Forming Faith Blog

The Holy Spirit (Acts 2, Philippians 4)

Posted on May 12 2026 by Gregory Rawn

God gives the Holy Spirit, and Paul encourages us to rejoice and pray. How do you connect prayer, joy, and peace with the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives?

A young girl blowing on a dandelion as the wind of the Holy Spirit blew onto the first disciples on Pentecost.
About the Story

Because the passage from Acts describes the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit during the Jewish festival of Pentecost, it is the traditional reading for Pentecost Sunday. The Narrative Lectionary also offers a fourth (and final) passage from Philippians.

Acts

The Book of Acts tells us that the disciples have been gathered closely together, waiting for something to happen. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon each of them spurs them to proclaim God’s deeds of power to a crowd of strangers, many of whom speak different languages. This action of the disciples to share the story with others is also understood to be the birth of the church. As a celebration of the action of the Spirit, Pentecost is the third of the trio of Christian festivals, after Christmas (Jesus’ incarnation) and Easter (Jesus’ resurrection).

Philippians

This is the last week of studying Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Paul concludes his letter to the Philippians in the same manner as he started it—with words of thanksgiving, joy, and encouragement. As can be seen in the verses that precede and follow this reading, Paul is clearly fond of the people and the leaders of this community. When read within the context of “the birth of the church,” Paul’s words provide a reminder of qualities necessary for sustaining Christian community: kindness, gentleness, and “the peace of God which passes all understanding.”  (Adapted from Living the Word: Small Groups)

Bible Nuts & Bolts: What Is Shavuot?

Shavuot (pronounced shah-voo-OAT) means “weeks” and is a “week of weeks” (seven times seven) after Passover. It is the fiftieth day after Passover, so in Greek the festival was called “fiftieth” (Pentecost). This was originally a festival that celebrated the wheat harvest, and it was one of three pilgrimage festivals when the Jewish people were commanded to travel to the temple to give the first fruits of their harvest to God. Later, the festival also celebrated God’s gift of the Torah (Law) to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This connects to the first Christian Pentecost in that God gave people a gift, a guide for living, and a covenant (promise) of a relationship with God. (Many of our NL resources include this Bible Nuts & Bolts background information for leaders and an activity teaching participants skills and information helpful in reading the Bible.)

Context Insights

The following are a few insights found in our background resource Living the Word: Contexts & Connections.

  • Linguistics (Acts): In Acts 2:1, the word translated “had come” [Gk. sumplerousthai] literally means “fulfilled.” It offers the impression that something significant is about to happen.
  • Linguistics (Philippians): In Philippians 4:5, “gentleness” [Gk. epieikeis] refers to the ability to “submit to injustice, disgrace, and maltreatment without hatred and malice.”*
  • History (Philippians): Paul wrote this Letter to the Philippians sometime around 54-55 CE. The writing took place during the lives of the generation who had personally known Jesus.
  • Culture/Religion (Acts): The Jewish festival of Shavuot or Pentecost was originally a harvest celebration, but later became a celebration of the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai during the exodus. The festival was the reason that so many people of different nationalities were in Jerusalem at the time. 
Connections and Suggestions

We have Narrative Lectionary resources for 2026-2027 for all age groups. Here are a few activity summaries you can use. The full activity descriptions and much more are available in the product noted. 

  • Kids: Show students a handful of unpopped popcorn kernels, and ask whether they are edible like that. Place the popcorn kernels into an air popper. Guide students to the necessity of using hot air to transform the kernels. Connect this to the Spirit (like air) who empowers us to spread God’s kingdom. Then eat the popcorn as a snack! (From Living the Word: Kids (3rd-6th))
  • Youth: Have the youth read Philippians 4:4-7, sitting in a circle. Give each youth a handful of small colored candies, and assign each color a different topic of prayer based on these verses (joyful praises; patience or forgiveness of others; worries; requests; thanksgivings; peace or guarding hearts and minds). Go around the circle, having each person choose a candy, say a prayer petition based on that prayer topic (youth can pray silently if they prefer), and then eat the candy. This prayer activity can also be done with colored beads, stringing them on a piece of yarn. (From Living the Word: Youth)
  • Intergenerational worship: Provide a globe (or a large world map with an eraser). Invite worshippers to spin the globe and place their finger on it (or toss the eraser onto the map). Have them share the location with the worshippers seated near them or the large group, and have the group pray for people in that location. If their finger or eraser lands in an ocean, the volunteer can choose the closest country or region. Optional: Small groups can use their cell phones to briefly research the chosen country or region. (From Living the Word: Cross+Gen Worship)
Previous Posts

This is our blog’s third go-around in the Narrative Lectionary, Year 4. Here are some previous posts on this particular passage if you are interested:

I hope you find this all useful! If you have any questions or feedback on this blog post (or anything else), comment on this post below or on Facebook, or send me a message.

In Christ,

Gregory Rawn (Publisher)

*John Reumann, Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008), 612.

Order Faith Formation Resources

Are you planning for summer and the 2026-2027 faith formation programming? Order an affordable VBS-ready Learning Together unit and program-year curriculum for the Narrative Lectionary (Year 1, 2026-2027), Revised Common Lectionary (Years A & B, 2026-2027), or Key Bible Stories (non-lectionary, PK-2nd, 3rd-6th).

New RCL faith-at-home resource!

I’m excited to announce a new product series for Spirit & Truth Publishing: Taking Faith Home. Taking Faith Home is a set of weekly devotional resources (often distributed as worship bulletin inserts) that follows the Revised Common Lectionary. We offer it as a Church Year (Dec. 2025 to Nov. 2026) and a Program Year (Spring & Summer 2026 and Sept. 2026 to May 2027). You can also purchase by quarter (Spring, Summer, and Fall). Learn more here and read a review!

VBS, Events, Retreats, and More!

Are you looking for resources for VBS, topical Sunday school, family/intergenerational events, retreats, and more?

Learning Together is a series of five-lesson units on a variety of topics. Our faith formation resources are easy to use, theologically sound, and inclusive. Each unit can be used at any time in many different settings, but here are a few suggestions:

+ VBS: Paul’s Adventures (NEW!), Celebrations, Created to Care, God’s Gift of Water, Heroes of the Bible
+ Education, Events, and Retreats: The I AM Statements of Jesus (free!), Travelers (Immigrants and Refugees), Do Justice, Celebrations, Women of the Old Testament, Bible 101

Building Faith has recommended two of our units as VBS curriculum: Paul’s Adventures (reviewed in 2026) and Celebrations (reviewed in 2025)!

You can also read outside reviews on both our Do Justice and Created to Care units.

I am very honored to announce that I was a guest on the premiere episode of season 3 of the Around the Table podcast! The topic: how faith formation is different than Christian education. Check it out at Around the Table S03E01.

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