Pentecost

To tell the story of Pentecost.

by Jan Edmunds

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To tell the story of Pentecost.

Preparation and materials

• Choose 16 narrators.
• You will need 16 pieces of A4 card. On 9 of them write the letters to make the word PENTECOST, one letter on each card. Each of the remaining 7 cards could be decorated with a scene from the story. On the reverse sides of the cards write the lines your readers will say as they hold up their cards.
• Some rehearsals will be necessary to ensure the correct sequence.

Assembly

Narrator 1  Good morning, everyone. Today we are going to tell you a wonderful story from the Bible.

Narrator 2  Let us look at what happened. We are going to spell it out for you.

Narrator 3  (Hold up letter P) P is for the people in our story, the disciples, who were chosen by Jesus. They were all together in a house in Jerusalem.

Narrator 4  (Hold up letter E) E is for the elation, the joy they felt in knowing that Jesus had risen from the dead and had ascended into heaven.

Narrator 5  (Hold up letter N) N is for the nervousness they felt when they heard the roaring sound of an approaching wind.

Narrator 6  (Hold up letter T) T is for the turmoil caused by the raging wind as it swirled around the room.

Narrator 7  (Hold up letter E) E is for encircling. The wind circled and whirled around each one of them.

Narrator 8  (Hold up letter C) C is for the Christians who were to be changed by this amazing experience.

Narrator 9  (Hold up letter O) O is for overjoyed. They were overjoyed when they realized that they were being given a very special power from God.

Narrator 10  (Hold up letter S) S is for the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who entered into every one of them.

Narrator 11  (Hold up letter T) T is for the tongues of fire that settled above their heads, giving them very special powers.

Narrator 12  These letters spell the word PENTECOST. It was the time when the power of God was given to these men.

Narrator 13  Someone watching in the crowd, a visitor from another country, said, ‘Aren’t these men from Galilee? How is it that they can speak our language and we can understand what they say?’

Narrator 14  Peter told the crowd, ‘God has poured out his Holy Spirit on us. Now we will be able to teach all people about Jesus Christ. We will prophesy, see visions and dreams and perform wonderful miracles.’

Narrator 15  Peter also said, ‘Jesus, whom you crucified, is alive and God has made him Lord over everyone. If you are sorry for what you have done, he will forgive you.’

Narrator 16  That day about 3,000 people became Christians, and to this day God’s message has been spread all over the world.

Time for reflection

Prayer
Spirit of God, as strong as the wind,
gentle as is the dove,
give us your joy, and give us your peace,
show to us Jesus’ love.
Amen
(words by Margaret Old)

Song/music

‘Spirit of God, as strong as the wind’ (Come and Praise, 63)