Barabas was up in his bedroom last night before supper.  “Maybe I’ll draw something,” he thought to himself.  So he got out his box of art supplies from under the bed.  As he rummaged around he found this little box.  He knew exactly what is in it the moment his hand touched it.  It’s not exactly the kind of thing you forget after all.  He carefully opened the box and out fell the little butterfly pin that used to be his mother’s. 

“Yeah . . .” he thought to himself.  He got to thinking about how it was going to be Mother’s Day and how he doesn’t have any memories of his mother.  He was so young when she died. Barabas was not feeling sorry for himself, no.  He knows how much Uncle Floyd loves him.  He was just wondering about moms and such.

“I feel inspired to draw a butterfly,” he thought.

He drew the butterfly and then he colored it all in.  And then he worked on it some more and he drew a dove.  See?!

Now, this is how the Holy Spirit works in this story.  You see, the Holy Spirit is what ensures that we remember Jesus and His love, even after Jesus has gone to heaven to be with his Father.  Remember that we believe in one God who has revealed himself to us in three ways:  God the Father, God the Son Jesus and God the Holy Spirit.

An imperceptible breeze floated into Barabas’s room.  The gift of the Holy Spirit that Barabas received when he was baptized stirred and Barabas was inspired to work on a Mother’s Day poem for Mrs. Potato Head.  She has always been like a mother to him.  She made this quilt on his bed!  So this is what Barabas wrote:

Roses are red, Violets are blue
If I had a Mom I’d want it to be you!

I drew you a butterfly.  I drew you a dove.
I made you this card to show you my love.

Love, Barabas

On Pentecost, the day of the church year that we celebrate today, we remember that the Holy Spirit came to the disciples in a strong wind that filled the house where they were gathered.  The Holy Spirit filled each of them and the disciples were inspired to speak words of God’s Love in many different languages. 

Barabas put the card on his bed to give to Mrs. Potato Head in the morning at church.  Then he went down for supper.

Isn’t it interesting, that even today, 2000 years after the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that the Spirit is still inspiring us to words and actions of love!

THE END

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