This image of the Holy Spirit is inspired by a reflection by Catholic Philospher, Peter Kreeft. He is also a surfer so the link between the Sea and God is a natural one for him, and maybe also for us who also live by it.
Close you eyes.
You are on a beach. What sort of beach is it? What is under your feet? Look back to the land. What is there? A town? A forest? A desert?
Listen. What can you hear?
What can you smell around you?
Look at the vast expanse of the sea: the way it moves, rough or calm; The colours in it. Look at the foam as each wave meets the beach.
Take some time just watching, listening and noticing.
God’s love is like the sea, vast, immense.
For younger children: You can never get to its end. You could travel on the sea for your whole life and never stop. The sea changes. The tide goes in and out, it is rough. It is calm but it is always there.
For Older Children: The modern day Philospher, Peter Kreeft says “When you live by the sea, everything changes, and the change is the same as when you believe in God: you are never alone. There is a Greater Presence next to you every minute. You have to take account of this Presence every day, at least unconsciously….You always have this large, unpredictable wild animal in your neighborhood.”
Watch the waves as they come towards you and land on the beach.
For younger children: The waves on the shore, the foam on the beach is what happens when the movement of the sea reaches the shore. In our lives we feel the Holy Spirit in lots of different ways. This is what happens when God works in our lives. A man called Peter Kreeft talks about the waves and says “Maybe all they’re saying is I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU until the end of time. Like God….”
For Older Children: When waves crash onto the shore, it is a result of movements far out in the deep. As the tide comes in we see this movement as the sea coming towards us. When we feel the effect of God’s Holy Spirit, it is the result of God’s movement towards us. The waves speak to us. Peter Kreeft say “All waves speak, but they speak in tongues, and we can’t interpret their speech. That’s probably because it’s too simple, like God’s. Maybe all they’re saying is I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU until the end of time. Like God….”
Sit and look at the sea a little longer.
When you are ready, leave the beach, open you eyes and come back to the room.