Gospel Puppet Show: Dove as the Holy Spirit

Gospel Puppet Show

May 5,  2013

6 Easter

Characters:

Dovey the Dove

Fr. Phil

(Pictures of the Dove of Noah's Ark and the Dove of the Baptism of Jesus are posted on front of the puppet theatre)

Father Phil:  Today I want to introduce our guest for today.  Welcome please Dovey the Dove. 

 Dovey: Coo, Coo, coo, coo, coo, coo.  Hello, I’m a bit of a shy bird but I like to coo.

Father Phil:  Dovey, welcome!  You don’t have to be shy with us.  These children are very friendly.  Aren’t you friendly children?  Dovey, aren’t doves usually seen in pairs?  Isn’t that why you’re often called love birds?  So where is your love bird?

Dovey:  We do go around in pairs.  My husband is having a day out with the boys.  They know a farm that has just planted some new seeds and so they have gone to have a big feast.  I’m sure that he will put on some pounds today.

Father Phil:  I invited you here today to tell you that you are a very famous biblical bird and I wanted these children to know what you symbolize.

Dovey: Symbolize?  Sounds like a disease.  I don’t know if I want to symbolize.

Father Phil:  No, it’s a good thing.  It means that doves are so gentle and kind that they can teach us about the very best things about God and life.

Dovey:  Okay but what do I symbolize?

Father Phil:  Well, a dove was very important in the story of Noah’s ark.  The dove was like the first scout who left the ark after the flood and when the dove came back with a olive branch, Noah knew that the water from the flood had gone down enough to get out of the ark.

Dovey: Well, I did not know that a dove was a famous scout, though is that something like being a canary in a deep mine?

Father Phil:  No, it was a good thing to be a messenger for Noah and all of the animals on the ark.  It was good news to know that they could finally get off the ark.  But you have an even more important value in the Bible.

Dovey: What’s that?

Father Phil:  You are a symbol for God the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is God’s presence in this world that Jesus promised us after he left.  And there are lots of famous pictures of doves.

Dovey:  What kind of pictures?

Father Phil:  Well, the most famous one is when you fly down and light upon the head of Jesus at his baptism.

Dovey:  Doves don’t do that.  We’re too shy and frightened.  Occasionally we accidentally drop some stuff on people but we don’t land on people.

Father Phil:  I wish you hadn’t mentioned dropping stuff on people in church.

Dovey:  Oops….Sorry.

Father Phil:  But Jesus was so wonderful and doves are so gentle that a dove was the perfect symbol for God’s Spirit.  So that makes you very famous, being a symbol for God the Holy Spirit.

Dovey: Well that is pretty special.

Father Phil:  Jesus wanted everyone to know that God would still be with us after he left and so he said that God would remain with us as a gentle comforting dove, sort of singing a sweet coo, coo song to keep us peaceful.

Dovey:  Well, we do coo a lot.  And we are gentle.  We don’t like to fight.  Thank you for teaching me about the biblical doves.  I feel better about being a dove now.

Father Phil:  Thank you Dovey for helping us to learn about God the Holy Spirit.  Children, let’s give Dovey a big hand.