At Home Activity: Pentecost Fire Sticks
- By Emily Watkins / Virginia Theological Seminary
- “Honoring Pentecost in your household helps focus on the gift and the work of the Holy Spirit, which fills us at all times and in all places.”
The Joy Of Pentecost
Pentecost falls 50 days after Easter, when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the gathered followers of Jesus. “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven… they saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2-4).
The symbols of Pentecost, based on the description from Acts, are wind and fire.
Honoring Pentecost in your household helps focus on the gift and the work of the Holy Spirit, which fills us at all times and in all places (not just at church or churchy times). The Holy Spirit is the real presence of Jesus, as he told his disciples: “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, the Spirit of Truth” (John 14:16-17).
Make Fire Sticks: Materials Needed
- Sticks (wooden dowels, bamboo, or sticks from outside)
- Several long pieces of ribbon. Mostly red with a bit of gold and orange to look like flames
- A short piece of ribbon
- Craft glue, or hot-glue
How To Do It At Home
- Gather your household and read scripture. Try the passages from Acts 2 or John 14.
- Make your fire sticks. Glue or fasten the long pieces of ribbon to one end of the stick. Then use the shorter piece of ribbon to wrap around the top of the stick – cover the glued ends so that it looks tidy.
- Take your fire sticks outside. Watch the wind bring them to life. Remember that like wind, we cannot see the Holy Spirit, but we constantly experience its effects.
- Enjoy! Leave your fire sticks out for the season after Pentecost.
