A Special Pentecost Lesson for Parents to Share with Their Children 

The lesson is based on Biblical Scripture from Acts 2:1-21. 

As you go through the lesson with your children, you'll need a whistle.

"And when they heard the roaring in the sky above, crowds came running to see what it was all about, and were stunned to hear their own language being spoken by the disciples" (Acts 2:6).

How do you get people's attention when you want to speak to them?  Most boys and girls would call out a person's name, but what do you do when you want to talk to someone who is busy doing something else?  (Let your child answer.)

To get someone's attention, would you ever pull on his sleeve or sit on her lap or anything like that?  I know one way to get everyone's attention.  (Take out your whistle and prepare to blow it.)  Do you think that this will get your attention?  I know it will work because I have done it before.  (Blow the whistle just once.)

Did that get your attention?  Can you imagine what it would be like if I blew it several times? 

One very special day God blew the wind louder than any whistle for the people in Jerusalem who were believers in God, and it got a lot of attention.  God wanted to get their attention, and he got it.  The wind was so loud and so strong that people were almost afraid.  They ran out of their houses and into the streets to see what was happening.

The disciples of Jesus were still somewhat afraid of the people who had crucified Jesus, and they spent most of their time in hiding.  But the big wind drove them out of the house that they were staying in and down into the street where a very strange thing happened to them.  They began to speak in languages that they did not know and had never spoken before in their lives. 

Many of the people who were in Jerusalem for the holy day of Pentecost were from lands where people spoke these languages, and they understood the people perfectly.  The disciples were praising God and telling of the love that Jesus shared with the entire world. It was a tremendous day, and many people who heard the disciples speak in the strange languages became followers of Jesus.

Sometimes God uses strange ways to get our attention.  That day it was a big wind, another time it may be a lot of extra rain or some very hot sunshine.  But when he gets our attention, it is for a very important reason and we should listen to God.

Maybe the next time that you see someone blowing a whistle you will think about how God is getting the attention of people.  Perhaps you can think, too, about what he is trying to tell you. 

Maybe he'll tell you, like he told the disciples that day, that he needs you to do his work.  It could be that he invites you to be a priest, or learn more about the Church so you can work in it.  You might even go to seminary and be a priest, or a counselor, or a teacher.

Just remember that God might call you to be a special helper.  Don't forget to listen!