PRAYER / WORSHIP ACTIVITY
OPTION 1
5 minutes
Give everyone an unlit candle in a circle of card. Light 12 candles at the front of church, to represent the 12 disciples alight with the flames of the Holy Spirit. Explain that at Pentecost the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire: the inspired disciples told crowds of pilgrims that Jesus was the Messiah and the excited pilgrims took the good news back to their own countries. Invite volunteers to carry the 12 lit candles to the congregation and light more candles. People should then light each other’s candles until the whole church is filled with light. Praise God’s Holy Spirit, which spreads like wildfire across the world. You could use birthday candles for this activity, reminding people that Pentecost is the Church’s birthday.
OPTION 2
5 minutes
You will need lots of small pots of bubble mixture for this activity. Explain that in the Bible, the word for ‘Spirit’ is the same as ‘breath’, and we can pray for God’s Holy Spirit to ‘breathe’ on us or ‘inspire’ us, just as the strong wind blows on the disciples, which we’ll hear about in today’s story. Ask everyone to open their pot of bubble mixture and look at the gloop inside: it’s colourless and rather ordinary. Then invite everyone to see what a difference their breath makes: blow bubbles and consider their fragile beauty and changing colours. Ask God to breathe his Holy Spirit into us and make a difference to our lives.
STORY
10 minutes
You will need five big cards with red / yellow cartoon-style bursts and the following words: WHOOSH! ZAP! BAM! WOW! BOOM! and a two-sided card saying: ‘SUPERPOWER! / HOLY SPIRIT!’. Tell the story using the following script:
Look around you. Look at the church you’re in and think about all the people who have worshipped here over the years. Now think about other churches you have visited, in this country and in other parts of the world. Think of the generations who have prayed to the same God we are worshipping this morning. All of this started 2,000 years ago with God’s plan to bring the whole world close to him.
But God’s big plan had a very small beginning. I’m going to show you what it looked like. Can I have some volunteers please? (Choose 12 or as many as you can get.) You are the disciples and you’re in Jerusalem during a busy Jewish festival called Pentecost. You are sad and frightened. (Encourage your volunteers to huddle, look scared etc.) You’re hiding in a locked room, hoping the Roman soldiers won’t find you and kill you like they killed your best friend, Jesus, only a few weeks ago.
So how on earth did God use this frightened few in his plan for international followers of Jesus and a worldwide church? They needed God’s SUPERPOWER! (Hold up the ‘SUPERPOWER’ card.)
WHOOSH! (Ask a volunteer to hold up the correct card.) Suddenly a wild wind came rushing through the house. ‘What?!’ yelled the disciples, looking at the locked door and the shuttered windows.
ZAP! (Ask a volunteer to hold up this card.) Suddenly fierce flames leapt on the disciples heads! ‘How?!’ hollered the disciples, amazed that their hair wasn’t burning.
BAM! (Ask a volunteer to hold up the next card.) God’s SUPERPOWER, (you hold up the card) THE HOLY SPIRIT (Reverse the card.) had arrived! Every disciple was filled right up and began to overflow with words. And what words! The disciples rushed into the street and shouted about Jesus in loads of different languages! (Ask all your volunteers to stand up confidently.)
WOW! (Ask another volunteer to hold up this card.) Pentecost pilgrims from all over the world were impressed. They heard the disciples miraculously speaking in languages they could understand! The disciples weren’t frightened any longer: Peter even made a speech. He told everyone, ‘You can be absolutely sure about Jesus, whom you crucified: God made him Lord and Messiah!’
BOOM! (Ask a volunteer to hold up the card.) He’d said it. Thousands of people fell on their knees and begged for God’s forgiveness. Three thousand pilgrims got baptised then and there and became followers of Jesus. When they went back to their own countries, they took the good news about Jesus with them. God’s world-changing plan was working! It was all thanks to his SUPERPOWER, (Hold up the card) the HOLY SPIRIT! (Reverse the card.)
REFLECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE STORY
OPTION 1
10 minutes
Show pictures / videos of wind and fire in action, from forest fires and hurricanes to a candle flame and a gentle breeze. Invite people to think or talk about wind and fire and what they can do. Then remind people that today’s story described the Holy Spirit as wind and fire. Ask: how is the Holy Spirit like wind? How is the Holy Spirit like fire? Offer some suggestions: sometimes an experience of God can bowl you over like a strong gust of wind; perhaps you can ‘catch’ the Holy Spirit just as things can catch fire. Gather ideas as a whole church, or invite people to discuss with the person next to them or simply reflect quietly.
OPTION 2
10 minutes
You will need lots of cards with Acts 2:36 on them. On the reverse of each card, print a translation of this verse in a different language. You can find different translations of the Bible at biblehub. com or simplify the verse to, ‘Jesus is Lord / Messiah’ and enter it in Google Translate. Include non-verbal forms of communication, such as a picture of British Sign Language for ‘Jesus is Lord’, or an artistic representation of Jesus the Messiah. Spread these cards around the church and encourage people to look at them all, as they think about the multicultural crowds in Jerusalem who heard the truth about Jesus in languages they could understand. Invite people to think about their own faith: who or what has helped them understand Jesus better?
GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
10 minutes
Divide the congregation into mixed-age groups and explore the following questions:
- I wonder which part of this story you liked best…?
- I wonder what the disciples thought when the wind blew indoors and the flames appeared above their heads…?
- I wonder how they felt when they suddenly began speaking different languages…?
- If you were in this story, where would you be?
Claire Benton-Evans is the Youth and Children Officer for the Diocese of Edinburgh and the author of many all-age resource books for Kevin Mayhew
