April 19th - Day of Pentecost
Lesson
Acts 2
When the day of Pentecost came (50 days after Easter Sunday) they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.
Now there were many God-fearing Jews from every nation staying in Jerusalem. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together amazed because each one heard their own language being spoken. They could not understand how these simple people from Galilee could speak of the wonders of God in so many languages. They asked, “What does this mean?”
Then Peter stood up and addressed the crowd. He reminded them of the words from the prophet Joel about the Spirit of God being poured out on all people, he spoke of the many miracles done by Jesus during his time on earth and ultimately of his death and resurrection. When the people heard this, they were ashamed and asked, “What shall we do?” Peter told them to repent (turn to God being truly sorry for all the mistakes you had made) and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And then they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. About three thousand people obeyed.
The believers continued to meet regularly for teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayer. Everyone was filled with awe (amazement) at the many wonders and signs (miracles) performed by the apostles. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Today you can make a kite (see instructions or make your own). Kites are powered by the wind. You cannot see the wind only what it does. You can see leaves being blown, your hair, the clouds in the sky, it cools you on a hot day. The Holy Spirit is not something that you see. But you can see what it does. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you can speak in another language, you can pray for the sick and see them healed, it helps you to understand and remember God’s word, it gives peace and comfort in troubled times (times like now).
So, go fly your kite and appreciate all God’s wonders and provision for you.
This year the Day of Pentecost is on 31 May according to Google.
If you go back and read the Old Testament, you will discover that Pentecost was one of the Jewish feast days. Only they didn’t call it Pentecost. That’s the Greek name. The Jews called it the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks. It is mentioned five places in the first five books—in Exodus 23, Exodus 24, Leviticus 16, Numbers 28, and Deuteronomy 16. It was the celebration of the beginning of the early weeks of harvest. In Palestine there were two harvests each year. The early harvest came during the months of May and June; the final harvest came in the Fall. Pentecost was the celebration of the beginning of the early wheat harvest, which meant that Pentecost always fell sometime during the middle of the month of May or sometimes in early June.
There were several festivals, celebrations, or observances that took place before Pentecost. There was Passover, there was Unleavened Bread, and there was the Feast of Firstfruits. The Feast of Firstfruits was the celebration of the beginning of the barley harvest. Here’s the way you figured out the date of Pentecost. According to the Old Testament, you would go to the day of the celebration of Firstfruits, and beginning with that day, you would count off 50 days. The fiftieth day would be the Day of Pentecost. So Firstfruits is the beginning of the barley harvest and Pentecost the celebration of the beginning of the wheat harvest. Since it was always 50 days after Firstfruits, and since 50 days equals seven weeks, it always came a “week of weeks” later. Therefore, they either called it the Feast of Harvest or the Feast of Weeks.
Memory Verse
MV #12
EXPLORERS & ADVENTURERS
Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit will help you.” John 15:26 CEV
INVESTIGATORS
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses. Acts 1:8 NIV
Activity
MAKING A KITE
YOU WILL NEED:
A rectangular piece of paper – A4 is good. Feel free to decorate it, either now or in step two.
String – I used jute string in this example, but a reel of cotton works well too
Something to make a hole in paper with – I used a hole punch, but feel free to improvise with a pen, a stick or whatever you have on hand
OPTIONAL EXTRAS:
Sticky tape
Decorations for paper – but don’t weigh it down too much!
A pen, pencil, stick or similarly shaped object
A functional stapler and staples
DIRECTIONS:
Fold Paper in Half Widthways
Bring the two short sides of your piece of paper together and press along the bend to make a crease.
Now is a great time to decorate your kite! Use pens, pencils, crayons, felt-tip pens, a printer, but be careful not to weigh it down too much. If it’s too heavy it won’t be able to fly!
Bend the Front Corner of the Top Layer Down to Touch the Crease, Repeat on the Back Layer and Staple
The essential thing with this step is to only bend the corners down. If you fold them the kite will not work. The exact position of the corner is not critical, but will affect how your kite flies.
If you don’t have access to a functional stapler and staples, you can pierce through the two corners and the body of the kite with your hole making device and skip to Step 4.
Make a Hole Near the Front of the Crease
The exact location of this hole is not critical, but it will affect the flight characteristics of your kite. This particular kite flew between roughly a foot and seven feet from the ground.
Alternatively, you could staple the string to the kite and skip step five.
Optional – If you have some tape, you may wish to use it to reinforce the hole. This may be particularly useful if you are using thin string, or if you intend to get a lot of use out of the kite.
Thread String Through Hole and Tie It Off
The knot used is not important as long as it will keep the string attached to the kite.
Optional – If using loose string, you may like to tie it to a pencil, pen, stick or similarly shaped object and wind it around for ease of handling. If you’re using a reel of cotton, you might like to thread a pen or pencil through the barrel, which will allow the thread to unreel freely.