Pentecost

Video Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The children will celebrate the birth of the church at Pentecost by having the room decorated for a birthday party. They will watch portions of the video "Falling Fire" and identify a gift which they can give to the Church.

Memory Verse:
Matthew 28: 19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

Objective of this Workshop:

At the end of the session, the students will be able to:

• Identify the coming of the Holy Spirit during Pentecost as a gift that Jesus had promised.
• Identify that The Holy Spirit helped Peter as it is hear to help us and be with us.
• Identify something they can do that would be a gift to our Church.

Materials List:

• DVD – “Falling Fire-The Gift of the Spirit”
• Bibles
• 30 sheets white typing paper
• 2 red poster boards
• 10 sheets white construction paper
• Glue
• Markers
• Curly ribbon
• Bibles
• Popcorn
• Water & straws
• Baby wipes

Advance Preparation:

• Become familiar with DVD
• Recruit musician to come play “Happy Birthday”.
• Decorate room for birthday party.
• Become totally familiar with the Bible chapters.
• Visit your classroom before your first Sunday rotation so that you know where everything is located.

** As you prepare for this lesson and as you teach, call upon the Holy Spirit to use you and to guide your words as you share the Good News with the children.**

Lesson Plan

Opening:

Greet the children and introduce yourself. Have a short prayer to ask God to be with us as we learn more about his word and how we can follow him.

Introduction:

Review the events of Easter (Last Supper to Resurrection). Explain that the Jewish people had a special thanksgiving celebration for their harvest 50 days after Passover. This celebration as called Pentecost. (Deut. 16:9-11). There were many Jewish people in Jerusalem at this time, including the disciples.

Pass out popcorn and water.

Dig:

Bible Story and DVD: “Falling Fire”

1. Outside of Jerusalem, Jesus appeared to his disciples and told them about the Holy Spirit.
   - Read Acts 1:4-11 – explain the location of Acts in the Bible and that it was written by Luke.
   - The movie starts with Luke on a ship, he helps a girl who is hurt, and tells some of the people on the ship the story of the disciples and the beginning of the church as he wrote it in the book of Acts.
   - Watch DVD “Falling Fire” – Luke reading the scroll to Jesus ascension. (5 min.)
2. What is the Holy Spirit?
   Can you see it?
   How do you know it is there?
   Compare to wind. In Greek and Hebrew, spirit and wind are the same word.
3. The disciples stayed in Jerusalem as Jesus had told them to wait for the Gift that God had promised. (Acts 1:4)
   - Read Acts 2:1-6, 11b-12
   - continue DVD – Disciples returning to Jerusalem to the coming of the Holy Spirit. (5 min.)
   - What gift did the disciples receive? How did they receive it?
4. Recall Peter’s denial of Jesus. Now he is anxious to tell the people about Him because he had received the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is out Helper.
   - Read Acts 2:14-18, 22-24, 36-39
   - continue DVD – Peter’s speech to the crowd to Peter’s healing of the lame man. (10 min.)
   - Peter could not do this on his own. He needed a helper. He needed the Holy Spirit.
   - The people asked, “What shall we do?” (Acts 2:37) How did they receive the gift? How can we receive the gift?
   - This was the birthday of the Christian church because now many people were spreading the word about Jesus.
5. The Holy Spirit is God in our hearts, our helper, and he is with us always. This was God’s gift to us. What gift can we give to God and His church? (Being kind, helpful, polite, respectful; telling others about Jesus, singing, listening to God’s word, going to church and Sunday School, praying, etc.)

Reflection:

Follow-up Activity: Grades PreK-1, Grades 2-4

• Have each child think of one gift they can give to God and His church.
• Write the word inside folded paper.
• Use makers to decorate the outside of the gift.
• Put ribbon (bow) on the outside with a tag that reads: To God, With Love, _____________, and mount on red poster board – “My Gift to God for the Birthday of the Church”.

Follow-up Activity: Grades 5-8

• One of the symbols of the Holy Spirit is a dove. The dove appeared when Jesus was baptized. (Matt. 3:16).
• Using Origami, have the class make doves to be used to decorate the church on Pentecost or Temple Sunday. (see info about "Peace Pals" origami project below)
• Each student should make at least 3. One can be taken home.

Closing
Prayer: Thank God for His gift of the Holy Spirit. With this gift God and Jesus will be in our hearts always. The Holy Spirit will be our Helper.

Alternate Suggestion for Younger Children

• Show the DVD - "Return of the King" (Kingdom Under The Sea Series)

References:

• DVD – “Falling Fire-The Gift of the Spirit” by The Visual Bible, Thomas Nelson
• DVD – Kingdom Under the Sea “Return of the King” by Bridgestone Multimedia Group, Inc.
• Origami Doves found at Peace Pals, c/o The World Peace Prayer Society.  For online instructions, google "peace pals origami" or visit http://www.betterworld.net/kid...rojects/project2.htm

Paraphrase of Acts 2

Paraphrased: After Jesus' death, resurrection, and ascension, his disciples met in Jerusalem to celebrate a Jewish wheat festival which falls fifty days after the Passover.

When the disciples had gathered (Acts 2: 1 - 41), the Holy Spirit came down from heaven in tongues of fire and rested on the heads of everyone in the room. All the people began to speak in every language that had ever been heard in Palestine at that time.

Because Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit touched ordinary people, the Season of Pentecost focuses on the Spirit and the way in which it touches everyone in the world. One of the ways the Spirit reaches the world is through the Christian church.

And because everyone in the room began to speak about the wonders of God and about the life of Jesus, on Pentecost Sunday we celebrate the birthday of the church, the birthday of ministry, and the birthday of evangelism.

The Feast of the Pentecost is a special time for baptisms and confirmations.
Christians spend the Season of Pentecost looking at the relationship of God with His people as they experience his Holy Spirit. It is a time of outreach, and a time of letting the Spirit flow through each Christian to touch God's creation. Christians go to camp during Pentecost in order to appreciate God's beautiful world. It is also the time they begin to keep their confirmation promise of going into the world to make disciples of all nations.

Pentecost is a time of praise, of fellowship, and of spiritual renewal, as each Christian draws the Spirit into himself or herself with every breath.

Written by Dotti Siegel & Liz Weingart for"JC’S PLACE" Sunday School at Petersburg Presbyterian Church

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