From Babel to Pentecost

Welcome (2 minutes)

Today we're learning about a tower people tried to build a long, long time ago — and how Jesus fixed what went wrong that day.

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. And they said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. Then they said, 'Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.' (Genesis 11:1-4)

Question 1: What did the people want to do at Babel? (3 minutes)

Ask: The people in our story wanted to build something really tall. What were they trying to build, and why?

Expected answers: - A tower that reached to heaven - A city so they could stay together - They wanted to make themselves famous - They didn't want God to spread them out

Leader note: If kids say things like 'a skyscraper' or 'a really big building,' affirm that and clarify: 'Yes! They wanted to build a tower so tall it touched the sky. But the real problem was they wanted to be famous and powerful without God.'

Redirect for off-topic: If a child talks about modern buildings or unrelated topics, gently say: 'That's interesting! But let's think about what the people in Genesis wanted. They said, Let us make a name for ourselves. What does that mean?'

Question 2: What did God do when He saw the tower? (3 minutes)

Ask: God came down and saw what the people were doing. What did He do to stop them?

Expected answers: - He mixed up their languages - He made them speak different words so they couldn't understand each other - He scattered them all over the earth - He stopped them from building the tower

Leader note: Emphasize that God wasn't being mean — He was stopping people from doing something that would hurt them. They were full of pride and didn't want to obey God's command to fill the earth. The confusion was a kind of judgment, but it also protected them from getting worse.

Redirect for off-topic: If kids start talking about learning Spanish or other languages at school, say: 'Yes, we do have lots of languages today! And it all started here at Babel. God confused their language so they had to spread out like He originally told them to.'

Question 3: How did Jesus fix what went wrong at Babel? (4 minutes)

Ask: At Pentecost — that's a special day after Jesus rose from the dead — something amazing happened. How did God bring people back together?

Expected answers: - The Holy Spirit came - People from different countries heard about Jesus in their own language - They all believed in Jesus together - The church was born

Leader note: Connect this to Acts 2:5-11. At Babel, people were scattered because of pride. At Pentecost, people from every nation heard the good news about Jesus in their own language and were united by faith. The 'common language' now is the gospel — believing in Jesus. This is how God is filling the earth with His glory, just like He always wanted.

Redirect for off-topic: If kids talk about speaking in tongues or get confused about the Holy Spirit, keep it simple: 'God gave a special gift so that everyone could hear about Jesus, no matter what language they spoke. And when people believe in Jesus, they become part of God's family — even if they come from different places.'

Activity: Draw Two Towers (5 minutes)

Instructions: Give each child a piece of paper and crayons. Ask them to fold the paper in half.

• On one side, draw the Tower of Babel with people working on it (remind them: the people wanted to make themselves great).
• On the other side, draw a cross with people from different countries standing around it (remind them: Jesus brings us together).

While they draw, say: 'At Babel, people said, Let us make a name for ourselves. But at Pentecost, people said, There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved — and that name is Jesus!'

Leader note: Walk around and ask kids to explain their drawings. Affirm any attempt to show the contrast between human pride (Babel) and God's grace (the cross and Pentecost).

Closing Prayer (1 minute)

Pray together: 'Dear God, thank You for sending Jesus to bring us back together. Help us not to be proud like the people at Babel, but to trust in Jesus and tell others about Him. Amen.'

Total time: ~18 minutes