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On Pentecost Unleash the Astonishing Power and Presence of God’s Holy Spirit

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pentecost with kids

So…Pentecost. Where did it come from? What is it? And how can you talk about it with kids?

Not until I was in my ministry career did I know what Pentecost was. If this is you, no shame. Some churches don’t celebrate it. On the other hand, some churches celebrate it without much explanation at all.

A quick side note here: It doesn’t help anyone to assume that people thinking about the liturgical calendar and know what’s going on. Most people have no idea. And to assume otherwise often leaves people feeling excluded and bored. Furthermore, what a missed opportunity to reveal the power of your tradition and God’s presence among us!

So, explain the history behind Pentecost, because some of us don’t know and because we all can use a refresher. OK, stepping off the soapbox.

Pentecost is all about God’s presence with us through the Holy Spirit. How do you experience God’s presence? We’d love to hear in the comments below!

pentecost with kids

A Shift of Focus at Pentecost

Pentecost is an event we celebrate every year in the Church. And its roots are actually in scripture. If you haven’t already, give Acts chapter 2 a read.

In the Acts story, the disciples were celebrating Festival of Weeks AKA Shavuot AKA Pentecost, a Jewish harvest festival seven weeks after Passover. In Hebrew, Shavuot means “weeks.” In Greek, Pentecost refers to the same thing. But instead, it means “fifty,” the number of days rather than weeks after the last Sabbath of Passover.

What the disciples experienced on this particular Pentecost shifted their focus entirely. It was a pivot in their theology and their faith and ministry practices.

pentecost with kids

A Promise Kept

Jesus promised that a comforter, teacher, and advocate would come to take his place. Enter the Holy Spirit on Pentecost! Acts 2:1-31 tells the story of the Holy Spirit coming to dwell with the disciples.

All that gathered together that day spoke in tongues, and there was something like fire around each of them. It was an amazing day for them. And it would prove to be an extraordinary day for the whole of the faith community.

In the Christian tradition, the Holy Spirit became a part of the picture of what we now call Pentecost. Jesus made a promise and kept it. Pentecost turned out to be a day of fulfillment. The disciples knew they weren’t alone in their work.

pentecost

Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit, really the Trinity, is a tricky topic. Since we’ve been conscious creatures, we’ve been searching for ways to talk about God that make sense of our experiences in the world.

The Holy Spirit is the way we speak of God’s presence among us. The Spirit speaks to us, pointing us in the direction that serves us. The Spirit heals us, offers comfort and instruction, and somehow guides Life as she has her being in and through each of our lives.

Talking with Kids About Pentecost

A great way to speak to kids about Pentecost is while coloring! Reflection takes place, and conversations happen when kids are engaged around the table. Invite kids to color together while discussing the following:

  1. Take a moment to close your eyes. Notice where you feel your breath as you breathe. You may feel a faint tingling in your hands or the soles of your feet. God is with us even now as we breathe together, in every part of our body and breath.
  2. We use the name Holy Spirit when we talk about God being here within us and all around us. How might you describe God’s presence using your words? “When God is with me, I feel/things are…”
  3. In the Pentecost story, the Holy Spirit was with the disciples. The Holy Spirit arrived and helped everyone there connect, even though they spoke different languages. How does the Holy Spirit help us use our words to connect with others? Maybe in talking through a conflict or in sharing stories or encouraging each other?
  4. How might it be difficult to understand someone even though they speak the same language as you? And how about when we don’t have much in common with someone else?
  5. The Holy Spirit helps us experience hope, freedom, compassion, understanding, and connection. In what area of your Life can the Holy Spirit help you experience these things now?

pentecost illustrated children's ministry

Pentecost Coloring Pages

We have many options for coloring pages when it comes to Pentecost. One of them, our Pentecost Coloring Page & Poster, is a hand-drawn illustration by our founder, Adam Walker Cleaveland, and can be used in any number of ways to help you celebrate Pentecost in your congregations.

The illustration consists of hand-lettering that says Pentecost in the middle. At the top of the illustration are the words “I will pour out my Spirit.” At the bottom, beneath all the flames, are the words, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Happy coloring! I hope you experience God’s presence anew within and around you this Pentecost.

How do you experience the Holy Spirit? Don’t forget to share with us in the comments below!

3 Intergenerational Easter Activities for the Young and Young at Heart

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This Easter, bring together young and old with these intergenerational activities to celebrate the risen Christ.

intergenerational easter

Reflect together on God’s power to bring life from death, hope from hopelessness. Any of these activities can be adapted for the home or the church. Get creative and relish new life that is all around us as spring comes into being fully once again.

Share with all of us how you’re celebrating with your kids this Easter in the comments below!

intergenerational easter

3 Easy Intergenerational Easter Ideas

We hear from so many of our customers their desire to cultivate intergenerational connection in their faith families. This brings me joy because this approach to ministry is so spot on. Yet, having been in ministry for almost ten years, I know how difficult it can be to find activities that will serve a wide range of ages.

I hope these ideas make intergenerational connections easy this Easter in your community! Let’s jump right in. Learn how to facilitate spiritual growth, relationship building and theological discovery for you and yours with these simple ideas.

intergenerational easter

Color together. We’ve got some really fun Easter coloring options this year. Looking for something super easy and relaxing to do? Snag some of our coloring sheets or posters! Use them in the home, during Sunday School or in worship. Consider putting together some discussion questions or pull from an Easter resource. Kids, both in body and heart, will enjoy this time together.

intergenerational easter

Go on a hike. Hiking is a fabulous intergenerational activity. Get outside together and search for resurrection in the natural world. As winter lifts and spring arrives. the Earth bursts with new life. It may be fun to collect the dead foliage and use it to make an art project. In doing so you’re giving new life and beauty to that which has ceased living.

intergenerational easter

Plant flowers. Gather seeds, cuttings or potted plants from a nursery, especially those that attract bees. Choose a location and dig in the dirt together. Do this at the church, in your neighborhood, at the homes of the elderly. Gardening is a wonderful intergenerational activity to welcome spring and give life. Discuss the Spirit of God at work in giving life to all of creation as you welcome spring together.

Easter Blessings

We hope you have a beautiful and rich Easter this year. And we hope that these three easy ideas help you form memories together while reflecting on the mysteries of God. And don’t forget! Tell us what you’re planning to do this Easter with your kids.

Mary’s Song Coloring Posters

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Check out our Mary’s Song Coloring Posters, which you can purchase here.

2018 Advent Resources

In addition to our large physical coloring posters, we will also offer the related products below:

We hope you’ll take a moment to check out this post and look at the video and poster illustrations below.

NOT SURE IF THESE ARE RIGHT FOR YOU?
 CLICK HERE to download a free PDF of information that you can take to your colleagues/committees/staff meetings to share about our Mary’s Song Coloring Posters!

the Magnificat prayer

Mary’s Song Coloring Poster Themes from Luke 1 46-55

For these posters, we are looking at the traditional Advent themes through the lens of Mary’s Song, found in Luke 1 46-55. This passage is also known as the Magnificat prayer.

Below is a list of the posters and the scripture included on each of them:

  • Poster 1 • Hope (Luke 1:46-50): All generations will call me blessed.
  • Poster 2 • Peace (Luke 1:51-53): God has filled the hungry with good things.
  • Poster 3 • Joy (Luke 1:54-55): The promise made to our ancestors.
  • Poster 4 • Love (Luke 1:39-45, 56): Blessed is She who believed.
  • Poster 5 • God is With Us (Luke 2:1-18): I am bringing Good News of great joy for all the people.

These posters are designed to take you through the Gospel of Luke’s account of the Magnificat prayer of Mary and Jesus’ birth, found in Luke 1 46-55. Through the Mary’s Song Coloring Posters (and the accompanying devotional guide), you will explore the themes of the HOPE we have when we remember all God has done, the PEACE that comes with God’s provision, the JOY we have in God’s promises, the LOVE we feel from God’s blessings and the celebration knowing GOD IS WITH US.

As we thought about what to focus on for this year’s posters, we contemplated various passages of scripture, the world that we live in right now, and what we wanted to speak into that world through our art. In the end, we felt that the Magnificat prayer, Mary’s revolutionary and subversive song and prayer from Luke 1 46-55, felt like an important message to share.

Take a moment to view the posters and hear the words from Luke 1 46-55 in the video below:

This Advent, let us stop and ponder the words of the Magnificat prayer of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and imagine how we might bring about this vision and prayer in our world today.

Below are more detailed images of each of the Mary’s Song Coloring Posters:

Who Uses Illustrated Ministry’s Coloring Posters?

So many different groups of people have used our coloring posters over the years: Sunday School classes, youth groups, college ministries, men’s and women’s Bible studies, nursing home residents, and more!

But we’ve found that churches who have taken the time to create intergenerational opportunities with the coloring posters have received one of the greatest gifts of all: deepened relationships among people of all ages.

If you’re having a hard time imagining what it would look like in your space to use our coloring posters, take a look at some of the photos below and start getting creative!

How Do I Use the Mary’s Song Coloring Posters?

We are so excited to see all of the creative ways that congregations and communities use these Mary’s Song Coloring Posters. Almost 1,200 churches used last year’s posters, and we loved seeing all of the fantastic photos they shared with us. Here are some testimonials, and ideas, from churches who have used our posters in the past. And if you’re wondering how you can display your posters as beautiful art in your church when they’re colored, take a look at this fantastic tutorial for creating beautiful wooden poster hangers! And finally – here are ten creative ways to use our large coloring posters!

As we mentioned above, we’ve learned that most churches find the posters to be a slam dunk when it comes to developing intergenerational ministry. If you’re looking for ways to use these posters intergenerationally, here are a few ideas:

  • Host an all-ages education hour during Advent. Use our Mary’s Song Devotional Guide as the curriculum for the classes.
  • Start coloring the posters during your Advent Fair.
  • Have your children’s ministry or youth ministry take a poster to a nursing home to color with the residents.
  • Host a simple soup/salad/sandwiches dinner on Wednesday nights during Advent and have conversation and coloring before or after eating together.
  • Leave the coloring posters out on tables during Fellowship/Coffee Hour after church for people to sit, color, and talk with one another.

Luke 1 46-55

Here’s What You Need To Know About the Posters

Poster Details & Cost

Our Mary’s Song Coloring Posters are made up of five large posters that cover Advent themes from the Magnificat prayer. The first four are 3’ x 2’, and the fifth poster is 6’ x 2’. You can purchase the physical posters, digital files to print yourself, or add the digital files to your order of the physical posters for the most flexibility to use the posters in a variety of ways.

The cost for our Mary’s Song Coloring Posters are listed below:

  • Physical Coloring Posters: $69.99
  • B&W Digital Files: $74.99
  • Digital Add-on: Save 50% off the B&W Digital Files when you add both the Physical Posters AND the B&W Digital Files to your cart and use the discount code MARYS-SONG-BUNDLE at checkout.

Ordering Process

Posters are available now and ship within a day or two of receiving your order. UPS ships our posters in heavy-weight cardboard poster tubes. Because we use UPS, we cannot ship posters to P.O. Boxes. If you list a P.O. Box as the shipping address, your order will be delayed until we can be in touch with you to determine an appropriate physical mailing address.

We ship our posters to the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Of course, we have many other international customers who have successfully purchased the digital versions of our posters and printed them locally.