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• God's Spirit Gives Courage by Rev. Frank Schaefer

• “Happy Birthday, Church!” Romans 8:22-27, Randy L Quinn

• Speaking Differently with God's Spirit Inside

• Christians Need the Spirit as Much as Balloons Need Air

• The Birthday of the Church, Pentecost Sunday, Janet in MD

• Where the Spirit is there is...Noise

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1) God's Spirit Gives Courage
a children's sermon for Pentecost
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

props: none

Good morning boys and girls.  Today we celebrate what?   Pentecost Day.  That's a complicated name isn't it?  Pentecost Day is the birthday of the church, because on that day the Holy Spirit--the Spirit of God--came over the disciples.  The Holy Spirit got into the hearts of the disciples.    Right here (place hand over your heart).  And when the Spirit had filled them, the disciples changed.  They got courage.

What is courage?

• You have courage when you can overcome your fear.  Has anyone here ever overcome a fear?  Perhaps fear of water when you learned how to swim?

• You have courage if you dare to do something you have never done before.   Has anyone here ever dared to do something you have never done before? Maybe you remember when you first rode you bike without training wheels?  That takes a lot of courage.

• You have courage if you stick up for a friend even if others may harass you for it.  You have courage if you stand up for your beliefs even if others may make fun of you.  Has anyone here ever stuck up for a friend when other kids made fun of him / her or teased them?  You need a lot of courage to do that, don't you?

Many times in life we need courage, even adults need courage.  The kind of courage the disciples needed before Pentecost happened was courage to stand up for their belief in Jesus.  And mind you that was hard for them.  They were afraid that they could be harmed if they told other people that they believed in Jesus.   Why?  Because Jesus had been killed too, so they were afraid that they might kill Jesus' followers too.  The disciples were so afraid that they hid inside secret rooms.  They locked up the doors and even the windows so that nobody could find them and harm them.

But on the day of Pentecost some 2000 years ago, God send the Holy Spirit and filled the disciples' hearts.  And the Spirit gave them courage to stand up for their belief in Jesus.  Not only did they no longer hide away, but they became so bold and courageous that they stepped out into the marketplace in Jerusalem and started to preach about Jesus to the people.

You know what happened?  Did they get harmed by other people?   No.  The amazing thing is that about 3000 people in that marketplace also became believers in Jesus that day, and in the days that followed more and more people wanted to belong to the church until . . . . the church of Jesus became the biggest religious group in the world.

And all that because the Spirit of God filled the hearts of the disciples and gave them courage.  What do you think.  Can God fill our hearts with the Holy Spirit too?  Can he give us courage to do things that we think of as hard or new? (nod your head slightly to encourage a yes answer) You bet.  So today, let us pray for the same Spirit to fill our hearts that filled the hearts of the disciples on Pentecost Day.  Let us pray:

"Dear God, fill our heart with your Spirit too, for we need courage to face life everyday.  We need courage to overcome our fears, to try new things, to help others, and to stand up for our beliefs.  Thank you for helping us with that.  In Jesus name.  Amen"

“Happy Birthday, Church!”
 a children's sermon based on Romans 8:22-27
Randy L Quinn

It’s been a while since I’ve heard the expression, but I can still remember my mother talking about a measure of time that was longer than a month but shorter than a year. She called it “a week of Sundays.” Have you ever heard someone talk about “a week of Sundays”?

Well, guess what? It has been “a week of Sundays” since Easter. That means today is Pentecost Sunday and the season of Easter is over. Pentecost is the 50th day of the Easter season.

On the first Pentecost, God’s Holy Spirit blew into the life of the Disciples and gave them power to preach and to teach in the name of Jesus. That’s why I like to say Pentecost was when the church was born. Not our church. Our church is only about 100 years old. And not the United Methodist Church; it’s a little more than 200 years old. No, I’m talking about God’s church, what we call in the Apostles’ Creed “the holy catholic church” – all the people who call themselves Christian who gather in worship every week in groups and church buildings all over the world. THAT church was born on Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago.

Let’s sing “Happy Birthday” to the church.

When we were born, one of the first things we did was to take our first breath of air. Then every year on our birthday, we breathe in again and blow out some candles.

When the church was born, that breath came from God. It was the Holy Spirit. And God’s Holy Spirit still breathes on us today. In fact, every time we speak God’s name or tell someone about God’s love, we breathe it out.

Today three people are being confirmed – one at Café Chapel and two at the second service. Confirmation is a recognition that God’s Holy Spirit is breathing into their lives and a reminder that God’s Holy Spirit is breathing on us all.

Let’s pray:

God, thank you for your Holy Spirit. Thank you for giving birth to your church by breathing your Spirit on it. May the breath of the Holy Spirit breathe on us today so we will be alive in you. Amen.

Speaking Differently with God's Spirit Inside
Prop: helium balloon - just one

Hold it shut between your index finger and thumb, so that you can inhale - let the kids laugh at your changed voice, then compare the helium to the Holy Spirit - can't see it, but when you have it in you, you speak differently - embroider on that in light of the phenomenon of the disciples speaking different languages!

Christians Need the Spirit as Much as Balloons Need Air
a variation of the above kids talk
by Rev. Frank Schaefer

Props: a balloon (any color) in your pocket (uninflated) and pre-inflated balloons for every kid to be brought in by a helper; an adult helper (sound engineer?) to help with sound effects.

Good morning my little friends, today I want to tell you the story of the arrival of the Holy Spirit which we call Pentecost.  That's a tough word to say isn't it?    Pentecost.  Can you all say it with me?  Pentecost.   Two weeks ago we heard that Jesus left the disciples by going up into the sky. How do you think the disciples felt when Jesus left them? (Sad.. Alone.. Empty inside...)

The bible suggests they were even a little afraid. It tells us that they were all meeting on that day. So they all huddled together, kind being afraid (have the kids huddle with you).

But then, suddenly, there was a loud noise (helper blows into a microphone for sound effects). And they were surprised (look around you in bewilderment, have the kids do the same).

And suddenly they were filled with the Holy spirit, with God’s power and excitement. And then they started to go out of the house and praised God in many different ways and in many different languages (get up and move around as you share this portion--have the kids move around too).

They were no longer afraid. They were full of the Spirit, the power of God.

(Have the kids sit down again.)

The Holy Spirit is often compared to wind or air in the bible. And this morning I thought I would demonstrate how much of a difference air can make if it gets inside of something. (Distribute the balloons to the kids. Ask them to try to float the balloons--without the air). Can you float a balloon like that?  Of course not.

As much as a balloon doesn't work without the air inside, Christian don’t work right without the Spirit of God inside.  The Holy Spirit gives us power, courage, words to share, good ideas, strength, love, and faith.

(Blow up your balloon and float it again) What a difference the air makes in the balloon! (Have your helper bring in the pre-inflated balloons.)  And to remind you of Spirit of God whom we are celebrating on this Pentecost Sunday, I would like for each of you to take a balloon, right after our prayer.

Prayer: "Dear God, we thank you for Pentecost Sunday.  Thank you for sending us your Spirit to live inside us, to help us, to give us courage and strength and love.   Fill us, too, with your Spirit this morning.  In Jesus name. Amen."

Birthday of the Church:
by Janet in MD

Props: birthday cake decorated with red candles

Pentecost is the birthday of the church.  Bring a birthday cake decorated with red candles. Tell the story of Pentecost, and explain why it is the church's birthday. Light the candles and make reference to the Spirit flames, then blew out the candles to remember the rushing wind. The  cake could be eaten during the fellowship time after church or during "junior church."

Where the Spirit is there is...Noise
Props: none

The Pentecost story is really good with sound effects. Practice making rushing wind sounds, crackling fire sounds (wiggle your fingers above your head to show the flames), and encourage the congregation to make as much noise in as many different languages as they can (in our congregation, that is a lot of languages!). Once you've practiced the sounds, tell the Pentecost story, cueing the children and congregation to make the sounds at the right place.