Bible Study – Day of Pentecost: Come Holy Spirit
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
We begin the season with two Feast days: Pentecost, followed by Trinity Sunday. Then we move on to the long season known as Ordinary Time, which runs through Christ the King Sunday. As we take this journey, nourished by the scriptures appointed for the season and empowered by our baptisms, we are invited to be on the lookout for all the blessings found in the ordinary – to see God at work here and now. And we are compelled to share our blessings with others. Our theme for this lengthy season is “Blessed is the Ordinary.”
The church is born at Pentecost. The promised Advocate comes and those who cowered in fear now burst forth from their prisons with a message that can be understood in any language. The message: God is for everyone and anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. We are still unpacking this message today as we peek out from the prisons we find ourselves hiding within.
Opening Prayer: Thank you, God, for helping Jesus’ friends not to give up. Thank you that they waited in that room – just like Jesus had told them to do – until the Holy Spirit came to them. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to us, too. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Acts 2:1-21 and read or read the scriptures below.
Acts 2:1-21
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost
2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”
3 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[c]
Reflection Questions: (Answers at the bottom of the page)
- What do you think it was like to be there on this day?
- Why were the disciples hunkered down in this room?
- What did the disciples see when the wind came rushing in? (Acts 2, verse 3)
- What did Peter say to the crowd? (Verse 21)
- What you would say or do if you were present?
Click here for the young learner’s lesson.
Videos (Click on url)
Pentecost Scripture – Acts 2:1-21: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2Hf8CQCzI or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i2Hf8CQCzI
What Happened at Pentecost and Why It is Important – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQhkWmFJKnA
Book of Acts Summary: A Complete Animated Overview (Part 1): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGbNw855ksw
Song: Spirit of the Living God - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccaFnRYLTok
Activities:
Wind Banner: Take a thin piece of rectangular material. Magic markers can be used to write the Bible lesson today on that material. Then take ribbon or yarn to hang the banner outside your house to blow in the wind.
Poster Power: Cut out large letters of HOLY SPIRIT and tape the letters on a poster in up and down position for a more interesting poster. Then write or decorate the poster with words from the story and add pictures or stickers for a more exciting poster to be remembered.
Stained Glass Craft: click on the following url and make the Dove or Pentecost Stain Glass. Follow the instructions on the url. https://www.dltk-kids.com/bible/crafts/m-stainedglass.htm
Day of Pentecost - Crossword: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-4
Day of Pentecost - Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-1
Day of Pentecost – Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-5
Day of Pentecost – Multiple Choice: https://sermons4kids.com/activities/pentecost-6
Prayer: Thank you, God, for disciples who wait for the wind of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for the Holy Spirit here with us today. Amen.
Answers to Reflection Questions:
- What do you think it was like to be there on this day?
- Why were the disciples hunkered down in this room? (They were afraid they were next. Remember that during the Easter season we had stories of the disciples huddling in this room when Jesus came to them.)
- What did the disciples see when the wind came rushing in? (Acts 2, verse 3) the crowd gathered and each heard them speaking in the native language.
- What did Peter say to the crowd? (Verse 21) Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
- What you would say or do if you were present?
