Not an it, but a he

01 · GATHER ROUND

Start with a question.

“If you could have someone with you all the time—at school, at practice, even at night—who would you pick, and why?”

Kids often choose a parent, a grandparent, or a best friend. Ask what makes that person such a good companion.

03 · OPEN THE BIBLE

No beginning, no end.

Draw a circle on a piece of paper. Now put your finger on the spot where it begins. Can’t find it? That’s because there isn’t one. A circle doesn’t have a starting point or an ending point. It just goes around and around.

The Holy Spirit is a little like that circle. He has no beginning and no end. This week’s answer uses a big word for it: coeternal. That means the Spirit has always existed, just as long as the Father and the Son. There was never a time when the Spirit wasn’t there. The Bible even calls him “the eternal Spirit.” He is fully God.

Sometimes people talk about the Holy Spirit as if he were a force, like electricity—an “it.” But the Bible talks about the Spirit as a person, a “he.” He teaches, comforts, and guides. The Bible even says we can grieve him, which means he can be made sad. He isn’t a thing. He is someone.

Our Bible verses come from the night before Jesus died. His friends were scared, and Jesus was about to leave them. So he made a promise: he would ask the Father, and the Father would give them another Advocate to be with them forever—the Spirit of truth. An advocate is a helper who stands with you.

Notice the word forever. Jesus didn’t promise a helper for a little while. And he said the Spirit wouldn’t only be with them—he would be in them. The Holy Spirit lives in everyone who trusts Jesus. You don’t have to go looking for him. He is already close.

So when you’re at school, at the doctor’s office, or lying awake in the dark, you’re never alone. God himself, the Holy Spirit, is with you—and he always will be.

04 · WONDER TOGETHER

Let’s talk about it.

1. What does it mean that the Holy Spirit has always been God, just like the Father and the Son?
2. Why do you think Jesus promised his friends a helper right before he left?
3. When is a time you’d like to remember that the Holy Spirit is with you?

Try answering one yourself first. “I don’t know yet” is a fine place to start a conversation.

06 · TALK TO GOD

Let’s pray.

Holy Spirit, thank you that you are God, together with the Father and the Son, with no beginning and no end. Thank you for being our helper and for living in everyone who trusts Jesus. When we feel alone or afraid, remind us that you are near. Teach us, comfort us, and help us follow Jesus. Amen.

Then invite everyone to add one thing they want to tell God.

07 · MAKE IT STICK

A little truth to learn by heart.

Trace a big circle in the air with your finger as you say the answer, starting on the first word and closing the circle on the last. Make the circle bigger each time, until you’re turning in place (carefully!).