In two short weeks we will be
celebrating Pentecost. This is one of my
parish's patronal feast days, so it's a pretty big deal for us, and I love
celebrating it. One of my biggest pet
peeves of Pentecost is the misunderstanding of "speaking in tongues" that
is promulgated by some Protestant denominations. It does not mean that the apostles spoke gibberish,
and someone interpreted it so the people could understand them. The apostles spoke in languages that all
around could understand.
Consequently, I think it is
important for children to learn about Pentecost from an early age and to
understand the events of the day.
Clearly, this instruction should begin with the Bible. Read as much of Acts 2, at least through verse
15 because this is the focus of the craft below, or as far as your child will
let you. The craft below will allow you
to explain the meaning of the first Pentecost.
As you begin the craft, you can
explain that the flames fulfill the prophecy of John the Baptist that Christ
would baptize "with the Holy Spirit and fire." The fire represents the uncreated energy of
God associated with the Holy Spirit. On
each of the flames is printed "The Holy Spirit" in a variety of
modern languages. The is to represent
what happened to the apostles next: they "began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" and the crowd gathered around
them all understood them even though the crowd had gathered from many different
lands and spoke different languages.
This is important because the key
to the apostles’ mission and the Church's mission is to spread the Gospel of
the Lord. The apostles did not speak
some unknown language that one privileged person understood and
interpreted. Rather, everyone understood
what they said and heard the good news firsthand because the Church is
inclusive, not some exclusive club for a privileged few.
Supplies:
Red, Yellow, & Orange
paper (copy or cardstock)
Template
Can (choice of size)
Scissors
Paper cutter
Ruler (optional if no paper cutter)
Pencil
Glue
Decoupage glue or adhesive spray (optional)
Directions:
1. Print and cut out flames on colored paper.
2. Measure and trim base paper. Cover one side with glue. Wrap around can.
3. Glue on flames
4. Optionally, add protective layer with decoupage glue or
spray.
No comments:
Post a Comment