August 27 – sword of the Spirit

TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST (Proper 16)

Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18
Psalm 34:15-22
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous. (Ps. 34:15)
Ephesians 6:10-20
John 6:56-69

Prayer and Praises

Thank God for being here. Thank God for the gathering together. Pray for peace and for healing. One person is
set with the balloons and index cards/pieces of paper in order to write down prayers of all the people that attend.

Prayers to Heaven
Have participants write a prayer or a few prayer requests on a notecard or a piece of paper. Tie the notecard to
the string of a balloon. Have them keep the balloon until after the worship service and let all of the balloons go
afterwards.

Discussion while working with prayer

“When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. “ - Psalm 34:17

What does this tell you about the Lord answering prayers? (That the Lord answers the prayers of His people
[who He makes righteous.])

“Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in
supplication for all the saints. “ - Ephesians 6:18

How can you make sure to pray (for saints) every day? (Thanks for food, healing for friends, family, classmates,
and many more acceptable answers – as long as it has to do with praying in some way);
Discussion while making “Swords of the Spirit”

Have you ever heard anyone call the Bible a sword? That may sound like a strange comparison because a
sword is sharp and used for battle. Well, the Bible is sharp also. And the Bible is used for spiritual battle. The
Word of God contains the truth, and the truth can be sharper than any two edged sword. When people hear the
truth, they must make a decision, follow the truth, or fight against it. And fighting against the truth can be quite
difficult. In the end it is a losing battle.

Sword
What you will need: Foam core board (You can find this in the same place you buy
poster board.) or card board, Exacto knife, ruler, pencil, scissors, heavy duty
aluminum foil, tape, brown and gold other colors of paint.

What to do:

1. Cut out the blade shape from the foam core board. I made mine 20" long. It is 3
inches across at the bottom and 1" at the top. Round off the top point.

2. Cut out a handle from foam core board using an Exacto knife and use it to cut
two more handle shapes from the foam core board. Glue one handle shape to one
side the the blade at the bottom. Glue the other to the other side. Cut the third shape
apart so that you can slide the pieces in between the other two handle pieces glued
to the sword. (A pattern for the handle is available to members only subscribers.)
Place glue on each side of the pieces and insert them between the two pieces you glued onto the
blade. Use sand paper if you would like to make the edges smooth.

3. Paint the handle brown like wood and add some decorations.

4. Wrap a piece of aluminum foil around the blade and tape it on.

“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. “ - Ephesians 6:17

What do people really mean when they say the sword of the Spirit? (The word of God/the Bible).

“It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh is useless. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. “ - John
6:63

Why do you think having the sword of the spirit is important according to this verse? (The spirit gives life – and
the Bible is where people learn about the holy spirit).

Now if someone tells you, bring your sword with you, do you know what they are talking about? That's right, your
Bible. It is the Sword of Truth because God's Word is the truth. We need to know what the bible says to know
the truth. In John 8:31,32 Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. then you will know
the truth, and the truth will set you free." If we can be set free by knowing the truth, imagine what sharing the
truth with others can do for them.