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Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. Acts 2:14,22-24

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

On the night before Jesus died, Jesus’ disciple Peter did a bad thing. A really sad thing. Do you remember what he did? After Jesus was arrested and brought to trial at the high priest’s house, Peter followed along. He wanted to see what happened to Jesus. But people recognized Peter. Three different people said, “You’re one of Jesus’ disciples, aren’t you?” Do you remember what Peter said? He was scared. So he cried out, “No!” Peter denied Jesus three times. Isn’t that awful?

Actually, we’ve all done that, haven’t we? Maybe there have been times at school when your classmates have done or said something wrong, and you’ve been afraid to let them know that you believe in Jesus. Maybe you stayed quiet when you could have said something kind. Maybe there have been times at your house when you’ve chosen not to go to church or read a Bible story because you think you have something more important to do. Just like Peter, it’s easy to deny Jesus. It’s easy to be quiet about Jesus. It’s easy to shake and shiver in our faith in Jesus.

But something changed Peter. Just 50 days later, on the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up in front of thousands of people and boldly proclaimed his faith in Jesus. He wasn’t scared anymore. Isn’t that surprising? In just 50 days, Peter went from denying Jesus before a few people to boldly proclaiming his faith in Jesus before thousands of people.

What changed? Peter explained: “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.” Seeing God raise Jesus to life on Easter changed Peter’s heart and life. Jesus’ resurrection took Peter’s doubts away, and when he received the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, Peter was ready to stand up and let everyone know that Jesus is the Savior.

Are you? You can be confident too. Seeing how Jesus was willing to die for you and was able to rise for you is meant to change your life. How can you be ashamed of your Savior who gave his life for you? How can you be afraid to follow your Savior who rose from the dead? You have a Savior who has even conquered death. He loves you! He is with you! He helps you be brave. Every day, you can be confident in Christ.

Dear Jesus, just like Peter when you were arrested, it’s easy for us to be ashamed of you and pretend we’re not followers of you. Forgive us! Instead, just like Peter on the day of Pentecost, use your resurrection and your Holy Spirit to make us confident in you. Help us be brave and talk about you. Amen.

The questions below are to help families discuss this devotion. The questions are divided by age group as suggestions, but anyone could reflect on any of the questions as they desire.

Questions for Younger Children

Questions for Elementary Age Children

Questions for Middle School and Above

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