Shower The People
Children's sermon
THE BIG INFLUENCE OF SMALL THINGS
Exegetical Aim: The experience of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Props: A gallon of small confetti, a powerful fan, and if needed an extension cord. Hide the confetti in a solid colored pitcher. Practice this with a sample of confetti to be sure your fan is strong enough and your confetti is light enough to be pushed up in the air above the children's heads. Rotate the fan and the confetti so that you cover as much of the altar area as possible. Don't worry about cleaning the confetti up until after the service. It's a good reminder of the celebratory nature of Pentecost. Optional: Large party stores will usually have confetti in the shape of birds. I have used a few of the shiny heavy stock bird confetti as a prize for the children to find.
Lesson: The children should sit at the bottom of the steps (if you have steps). Set up the props at the top of the stairs. Good morning! (response) Who can tell me what today is? (response) Today is Pentecost, and what do we celebrate on Pentecost? (response) It is the birthday of the church. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to come to be our teacher and our power. Does anyone know what happened on the day of Pentecost? (response) All the disciples were together in one place and then a strong wind came blowing down from heaven that filled the whole house. Then a really strange thing happened. Something that looked like little brands of fire came and rested on each of them. What do you think those brands of fire were? (response)
Do you think that could happen here? (response) Let's see. I want you to try to catch as much of the Holy Spirit as you can. If you were able to find the bird confetti, tell the children to find them. Are you ready? (response) Here comes the Holy Spirit! If your fan is powerful enough, shoot the confetti above the heads of the congregation as well.
Application: How much did you catch? Let me see. (response) That's what happened on the day that the church began. The Holy Spirit came blowing in and landed on everybody. From that point on the world has never been the same. The church spread all over the world. Just like this confetti you see all over the sanctuary. Now that the Holy Spirit has landed on us, what are we supposed to do? (response) We are to tell everyone we meet that God is love and that he has come in the power of his Holy Spirit. Go out today and be a witness.
Let's Pray: Lord, you have landed upon us. You have filled us with your Spirit and given us power to tell this story to the world. Amen.
?
Pentecost
1 Corinthians 12:3b--13
One Potato
Exegetical Aim: The Spirit makes us one body in Christ.
Props: A Mr. Potato Head. Take the different body parts and give them to some of the children. Keep the empty potato head for yourself.
Lesson: How many of you have ever played with this? Do you know what it is? (response) How do you play with it? (response) I see, you place different body parts on it in order to make it look like a person. Let's try it. Does anyone have a nose that we can place on the potato? Place the nose on the potato. Hey! That was pretty fun! I guess we're through now. Hold it up high. Here's Mr. Potato Head! (response) What's the matter? Why are you all yelling, "No," to me? (response) I see because it needs another body part. Repeat the previous step with one eye, letting the children tell you that it still needs more. Continue this for a couple of more pieces, eventually putting it all together.
Application: Did you know that today is the birthday of the church? On this day, the Spirit of God made a lot of different people become the church, and there are many parts to the church. Mr. Potato Head isn't a Mr. Potato Head without its eyes, hands, nose, and mouth. Point to the children. And the church isn't the church without all its parts. Let's see, identify the children as various body parts you are the hand, and you are the eye. What are you? Are you the nose? You look like a nose? (response) What part are you? (response) What about you? (response) It doesn't matter which part of the church you are. The nose is just as important as the hand. And the Holy Spirit takes all of us different people and puts us together into one big beautiful church.
Let's Pray: Thank you, God, for using all these children as part of your wonderful Church. Amen.
Props: A gallon of small confetti, a powerful fan, and if needed an extension cord. Hide the confetti in a solid colored pitcher. Practice this with a sample of confetti to be sure your fan is strong enough and your confetti is light enough to be pushed up in the air above the children's heads. Rotate the fan and the confetti so that you cover as much of the altar area as possible. Don't worry about cleaning the confetti up until after the service. It's a good reminder of the celebratory nature of Pentecost. Optional: Large party stores will usually have confetti in the shape of birds. I have used a few of the shiny heavy stock bird confetti as a prize for the children to find.
Lesson: The children should sit at the bottom of the steps (if you have steps). Set up the props at the top of the stairs. Good morning! (response) Who can tell me what today is? (response) Today is Pentecost, and what do we celebrate on Pentecost? (response) It is the birthday of the church. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to come to be our teacher and our power. Does anyone know what happened on the day of Pentecost? (response) All the disciples were together in one place and then a strong wind came blowing down from heaven that filled the whole house. Then a really strange thing happened. Something that looked like little brands of fire came and rested on each of them. What do you think those brands of fire were? (response)
Do you think that could happen here? (response) Let's see. I want you to try to catch as much of the Holy Spirit as you can. If you were able to find the bird confetti, tell the children to find them. Are you ready? (response) Here comes the Holy Spirit! If your fan is powerful enough, shoot the confetti above the heads of the congregation as well.
Application: How much did you catch? Let me see. (response) That's what happened on the day that the church began. The Holy Spirit came blowing in and landed on everybody. From that point on the world has never been the same. The church spread all over the world. Just like this confetti you see all over the sanctuary. Now that the Holy Spirit has landed on us, what are we supposed to do? (response) We are to tell everyone we meet that God is love and that he has come in the power of his Holy Spirit. Go out today and be a witness.
Let's Pray: Lord, you have landed upon us. You have filled us with your Spirit and given us power to tell this story to the world. Amen.
?
Pentecost
1 Corinthians 12:3b--13
One Potato
Exegetical Aim: The Spirit makes us one body in Christ.
Props: A Mr. Potato Head. Take the different body parts and give them to some of the children. Keep the empty potato head for yourself.
Lesson: How many of you have ever played with this? Do you know what it is? (response) How do you play with it? (response) I see, you place different body parts on it in order to make it look like a person. Let's try it. Does anyone have a nose that we can place on the potato? Place the nose on the potato. Hey! That was pretty fun! I guess we're through now. Hold it up high. Here's Mr. Potato Head! (response) What's the matter? Why are you all yelling, "No," to me? (response) I see because it needs another body part. Repeat the previous step with one eye, letting the children tell you that it still needs more. Continue this for a couple of more pieces, eventually putting it all together.
Application: Did you know that today is the birthday of the church? On this day, the Spirit of God made a lot of different people become the church, and there are many parts to the church. Mr. Potato Head isn't a Mr. Potato Head without its eyes, hands, nose, and mouth. Point to the children. And the church isn't the church without all its parts. Let's see, identify the children as various body parts you are the hand, and you are the eye. What are you? Are you the nose? You look like a nose? (response) What part are you? (response) What about you? (response) It doesn't matter which part of the church you are. The nose is just as important as the hand. And the Holy Spirit takes all of us different people and puts us together into one big beautiful church.
Let's Pray: Thank you, God, for using all these children as part of your wonderful Church. Amen.
