observes that there is an altar to an unknown god. He uses that as his starting point and then goes on to point them to the God of the Christians, even using quotes of their poetry to open their eyes and minds to the truth. He tells them of the resurrection of Jesus, and from his telling of the story, some believe.
How do we communicate the Gospel today? Paul found himself surrounded by people with differing beliefs and ideas. Yet Paul, undaunted, turned to what they knew to help them understand the truths of the Gospel and what Jesus had done for us.
He used the poetry of the day to point them to Jesus. If we look at modern-day stories and poetry, even the lyrics of pop songs, some of those words point us to the questions people are asking about faith today. Some of what we read may be uncomfortable or even trite to us, but how can we address the questions people ask and point them to the one who lived among us and died and rose again to give us life in all its fullness?
John 14:15-21
Jesus tells of the coming of the Holy Spirit and gives the greatest Commandment, ‘to Love one another’. As well as 8 other fruits, we are told the fruit of the Spirit is Love (Galatians 5:22-26). Paul also exhorts the Corinthian Christians that even though they may demonstrate the many gifts of the Holy Spirit, what use are they if they don’t have love? (I Corinthians 13) John tells us that, ‘God so loved the world that he sent his only son’ (John 3:16). Love is the driving force of the Gospel. What is the first truth of the Gospel story we are called to share with those around us? God loves them, for as John would say in his letter. God is love. (1 John 4:7-12) The Gospel is a story of love. God’s love.
Do we feel weak or inadequate as a Christian? Who doesn’t? Don’t despair, we have the promise of the Holy Spirit, the comforter, the one who empowers us and seals us as God’s children. Let us also know that we are loved with an unconditional, sacrificial, everlasting love, a love beyond measure. That love is given to us to strengthen us and to be shared, even with our enemies, Jesus would say. Can we do that? Reflect on how much God loves you.
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