The Advocate comes
Children's Activity
Object:
Teachers or Parents: How can one understand the Holy
Spirit? That is the challenge. The concept behind today's
children's sermon is that Jesus stepped aside in his earthly form
so that the Spirit, the "Advocate," could come to all people all
over. The limits of time and space are not limitations to the
Holy Spirit.
* Re-enact the Pentecost story found in Acts 2. Let each child make the sound of a different language.
* The Spirit is compared to the wind (in fact the words "wind" and "spirit" are the same in the Greek language). "Can you see the wind?" "How do we know the wind is real?" "How can we know God's Spirit is real?" (We know the wind is real even though we cannot see it because of the effects it produces in the trees, the clouds, the water, and feeling its effects on our skin.)
* The reading from Ezekiel (37:1-14) is a wonderful story to act out. It tells of God's giving life to dry bones by breathing life into them.
* Make special "Blessed Pentecost" cards with captions conveying the blowing breath of new life God gives through the work of the Holy Spirit. Cards could be made ahead of time and the children could color them.
* Place red streamers above each door of the Sunday school rooms to symbolize the red flame of the Holy Spirit.
Parents: Make Pentecost a special day in your family. Develop some family traditions around this uncommercialized Christian holy day. Some ideas:
* Plant red flowers such as geraniums.
* Make and send Pentecost cards celebrating the new life the Spirit gives.
* Read the Pentecost story from Acts 2 as part of your family devotions.
* If you do not yet have daily family devotions, let the renewal of Pentecost flow into your family life and begin having such devotions.
Sunday school assembly opening:
* Make and use a Pentecost banner.
* Have one of the older classes do a skit depicting Pentecost based on Acts 2.
* Re-enact the Pentecost story found in Acts 2. Let each child make the sound of a different language.
* The Spirit is compared to the wind (in fact the words "wind" and "spirit" are the same in the Greek language). "Can you see the wind?" "How do we know the wind is real?" "How can we know God's Spirit is real?" (We know the wind is real even though we cannot see it because of the effects it produces in the trees, the clouds, the water, and feeling its effects on our skin.)
* The reading from Ezekiel (37:1-14) is a wonderful story to act out. It tells of God's giving life to dry bones by breathing life into them.
* Make special "Blessed Pentecost" cards with captions conveying the blowing breath of new life God gives through the work of the Holy Spirit. Cards could be made ahead of time and the children could color them.
* Place red streamers above each door of the Sunday school rooms to symbolize the red flame of the Holy Spirit.
Parents: Make Pentecost a special day in your family. Develop some family traditions around this uncommercialized Christian holy day. Some ideas:
* Plant red flowers such as geraniums.
* Make and send Pentecost cards celebrating the new life the Spirit gives.
* Read the Pentecost story from Acts 2 as part of your family devotions.
* If you do not yet have daily family devotions, let the renewal of Pentecost flow into your family life and begin having such devotions.
Sunday school assembly opening:
* Make and use a Pentecost banner.
* Have one of the older classes do a skit depicting Pentecost based on Acts 2.
