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God's Spirit Gives Courage by Rev. Frank
Schaefer
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“Happy Birthday, Church!” Romans 8:22-27, Randy L
Quinn
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Speaking Differently with God's Spirit Inside
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Christians Need the Spirit as Much as Balloons Need Air
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The Birthday of the Church, Pentecost
Sunday, Janet in MD
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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.
