The Holy Who? Series

A. Welcome to Friends and Family Day!

1. We are excited to have special guests with us today and we hope you will be encouraged and inspired by this time of worship.

2. Today’s sermon is the beginning of a new sermon series that I am calling “The Holy Spirit, Our Helper.”

3. I decided to start the series on Friends and Family Day in hopes that the topic might spark the interest of some of our visitors and prompt you to return to hear more about this subject.

4. I will be drawing from a number of resources for this series and one of them is Max Lucado’s book about the Holy Spirit called “Help is Here.”

5. Let’s start with a very helpful illustration from Max Lucado’s book.

B. Let’s imagine that you’re on vacation.

1. You’ve booked a week at a mountain village hotel and you’re going to do something you’ve always wanted to do: hike the mountain trails.

a. Clear air and splendid vistas – it’s going to be great!

2. On the first morning, you’re the first person out the door – no sleeping in for you, no sirree!

a. You hit the trail with your enthusiasm level on high, your pack on your back, and the trail map in one hand and your walking stick in the other – what fun!!

3. But the fun is short lived.

a. The trail is steep and your new hiking boots are stiff.

b. A few minutes up the trail and you’re wondering if someone stuffed your backpack with sandbags.

4. You step to the side of the trail to catch your breath and that’s when you hear the trail guide and his happy followers come walking along.

a. He wears a wide-brimmed hat and speaks with a confident tone as he identifies the names of flowers and trees and describes the history of the mountains.

b. You notice that his followers aren’t carrying any gear which allows them to walk at a fast clip.

c. Within minutes the group is way ahead and you lag behind with your increasingly uncomfortable load.

5. After a few miles, you catch up to the group and you notice they are sitting in a meadow.

a. They are enjoying lunch as the guide describes the vast mountain range.

b. Their lunch consists of sandwiches, chips, sodas and homemade chocolate chip cookies.

6. You sigh and wonder if the PB&J sandwich you brought is going to be soggy – no matter, you’ve lost your appetite.

a. You turn and head back the way you came – enough misery for one day.

7. The next morning your muscles ache and your feet are swollen.

a. It takes the better part of an hour and a box of Band-Aids to cover your blisters, but off you go to try a different trail.

b. Day two is a mirror image of day one.

c. The trail is steep too soon, your legs are tired too fast, and your backpack feels like it is full of concrete blocks.

8. And guess who you hear coming up the trail behind you? Yup, the same cheerful guide and his gaggle of fortunate followers.

a. You step to the side and allow them to pass – some are chatting, one is whistling, the guide makes a joke and there is laughter.

b. And you? You feel like an arthritic pack mule.

c. A few miles later you come upon the group and they are enjoying another picnic lunch.

d. The guide announces to his group, “We have homemade ice cream. Let’s eat it up!”

e. You grumble to yourself something about the inequities of life and turn around and head back to the hotel.

9. Days three and four are carbon copies of days one and two.

a. On day five you don’t even leave the hotel lobby.

b. You are sitting there minding your own business when you hear someone call your name.

c. You look up and see it is the hiking guide.

d. He says, “I’ve been looking for you. Where have you been?”

e. Confused, you utter, “What?”

f. He says, “I’ve been hoping you would be a part of our daily hikes. They are included in your hotel package. The hikes, lectures and food are all part of the deal. Maybe you didn’t read the brochure we sent.”

g. All you can say is, “I guess I didn’t.”

h. The guides continues, “Yeah, we take care of everything. We have a team that prepares gourmet picnic lunches and we carry your pack up the trail so you don’t have to. And, on top of that, you get me. I know these trails better than anyone. My job is to lead you into the high country.”