Welcome to ROOTS at home for 17-23 May

Worship at home resources for everyone linked to John 14.15-21

ROOTS is a partnership of denominations and other Christian organisations and has been publishing lectionary-based worship resources online and in print since 2002.

Go to: Resources for families; Resources for adults

Copyright

You are welcome to copy this material for use in your own resources e.g. printed sheets or web pages including audio/video recordings. If you do so, please include this acknowledgement to ROOTS:
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
Reproduced with permission.

For families

Introduction

In today’s worship together the connection between loving Jesus and keeping his commandments is explored. We also have another message of comfort from Jesus as he promises he will not leave us alone but that he will send his Spirit.

Gather

Use this prayer as you begin your time of worship together. Nominate a leader or all join in together.

Jesus, we love you,
and know that you love us.
Help us to understand
how you want us to behave:
towards you and towards others.
Amen.

Read

Share the Bible story using the idea below to help you explore it together.

Bible story

John 14.15-21: Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit to be with us and help us for ever.

Re-order and read

Print the passage out and cut it into eight strips corresponding with the numbered points below. Give these out and ask everyone to work as a group to put the passage in the right order and make sense of it. Help to ensure the order is correct and then read it together.

View print version

One day, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If you love [1] me, you will keep my commandments. Although I am going away [2] in a little while, I will not leave you on your own. I am going to ask God the Father to send an Advocate, his Holy Spirit [3]. It is the Spirit of truth and it will stay with you for ever.’ He continued, ‘The world is not ready for the Holy Spirit, because it does not see or know God’s Spirit. But you will know the Holy Spirit [4] because it will live in you.’

Jesus said, ‘The world will not see me [5] once I have gone away. But you will see me. On that day you will know that I have returned to my Father. And you will know that I live through you [6] and you live through me.

‘There are other people,’ [7] he added, ‘who also love me and keep my commandments. They are loved [8] by both me and my Father and I will show myself to them.’