Rotation.org Writing Team

Pentecost: Wind, Fire, Faith!

Movement and Music Workshop

Summary of Activities

Students will learn and perform motions to the song, "Start a Fire (in my soul)," — by the Christian rock group, Unspoken, using white and fluorescent colored clothing under black light. Why black light?  See the great reason below!

Scripture for the Lessons

Acts 2:1-8, 12-18, 36-47 ~ the story of Pentecost
(Teachers should read the entire story Acts 1:1-2:41)

Key/Memory Verse
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -- Acts 1:8 (NRSV)

Start a fire in my soul
Fan the flame and make it grow
So there’s no doubt or denying
Let it burn so brightly
That everyone around can see
That it’s You, that it’s You that we need
Start a fire in me
(Verse 1, Start a Fire, Unspoken)

Song videos and lyrics below...

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives, and lots of great "ways to explain this story" to your kids.

To witness to the ends of the earth, you must first ask God to start a fire in your soul.

This blacklight video can be seen in Resource post below!

Notes about teaching with movement and music...

Music is one of God's incredible learning gifts. It's one of the seven primary "learning intelligences," or "learning senses," that our brain uses to process and remember information.

Movement, aka, "kinesthetic" learning intelligence, is another one of the seven ways our brain learns. It's no wonder the church sings our faith and talks about the movement of the Spirit, especially at Pentecost. Music and movement help wire strong memories and created emotional connections to our content.  

As teaching methods and mediums, music and movement are often under-utilized. Part of the reason is that it self-consciousness, ...and that's where the black lights come in!

Why "bother" with blacklight?

First of all, it's fun and creates a very memorable visual effect. But equally as important, performing in blacklight provides a comfortable degree of anonymity for the movement-shy student, and it's "cool factor" also makes this kind of activity more acceptable to older students, especially self-conscious boys.

Blacklight fixtures are not terribly expensive and can be used for many other drama, music and movement lessons. One of the reasons Rotation Model Sunday Schools can afford lessons like this, is because we don't do them for just one week or one grade group.

Preparation and Materials

• Read Bible Background and scripture.
• Bible and/or bible storybook.

• Purchase a copy of "Start a Fire" (Unspoken).
• Preview, copy and print the lyric sheet with questions, attached in post below.
• Preview, copy and print the movement instruction sheet, attached to the end of this lesson.   YOU NEED TO LEARN THESE MOTIONS SO YOU CAN TEACH THEM, ESPECIALLY THE YOUNGER CHILDREN.
• Pre-view the music lyric video from YouTube shown above, and copy and save to show to your students.

• Purchase a blacklight fixture, if you do not already have one. (2 blacklight fluorescent  fixtures should suffice. See Resources below).
• Clothing that will glow under blacklight:  white gloves, colorful neon socks, white hats, are some suggestions.  Blacklight hoods will also be required (see resources in next post).
• Black poster board for making a "Jesus" sign and flame signs.
• Large cross (neon painted on one side/black on the other).
• Glow-in-the-dark tape or paints to make signs.
• (Pictured to the right are what was used in the blacklight video: the Jesus letters pictured here are two pieces of black flannel taped together along widest sides, with packing tape, turned over, then orange fluorescent duck tape was use to create the letters - to spell out Jesus - these were easily safety pinned to the back of the children's long-sleeved T-Shirts- if you have more than 5 children, create flames on additional ones.)
• CD player/Computer to play the song "Start a Fire" by Unspoken
• Video camera that's good in low light to record performance (and screen for playback)

Lesson Plan

You will need a maximum amount of time to prepare and learn the song. Have everything ready to go.

Open

Welcome your students and introduce today's activities.

Tell them that first you want them to read the story of Pentecost from the Bible, and then show them a music video. Tell them you will ask them to compare the video to the story.

Study It

1. Read an abridged version of the story of Pentecost, either from your Bibles (taking turns) or from a storybook Bible.

2. Now give them a copy of the lyrics to "Start a Fire" — with the questions (seen below in this topic at rotation.org, copy and print it).

3. Watch the music video and answer several or all of the questions that accompany the lyrics. (Watch your time.)

Learn and Burn!

This blacklight video can be seen in Resource post below!

1. First dress students with the props (hats, gloves, socks) and turn on the blacklight to show them how they will glow. Then turn the classroom light back on, and teach them the motions to the song, Start a Fire.

Attached to this lesson is a Word doc with the lyrics and graphics of the motions.

You will want to have the cross and  "JESUS" letter props ready, and might also want to have a flame prop (or two) to move around.

2.  Perform the song for the video camera under black lights.

Tip:  If you have more than 4 or 5 students, you can split into 2 groups and have them take turns performing the video. This will help the second group do a little better job after watching the first.

Reflect the Flame

Watch your video and make this final observation using the blacklight.

Why does God want to start a fire within our souls?  The answer is in the part the song called "the bridge," .....would someone read it to us?

We are called to reflect God to others, to let them see God's light burning in us. We come to church and Sunday School to learn how to clothe ourselves with faith. Without faith, with the flame of God burning within our souls (remove the socks/hat/gloves), we become part of the darkness.  

The Apostle Paul in Romans 13:14 said it like this, "Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ." Surround yourself with Jesus on the outside, but also on the inside through worship, prayer, scripture and love —so God can begin to Start a fire in your soul, Fan the flame and make it grow, So that there’s no doubt or denying God exists, God is love, and God saves.  Just like the first Pentecost, where the Disciples went out into the crowd to tell others about Jesus, we too pray for the Holy Spirit to burn so brightly in us, —that everyone around will be able to see, That it’s You, that it’s God that we need.

Close with prayer and invite the students to take the lyrics home and share it with their parents.

Teaching Note: Don't worry too much about "milking the meaning." If the music and movement has done its job, the song will keep playing in their heads and hearts.

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team from a concept, technique
and resources provided by Luanne Payne.

Images, Videos, and Lyrics used here under the Fair Use clause of US Copyright Law,
for the purposes of commentary and face-to-face teaching only.