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The Unexpected

The surprise of Pentecost

by Lee Jennings (revised, originally published in 2011)

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To consider that, because God promises to be with us always, happiness comes in unexpected ways.

Preparation and materials

  • Wrap some presents containing items that people may not expect, such as a big, exciting-looking present with something unexciting inside.
  • Put some money inside a small, scruffy-looking box.

Assembly

  1. Invite some volunteers to choose a present to unwrap. Before they do so, ask them why they chose that particular one.

  2. One by one, let them open the present that they have chosen, and then ask how they felt when they saw the gift inside. Most should feel a bit disappointed or annoyed at you for stitching them up!

    Finally, let the volunteer who chose the small, scruffy-looking box open it. Ask them how it felt to be getting a good present.

    Thank the volunteers for their help and invite them to go back to their places.

  3. One day, Jesus was going to Jerusalem, and he rode on a donkey. People were excited that he was coming. They waved palm branches and came out onto the streets to see him.

    But there was a problem. The Jews were expecting a king who would come and set them free from the Romans. Many of them didn’t think that Jesus could save them, so they thought that he wasn’t telling the truth. Some of them took Jesus to court, tried him and then decided to kill him. They had expected something, and were disappointed with what they got.

    However, Jesus came back to life again, which was an even bigger surprise to both his enemies and his friends. Their sadness turned to happiness.

  4. God brought Jesus back from the dead – something that we remember at Easter. Christians believe that Jesus is still alive, and cares for each one of us.

  5. Sometimes in life, we don’t get what we expect. Sometimes, people let us down and sometimes, we can feel that God has let us down. However, God promises that he will never leave us.

    When Jesus came back to life, he said that he would send his Holy Spirit to be with us and to help us. This would be the same as having Jesus with us. This is what Christians remember at Pentecost: Jesus sending his Holy Spirit to be a helper for Christians in every aspect of their lives.

Time for reflection

Many centuries ago, a woman who lived in Norwich said that God gave her a vision. In her vision, she was holding something about the size of a hazelnut. When she asked God what it was, God replied that it was everything that was made. When she asked God about the sadness that people live with, God replied, ‘All shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.’

Julian of Norwich went on to say, ‘In this little thing, I saw three properties. The first is that God made it; the second, that God loves it; and the third, that God keeps it.’

Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that you promise to be with us always.
Thank you that you promise that all will be well.
Help me to remember that you are always there, no matter what happens.
Amen.

Publication date: May 2021   (Vol.23 No.5)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
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