Children's Liturgy Guide

Pentecost Sunday

Year B · Easter

The Holy Spirit Comes

Reading: Acts 2:1-11

Leader Prep

Don't worry about doing this perfectly. If the children hear one good idea about God, Jesus, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, or the Gospel, this time has been worthwhile.

Summary

On Pentecost, the friends of Jesus were gathered together when suddenly a great wind filled the house and small flames like fire appeared above each of them. The Holy Spirit came to them and helped them tell everyone about Jesus in ways people from many lands could understand.

Key Points

  • The Holy Spirit came to the disciples with signs of wind and fire.
  • The Holy Spirit gave the disciples the ability to speak so everyone could understand them.
  • Pentecost is often called the birthday of the Church because this is when the disciples began spreading the Good News to all people.
  • The Holy Spirit still helps us today to share God's love with others.

Background

Acts 2:1-11 recounts the dramatic descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, fifty days after Easter. The phenomena of a rushing wind and tongues of fire are theophanies, visible signs of God's presence and power. The gift of tongues here is xenoglossia, the miraculous ability to speak in foreign languages so that Jews from across the known world could hear the Gospel in their native tongue. This reverses the confusion of Babel and signals the universal mission of the Church. Theologically, Pentecost marks the inauguration of the Church's public mission and the indwelling of the Spirit in believers. For children, emphasize the concrete images of wind and fire as signs that God sent his Holy Spirit to help the disciples be brave and share Jesus with everyone. Set aside detailed explanation of the Trinity, the nature of glossolalia, or the ecclesiological implications.

Session Flow

Opening Prayer

Invite the children to pray with you, then read the opening prayer below. If many don't know the sign of the cross, teach the whole group.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear God, thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to be with us always. Please help us to listen well today and to share your love with everyone we meet. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Warm-up

Ask the warm-up question before the reading. There are no wrong answers; this is just to help the children connect today's reading to their own lives.

Have you ever felt the wind blowing really strong outside? What did it feel like?

Example: One time the wind was so strong it pushed me and it made my hair go everywhere and I had to hold onto my hat so it would not fly away.

Bridge to the reading: Wind is something we cannot see, but we can definitely feel it and see what it does. In today's reading, something very exciting happens when a sound like a strong wind fills the whole house where Jesus' friends are gathered, and then they see something amazing.

Read the Scripture

Read the day's selected passage aloud. The full Scripture text is not included here. Use a Children's Lectionary if your parish has one available. A children's Bible may also be helpful for younger children. Otherwise, read from a standard lectionary, Bible, or USCCB.org. Read slowly, with short pauses.

Reading Questions

Ask the questions conversationally. You do not need to use every question if time is short. The example answers are for leader preparation, not scripts or required answers.

  1. Where were the friends of Jesus when the Holy Spirit came to them?

    Example: They were all together in one place, like a room or a house, waiting together on the day of Pentecost.

  2. What two things did the disciples see and hear when the Holy Spirit came?

    Example: They heard a sound like a really strong wind blowing, and they saw little flames that looked like fire on top of each person's head.

  3. What special gift did the Holy Spirit give the disciples that day?

    Example: The Holy Spirit helped them speak in different languages so that people from many different countries could understand what they were saying about Jesus.

  4. Why do you think God used wind and fire to show the Holy Spirit was coming?

    Example: Maybe because wind and fire are powerful and you can really feel them, so everyone would know something special from God was happening right then.

Application Questions

Use these questions to help the children connect the reading to their own lives this week. Simple, concrete answers are best.

  1. How do you think the disciples felt when the wind came and they saw the little flames of fire?

    Example: I think they might have been a little scared at first but then really excited because they knew God was doing something wonderful for them.

  2. The Holy Spirit helped the disciples talk about Jesus to others. Who is someone you could tell about Jesus?

    Example: I could tell my friend at school about Jesus, or maybe my little cousin, or I could tell someone on my soccer team about him.

  3. This week, what is one way you could ask the Holy Spirit to help you be brave like the disciples?

    Example: I could say a little prayer before I do something hard, like asking the Holy Spirit to help me be kind to someone who is being left out at recess.

Recap

Today we heard about the day the Holy Spirit came to Jesus' friends with a sound like a rushing wind and with flames of fire. The Holy Spirit gave them the power to speak so people from everywhere could understand them. The Holy Spirit helped them be brave enough to tell the whole world about Jesus, and the Holy Spirit helps us share God's love too.

Prayer of the Faithful

Before returning to the assembly, invite the children to share their own prayer intentions. Their prayers may be serious, simple, funny, or very specific. After each child's prayer, the group may respond: "Lord, hear our prayer." Lastly, include the suggested prayer below.

For all the children in our parish, that the Holy Spirit will help them be brave and kind in sharing God's love with others, we pray to the Lord.

Mass Connection

If time allows, point out this connection just before returning to Mass. This helps children see that Children's Liturgy is still part of the Mass.

After the priest says 'The Lord be with you,' we respond 'And with your spirit.' The word 'spirit' here reminds us of the Holy Spirit who is with us, especially at Mass. Today's reading shows the Spirit coming to fill the disciples, and at every Mass the Spirit comes to us too.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Holy Spirit, thank you for coming to be with us just like you came to the disciples long ago. Help us to be brave and to tell others about Jesus this week. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ChildrensLiturgy.org

The Holy Spirit Comes

Acts 2:1-11

Word Search

Optional activity: use the word search after the discussion if you have time, or send it home with the children. The words relate to today's Children's Liturgy Scripture passage.

L Q T C T G J N A L Z U N U K
A F W Z N H U K F K G R E Y B
N O J K A A D T K F R G O Y Y
G P Z P E N T E C O S T P O I
U I H T H I U U E Q U D R S N
A S P I R I T O S V D P A K A
G R D K K J S E T L B L Y C P
E M L F Z F L J V G R T E M I
S Z X P Q P N S P H A O R S C
B O F A I U Q E K P V N M E H
E K M C Y P B Q R V E G K M U
U W S C I C Y Y K I V U Z A R
K I J C R M A X G H F E Z L C
D X B C X U Y H C F U S S F H
B L Q Z I D N I W W A F B F Y

Words to find

  • Pentecost
  • Spirit
  • wind
  • fire
  • disciples
  • tongues
  • languages
  • brave
  • Church
  • flames
  • prayer

ChildrensLiturgy.org