Here’s a simple way of worshipping at home on your own or with your family. This one explores the holy habit of prayer.
- Say you’re going to be a little part of (name your church) church at home today.
- Light a candle and pray:
With the light of this candle, we remember the light of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
God, you are here with us now and also with our friends and family in their homes today.
Especially we remember that you are also with… (invite everyone to remember people from church, school, extended family, neighbourhood)
Thank you, Jesus, light for the world. Amen
- Say: Today we’re thinking about prayer: not wish-lists we read out to God, but prayer as the holy habit that connects us with God and with God’s kingdom, like air connects us with life.
Invite everyone to have two minutes to go round your home and bring back to the table one object that says something about prayer. Talk about what everyone brings back. If they fit into any of the sections below, refer back to them.
Examples include
a teaspoon – in a recipe book, a teaspoon measure is written as TSP – the first letters of Thank you, Sorry and Please.
a heart shaped object reminding us of God’s love
a favourite cuddly toy to represent that God is always with us
- Play some or all of Aretha Franklin’s ‘I say a little prayer for you‘ and talk about what everyone thinks of the way she prays in this song.
- Ask someone to read Luke 11:1-4.
Jesus Teaches About Prayer
11 One time Jesus was praying in a place. When he finished, one of his followers said to him, “John taught his followers how to pray. Lord, please teach us how to pray, too.”
2 Jesus said to them, “When you pray, say:
‘Father, we pray that your name will always be kept holy.
We pray that your kingdom will come.
3 Give us the food we need for each day.
4 Forgive us the sins we have done,
because we forgive every person who has done wrong to us.
And do not cause us to be tested.’”
Ask: Why do you think Jesus’ disciples asked him to teach them how to pray?
- Say: God’s people have prayed in many different ways. Here are a few.
Draw the shape from the photo – on to a piece of paper, give everyone coloured pens and fill it in as you go along, getting everyone’s suggestions of words or pictures to put in each section. If everyone thinks of other ways of praying, such as praying for other people, add more pieces of paper.
- They pray to praise God, just enjoying who God is
- They pray with silence and listen to God
- They pray with words – sometimes prayers created by other people and sometimes prayers straight from their heart
- They pray to say sorry
- They pray to say thank you
- They pray in anger, sadness or frustration
- Say the Lord’s Prayer together, with or without action
- Blow out the candle, changing the light from visible to invisible light
