Ready for the party?

Tongues of fire, speaking new languages and accusations of drunkenness - a not-so-typical house party results in the birth of the Church.

Our Christian story is full of surprises, weird events and deep meaning. Our God is full of surprises too, creative and ingenious approaches to drawing us close, miracles and excitement. I remember being the scripture reader several years ago on Pentecost, and as I read the words about the wind blowing into the room where the apostles were, I literally felt a movement of wind inside or around me or both and the hairs on my arms stood up. I will never forget that moment.

We tend to celebrate this day, if at all, with balloons and streamers and cake. Birthdays are things all children can relate to, and so the birthday of the start of the Church after Jesus’ was called home to His Father is something they can grasp. I wonder, though, if we can challenge them, particularly older children and youth, to not just see this day as a great reason to have cake and treats, but to recognize the amazing gift this is for them for all time.

Consider using one or more of these ideas to extend your celebration of Pentecost:

1. Ask some wondering questions (open-ended questions with no right or wrong answers), like: I wonder how it felt to wait until Pentecost for God’s Spirit to come and help. I wonder what the tongues of fire looked like. I wonder how it felt to suddenly be able to speak another language. I wonder how Peter felt talking to everyone there. I wonder how God pours out the Holy Spirit. I wonder what messages God gives us now. I wonder what visions God wants us to see. I wonder what dreams God sends to us.

2. Have the group imagine how different the world would be without the Church. Write a list of things that the Church has done or is doing that wouldn’t be happening if the Church never came to be. This list can be as simple or as deep as the group permits.

3. Talk about courage and being willing to take risks to obey God and to start something new. How must the apostles have felt to try to go on without Jesus? How hard would it have been to trust that God’s Holy Spirit would actually live inside and guide and direct them? How scary must it have been to know that people like Saul (later Paul) were actively persecuting Christians? What new things might God be asking of us today?

4. Pentecost brought about, or at very least heightened and spread, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of Spirit. Talk about the gifts that learners see being used in your church that have come from God. Where do they see the fruit of the Spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control)? Who do they know who lets God direct their lives and speak through them? How is this like Pentecost?

5. Talk about different languages that the learners know how to speak. What are some words that they know? Is it hard to learn another language? Because God enabled the apostles to speak other languages, people from around the world could hear God’s amazing Good News message in their own language. How far do they think that God’s Good News has traveled since then? Look at a world map and talk about places where there are lots Christians and not so many. If you have access to a computer, this animated website is pretty neat - http://www.businessinsider.com/how-christianity-spread-around-world-animated-map-2015-7. These websites also explore the idea of the spread of Christianity - http://www.mapsofworld.com/world-religion-map.htm, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2012/12/18/our-christian-earth-the-astounding-reach-of-the-worlds-largest-religion-in-charts-and-maps/ (scroll down) and https://joshuaproject.net/resources/maps.

Without Pentecost, the Church as we know it probably would not exist. Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance and affirmation, what began with such enthusiasm would likely have fizzled out long before us. Take time to thank God for the dreamers and visionaries who were obedient to the Spirit’s call to spread the gospel.