Today is the birthday of the church. Before Pentecost the group of 12 apostles had grown to 50 and on this day, after seeing or hearing about the power of the Holy Spirit, 3,000 people were baptized and joined the church. This is a very special day in the life of the church. It is the day that the Holy Spirt, so long ago, came down with fire and joined us here on earth. Come and celebrate with us!
Pentecost is not one that gets a lot of play in the larger world. But it is a very meaningful day and it would be fun to select some traditions you would want to build at home to emphasize the specialness of this day at home. Here are some fun and easy things you could do.
When the Holy Spirit came, it appeared as tongues of fire coming down on the apostles. From this, red has become the color of Pentecost. So wear red on this day. Plan out together what you each will wear to church and have fun with it.
When the Holy Spirit came there was a rush of a strong wind and it filled the entire room, so wind is a big part of celebrating Pentecost. You and your family could make a tradition of spending Sunday afternoon or early evening doing something that had to do with wind such as flying a kite or sailing. Even playing with wind at home can be fun. You can turn on the fan and throw paper tongues of fire up and watch them blow with the fan or a hair dryer. And then remember why you are doing this and what meaning it has.
You could plan some red food at a meal on the day of Pentecost such as strawberries, and make it a tradition that you always eat strawberries on Pentecost. Another fun addition is before you sit down to eat your strawberries, have each person write down one gift they appreciate from the Holy Spirit. These can be read our loud while eating the strawberries.
When the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles, they began speaking different foreign languages. So other languages can be a part of remembering Pentecost. You can play with this at home by using the other languages your family might speak on this day. You can play music where the singing is in a mix of languages, or you could play a movie in a different language on this night. Again before hand, talk as a family about how these other languages tie into Pentecost.
You could have a birthday dinner for the church on Pentecost. Make if fun and festive! You could make a birthday cake, plan a special dinner, even give gifts that you think your church might appreciate. What a wonderful tradition for young children to grow up doing each year!
Choose the traditions that are best for you and your family members, the possibilities are endless. If you want to read the story of Pentecost again at home to help you with your ideas you can find it in the bible under Acts 2:1.
