The Life of Jesus Advent Calendar - Day 24: Pentecost

Introduction

Well, here we are at last - the final stocking! Well done if you’ve made it this far!

One of my original aims in creating this advent calendar was to help show children the relevance of Christmas to the wider Gospel narrative, and to our lives today. I always therefore intended to end with Pentecost, as a way of saying, “it’s over to you now.”

I want to encourage us to reflect on how Jesus’s ministry continues now that he is ascended. It is through his people, the church, who are strengthened by the Holy Spirit that Christ sends to help them, just like he did to his disciples at Pentecost. Christmas - the incarnation of Christ - isn’t a static event; it is one point in God’s redemptive plan to save his people, and the work of his kingdom is ongoing today. God chooses to use fallen, broken people, like you and me, to continue sharing his good news with the world.

I hope that completing this advent calendar has encouraged you to do just that: to love the Lord Jesus Christ more, and to share that love with those around you.

Assembling your Stocking

If you heeded my advice in the previous stocking, you should already have your twelve disciples all cut out! You have worked with the dove template before, and the crowds. The only new element is the flame - this is a small template, so you'll probably find it easier to cut around the template rather than draw around it first.

I would start by stitching the dove in the top right hand corner, using your gold thread if you prefer. Then, stitch down your disciples, starting with those standing at the back of the group. I give the disciples faces, as they are now facing the crowds to preach to them. Then, stitch a flame onto the forehead of each one. I used two different yellow/orange shades of felt, and secured them with upside down 'v's in yellow and red.

The crowds work in a similar way to stocking no. 17 - you'll want to stitch them along the bottom edge, as though they're watching and listening to the disciples. I don't stitch along their bottom edge, as this will be secured later with your blanket stitch. I trim off any excess so they follow the shape of the stocking. When I blanket stitch the stocking together at the end, I swap colours to match the crowds, but you don't have to do this.

You can watch a brief video of this stocking being assembled on my Facebook or Instagram.

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