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Peter at Pentecost

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Marvel (4-5)Year 1Unit 3 (Marvel at the Holy Spirit’s Power)Session 2
2

Peter at Pentecost

Scripture
Focus
On Pentecost Jesus kept his promise and sent his Spirit to be with his people always.
Faith Nurture Goals
  • Sense the presence of Jesus' Spirit among us.
  • Express our awe and wonder at the way Jesus sent us his Spirit.
  • Describe who the Holy Spirit is and what the Spirit does in our lives.
Memory Challenge

Leader Reflection

Preparing to Tell God's Story

We use the term Pentecost so easily that we sometimes forget it was first of all a major Jewish festival (Hebrew: Shavu'ot). It came to have the name Pentecost in Greek because it was held fifty days after the Passover (Lev. 23:15-21). It was the festival of firstfruits, when the people would bring the firstfruits of the harvest to be dedicated at the temple.

Understanding that gives us a sense of God's timing. Fifty days after the death and especially the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the firstfruits come in. The Holy Spirit descends on the gathered disciples, and the firstfruits of the nations are baptized into the church after Peter's Pentecost sermon. These are the firstfruits of the greater harvest that is to come when the gospel is preached to the ends of the earth.

When we talk about the descent of the Spirit at Pentecost, it does not mean that the Holy Spirit was not active in the world before. Already at creation the Spirit of God was "hovering over the water" and that same Spirit filled David and others, and inspired the prophets. What new thing happened then at Pentecost? From then on, everyone who believes and is baptized in Jesus' name personally receives the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit creates the church, bringing people to faith, and then incorporating them into the body of Christ.

Remember that Jesus had instructed the disciples to prayerfully wait in Jerusalem for the gift he would give. Early in the morning of that fiftieth day, as pilgrims by the thousands from all over the Mediterranean world were making their way to the Temple, the Spirit broke in with wonderful signs:

  • Wind: In Hebrew and Greek the words wind (air, breath) and Spirit are the same. Now the sound of wind/Spirit comes with cyclonic power on the church.

  • Tongues of fire: As in the burning bush that stopped Moses in his tracks, the fire represents the divine presence (resting on each one).

  • Speech: The disciples were able to speak in the various languages of the pilgrims who had come to Jerusalem, so all could fully understand what was happening. Note that the God who had scattered the people with differing languages at Babel (Gen. 11:1-9) brings them together with the gift of the Spirit.

Then Peter (of course) stood up and addressed the crowd in a powerful sermon that explained these events as fulfillment of prophecy. He declared that God had made "this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah" (2:36). In other words, this was the decisive moment in history when God acted to redeem the world through his Son.

The crowds were moved to faith and repentance, and three thousand were baptized in that one day alone. Talk about firstfruits! And what a harvest would follow!

With that the story takes a turn. Up to this point it had been the story of God coming to save his rebellious creation. Now, with the gift of the Spirit, God's story becomes our story. We live out the story in our lives as the Spirit moves us, inspires us, and empowers us to live toward the kingdom of God.

Wondering
  • How does aligning Pentecost with the Jewish festival of Shavu’ot deepen your understanding and appreciation of Pentecost?

  • Does the Spirit sometimes come with “signs and wonders” today? Should we expect it? What has been your experience?

Teaching
  • Make sure to make the connection between baptism and the gift of the Spirit; this passage and the whole New Testament does. And help kids recognize the signs of the Spirit’s personal presence—faith, love, worship, obedience.

  • In some ways the Spirit is what someone called the “shy person” of the Trinity. The Spirit often seems to work behind the scenes, pointing to the Father and the Son. By your own testimony, you can help your kids better understand how the Spirit personally operates in their lives.

  • What strikes you about Peter’s sermon on this occasion?

Steps

Step 1 Gathering for God's Story

  • music smart
  • picture smart
  • self smart

As children arrive, invite them to share the results of their investigation during the past week. How many ways did they list that your church is telling and showing others Jesus’s love? You may want to provide a small prize for the person with the longest list. (Or give prizes to all the kids who acted as investigators!)

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