YEA Lesson Library

Objectives

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. State that the count down for Pentecost begins with the wave sheaf offering picturing the ascension and acceptance of Christ before the Father.

2. Say that Jesus was the First of the firstfruits.

3. Tell that the firstfruits are those who love and obey God and will be in the first resurrection.

4. Explain that God wants us to work in the harvest field and share the Gospel of Jesus.

Topics & Themes

Counting
First Resurrection
Firstfruits
Harvest
Holy Days, Pentecost
Jesus, Resurrection of
Loving God
Obedience
Pentecost
Sharing the Gospel
Wave Sheaf

Materials Needed

Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, songbook, CD and player, assorted colors of construction paper, stapler, scissors, decorating items: stickers, stamps, foam cut-outs, glitter glue, etc., puppet

Preparation

Children love to tell what they know when they are comfortable with the environment. You set the tone and play a huge part in ensuring that all the students are comfortable. Children pick up on your stress.The best way to de-stress your class is by being prepared. Make it a habit to look at the lesson on Sunday, think about it all week, and find materials you need to make it work.

Greet arriving students with a smile and call their names. Give them a pre-class activity to do while others arrive. Keep the lesson moving and involve props.

As you're preparing, remember your most important harvest field is before you. We have no business going out to evangelize the world while neglecting the teaching of the God's children.

Puppets can really spark children's interest. For further preparation, read chapters 9 and 10, The Thread, God's Appointments with History, by Ronald .L Dart, available at amazon.com or borntowin.net, or by calling 1-888-BIBLE-44. These informative, easy-to-read pages provide biblically-accurate information.

How to Teach This Lesson

Open the class with prayer and teach the lesson.

Sharing Pentecost: Ask: Has anyone ever asked you about celebrating Pentecost? Be prepared to tell your own experiences. Let the children know that the puppet is joining you.

Definition: Ask: What do you say if someone asks you why you celebrate Pentecost? What is Pentecost? Pentecost is the spring harvest of grain, beginning with a wave sheaf offering of barley and ending with a wave offering of two loaves baked with the firstfruits of the wheat harvest. This harvest is 50 days. The wave sheaf offering pictures the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His acceptance by the Father. The 50-day period is a time of harvest of those who accept Jesus now- the firstfruits who will be in the first resurrection. Leviticus 23:15-16 says to count the 50 days. Pentecost means "50th." Students may give part or all of this definition. Repetition reinforces. Correct mistakes and compliment what they know. Let most of the discussion come with the puppet.

Puppet: Wow! I didn't know you children knew all that!

Teacher: They've been reading their YEA lessons, listening to their parents, and paying attention in church.

Puppet: Oh. (asking the children) Is that how you learned all that?

Teacher: Did anyone make a paper chain this year? Did anyone have another way of counting?

Puppet: Counting? Why were you counting? Were you all having a party this spring?

Teacher: (Allow students to tell what they know. Ask a volunteer to read Leviticus 23:15-16.) The Bible tells us to count to Pentecost, doesn't it?

Puppet: But where do we start? What's the first day?And what is a wave sheaf offering?

Teacher: (Let students tell what they know.) It's an offering of the first crop made to God. To start the countdown to Pentecost, the first barley grain is offered. People couldn't eat the grain from that crop until the wave sheaf was offered and accepted by God.

Puppet: Why do we need a special ceremony to wave the grain before God?

Teacher: What do you think, children? (Allow them to answer.) Well, first, God says to. Secondly, it is a picture of more than just a grain harvest.

Puppet: Oh boy! What else do we get to eat?

Teacher: (Give the puppet your “teacher look.") The wave sheaf offering is a picture of Jesus Christ, being raised from the dead and coming before the Father as the First of the firstfruits. Because Jesus paid the penalty for our sins by dying, He is able to go before God as the very first of all who will be in God's Kingdom.

Puppet: Jesus is the First of the firstfruits.

Teacher: That means that everyone who knows and loves Jesus when He returns will be among the firstfruits of His people. Those people will be in the first resurrection!

Puppet: That means we have a lot of work to do.

Teacher: What do you mean?

Puppet: Jesus said there's a lot of work to do; we have to tell everyone about Jesus.

Teacher: You're right! What is your memory verse today, children?

Puppet: And that makes Pentecost a very special holy day.

Teacher: I know! We should make it a very special celebration to God. Let's brainstorm ways that we can share the Gospel of Jesus with others.

Brainstorming: Write students' ideas on the board. Be prepared with your suggestions for things they can do. This will lead directly into the activity to make a card to invite someone to come to church. Plan lots of time for the students to make a very attractive card.

Review Questions

1. With what ceremony does the countdown for Pentecost begin?

2. What does the wave sheaf offering picture for Christians?

3. Who was the First of the firstfruits?

4. Who are the firstfruits?

5. What will happen to the firstfruits when Jesus returns?

6. What will happen to people who are not among the firstfruits when Jesus returns?

7. What does God expect us to do, as workers in the harvest?

Teacher-Directed Activity

Have students make a card to invite someone to church. We want to tell everyone the good news of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Encourage them to use their best handwriting and to use special decorations. Get them to tell who will receive their invitation, otherwise it'll likely end up in their mom's purse and forgotten.

Encouragement to share: Have them share their cards with each other.

REACH Activity

1. Sword Drill. Do a sword drill with the daily devotionals. Depending on how many children you are involved, you can either have them compete against each other to see who can get to the scripture first or you can have a child time himself (or herself) and try to better his time each successive scripture.

2. Board Game. Create a Who’s Who Game based on the holy day lessons in this book. Make a board game. Set up rules like: Draw a person card. Tell who the person is and which lesson and holy day he is associated with. (You will have to keep a small notebook of notes for each person so you can check to see if the answer is correct or not.) If you are correct, roll the dice and advance. If you are incorrect, roll the dice and go that many places backwards. From Lesson One: King Josiah; Lesson Two: Cyrus and Ezra. Lesson Three: Firstfruits. Add people to the game for each lesson.

3. Concentration Game. Continue constructing a concentration game of God’s Holy Days. For this lesson, create four cards: Pentecost, 50, Count, grain harvest. Plan to add four more cards to go with the next lesson.

4. Sing: From Kids Classics Collection: “Everybody Ought to Know” on page 11, “Jesus Bids Us Shine” on page 37, “This Little Light of Mine” on page 49;
From the CEM Hymnal: “Bringing in the Sheaves” on page 35, “Let Others See
Jesus in You” on page 178, “Let the Lower Lights Be Burning” on page 142, “Send the Light” on page 157, “Shine, Jesus, Shine” on page 154, “We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations” on page 145, “Spirit Song” on page 201;
From The Group Songbook, “Pass It On” page 26, “Let My Light Shine Bright” on page 6.

5. Share the Gospel. Brainstorm with your family ways that you can spread the gospel message to people around you. Write down your ideas. Once you have lots of ideas, decide which one you want to pursue. Make a plan to be a light to the world around you.

6. Reflection Essay. How did your countdown to Pentecost go? Did you sometimes get so busy you forgot to write in your journal or mark the day off on the calendar or tear off a chain from the paper chain? After all, springtime is a very busy time of year! But just like God tells us to eat unleavened bread every day during the Days of Unleavened Bread, He tells us to count the 50 days to Pentecost. Write in your Bible journal a reflection about God’s command and how well you observed this command leading up to Pentecost.

7. Firstfruits Scriptures. Find three scriptures that talk about the grain harvest or firstfruits (or both). Write them in your Bible notebook.

8. Pentecost Preparations. The Days of Unleavened Bread and the Feast of Tabernacles don’t sneak up on us; we’re too focused on everything that has to be done in preparation (physically) to celebrate them. But sometimes we get so busy with spring activities (planting garden, end of school, graduations, weddings, etc.) that Pentecost sneaks up on us and it’s here before we’ve even realized. Make a plan with your family (or your church family) to plan something special for the Sabbath and Pentecost weekend. If you have something special planned for the weekend, you’ll put more effort into preparing for this Holy Day and you’ll enjoy it more.

9. Plan Ahead. It’s now less than four months to the Feast of Trumpets. That may seem like a long time, but if you’re going to plan something special, it needs to start now. Brainstorm with your family (or your church family) what you are going to do to make the Feast of Trumpets special. Make a plan. Write it down in your Bible notebook or on the calendar in your Bible notebook.

10. Make a bookmark. You will need three pieces of cardstock paper (1 x 6-inches). Choose a scripture about Pentecost to write on one side. Trim this piece of paper to be just a tiny bit smaller than the middle paper. On the other side, write “Pentecost” or draw bubble letters and have an adult help cut them out with a hobby knife. Glue all three pieces together. Hole punch the top of the bookmark and thread a piece of ribbon through the hole. Tie. Put it in your Bible or give it as a gift.

11. Puppet Show. Create a puppet show to explain Pentecost to your friends. Use the teacher’s edition for help, if you need some inspiration. Write the script. Make your puppet. Practice your lines. Then invite your friends to watch. Provide refreshments.

12. Acrostic Poem. Create an acrostic poem out of P-E-N-T-E-C-O-S-T. Each of the letters of “Pentecost” is the first word of the line. Lines don’t have to rhyme. Sentences can continue down to the next line. When you’re finished creating, recopy your poem onto construction paper. Using your neatest handwriting and markers, make a finished copy that you can display in your room or in your home. It can be part of how your family decorates for Pentecost this year.

13. Beeswax Candles. We often associate light and oil (symbols of the Holy Spirit) with Pentecost. Plan to visit a beekeeper. Learn how he (or she) separates the honey from the beeswax. Beeswax candles don’t give off toxic fumes like other candles can, so if possible, purchase some raw beeswax and have your mom help you make some beeswax candles for Pentecost.

14. Welcome Poster. Make a poster welcoming everyone to church services on Pentecost. Brainstorm what you want on your poster. Plan it out on scrap paper first. Then use your neatest handwriting and bright color tools (markers, crayons, tempera paint) on your poster. When it’s finished, be sure to take it to church to display.

15. Word Search. Make a word search for your friends for Pentecost. Use a piece of graph paper with large cells. This will help you keep your letters straight and uniform. Find twenty Pentecost words to put into your puzzle. Once you have created the puzzle (complete with words to find at the bottom), have your mom make a copy of it. That way lots of people can enjoy it at the same time - and sometimes the lines of the graph paper won’t come through on the copy.

16. Reflection. Write down at least one thing you learned this year on Pentecost or about Pentecost. After writing it in your Bible notebook, share it with your family or your sabbath school teacher.

Song

"Give Me Oil In My Lamp" is on page 24 of Kids Classics Collection.

Closing Prayer

Lead in prayer asking for God's guidance telling others the good news about Jesus Christ.