This prayer practice is a tool I developed to use with the Intergenerational VBS and Sunday School at First Evangelical Lutheran Church of North Platte. I am also currently using it as a part of the Intergenerational Worship workshops I am presenting in 2023-2024.
Leading the Practice
Notice the spiral. This fish is crocheted in a spiral pattern that we can trace in and out as we pray. Hold it in your open palm and use a finger from your other hand to trace.
Connect to your breath. As you expand your lungs, trace the spiral out. As you exhale, trace the spiral in. Do this for 3-5 breaths.
Think about the prayer prompts as you continue to breathe and trace the spiral. As you breathe out and trace in, how has God been generous to you? As you breathe in and trace out, in what ways do you want to be generous to God and others? Do this for three to five breaths, to give people time to consider these questions.
Offer your thoughts to God in prayer. Turn what you have been thinking about to God in prayer, thanking God for God’s generosity, and asking for help in the ways in which you want to be generous. The leader may offer less and less words of instruction as you cycle through this round of breaths, for instance, “How has God been generous to you?” becomes “How has God been generous?” then “God’s generosity” then “God to me.” “In what ways do you want to be generous to others?” becomes “How do you want to be generous?” then “My generosity” then “me to God and others.”
Conclude this time of prayer. After a few more breaths with no added words, add an “Amen.” People may share what they prayed about, or keep the conversation between themselves and God.
Here are some prayers that you might choose to include in your Christmas celebrations this year. Choose those which are the most meaningful to your time and situation. You can find a pdf booklet of these prayers here:
Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest, and let these gifts to us be blessed. Give us this day our daily bread; let all the world be clothed and fed. Amen.
Be present at our table, Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. Thy mercies bless and grant that we may strengthened for thy service be. Amen.
In the peace of this season our spirits are joyful: With the beasts and angels, the shepherds and stars, with Mary and Joseph we sing God’s praise. By your coming may the hungry be filled with good things, and may our table and home be blessed. Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty through Christ our Lord. Amen.
God of all gifts, we thank you for the many ways you have blessed us this day. We are grateful each of those who are gathered around this table. We ask you to bless us and our food and to bless those we love who are not with us today. In our gratitude and love, we remember your humble birth into our lives and pray for those who are without enough to eat. We remember the stable in which you were born and pray for those who have no place to live. We remember your challenging message of caring and giving and we pray for peace in families and nations throughout the world. We bless you and give you thanks in your Spirit who brings our hearts to life in the miracle of Christmas, now and forever. Amen.
Lord and Giver of all good things, the magi travelled for miles to bring the Christ child the first Christmas presents. So may we, too, remember with thankful hearts the love that comes with each present we open. We also thank you for the love you have for each of us, and we thank you for the many gifts that you give us, especially the gift of live itself. Amen
Holy Creator of Trees, bless with your abundant grace this our Christmas tree as a symbol of joy. May its evergreen branches be a sign of your never-fading promises. May its colorful lights and ornaments call us to decorate with love our home and our world. May the gifts that surround this tree be symbols of the gifts we have received from the Tree of Christ’s Cross. Holy Christmas tree within our home, may Joy and Peace come and nest in your branches and in our hearts. Amen.
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, ruler of the universe. With Mary and Joseph, with the angels and shepherds, and with the animals in the stable we gather around your Son, born for us. Bless us, and fill us with joy and wonder as we look upon this nativity set. May Jesus be born in our lives, that we might share his love with all the world, for he is our light and our salvation. Blessed be God forever. Amen.
Lord, as I spend today going about my work, help me to put aside any bitterness that I’m not celebrating at home with loved ones. I ask you God, to give me a special sense of your presence as I meet people, that I may shed on them the light of the Bethlehem Star, the Spirit of Christmas. Amen.
Dear Lord, as we celebrate the birth of your Son this day, we keep in mind those who are called to work. We thank you for their diligent service as they help people in hospitals and nursing homes, police and fire stations, airports and restaurants, and all the places they are needed. Give them a sense of your presence and an attitude of joy as they celebrate, even in the midst of their work. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
A Christmas Prayer for those who have suffered the recent death of a loved one
God of compassion, there is such a hole in my heart! Today should be a day of joy, but I feel only emptiness and loss. While the world celebrates around me, I remember Christmas celebrations of the past and I long to have my loved one with me. I bring my sorrows to you, Lord, like some odd gift of the magi and dump them at your feet. In my blind tears I wonder if anyone can possibly understand the depth of my sadness.
I know you can. You sent your son to be with us in our deepest sorrows and I know that even though I might not feel it now, you are here with me, grieving with me, caring for me in my sadness. Dearest lord, help me to turn to the one I miss so much today and speak. Help me heal the loss of our parting and help me not to regret the things I didn’t say. Sorrow tears at my heart, but today I ask that my loss soften my heart and make me more compassionate with everyone I meet, so that my loss may become a gift to others. In your name I pray, Amen.
In order to make it super simple to engage in the Creative Prayer Practices each week, you will need to gather supplies for your Portable Prayer Station. A Portable Prayer Station is a bag containing all the supplies you need, dedicated specifically for your prayer time. Below, find a list of items you will need for each practice. You may choose to gather a few items at a time as needed, or to have everything on hand and ready to go.
Items needed: 10 large wooden beads (large) -OR- 7 large wooden beads (small), 1 medium wooden bead (large) -OR- 2 medium wooden beads (small), 1 small cross bead, 12″ Clear Stretch Magic Bead & Jewelry Cord – 1.5mm, scissors
Large bracelet:
1. Thread the stretchy string through the cross so that half of the string is on each side.
2. Thread both ends through the medium round bead.
3. Thread one end through five larger beads; thread the other end through the remaining large beads.
4. Tie the string using three overhand knots. Trim the ends close to the knot.
Small bracelet:
1. Thread the stretchy string through the cross so that half of the string is on each side.
2. Thread one end through one medium round bead; thread the other end through the second medium bead.
3. Thread one end through three larger beads; thread the other end through four larger beads.
4. Tie the string using three overhand knots. Trim the ends close to the knot.
Prayer Practice: Prayer Bead Thanksgivings with Your Household
My husband, Patrick Sipes of The Forming Spirit, prays with beads on a consistent basis while he drives. I owe the idea of praying beads in this way to him. We suggest doing this as a group, but it can easily be adapted to personal use. This week, focus on thanksgivings, but you could also pray for different people on each bead, offer confessions on each bead, ask for help, etc.
1. Make sure that each member of your family has a set of beads to pray.
2. Tell your family that this week, we are going to focus on giving thanks to God. We will each take turns telling God something we are thankful for.
3. Begin your prayers by holding the cross and saying (repeat-after-me), “We begin our prayers in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.”
4. The first person prays their thanksgiving to God. When that person has prayed, everyone responds, “Thanks be to God,” and holds one bead.
3. The next person shares their thanksgiving, everyone responds, “Thanks be to God,” and moves on to hold the next bead. 4. Continue until you run out of beads. Then, hold the cross while you pray the Lord’s Prayer together.
Visio Divina is the practice of looking at an image in prayer and meditation. These images are chosen based on the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday mornings. To engage in this practice online, press play on the Soundcloud player, and then click the image to enlarge it. May God bless your time spent intentionally looking for the presence of God.
Visio Divina is the practice of looking at an image in prayer and meditation. These images are chosen based on the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday mornings. To engage in this practice online, press play on the Soundcloud player, and then click the image to enlarge it. May God bless your time spent intentionally looking for the presence of God.
Visio Divina is the practice of looking at an image in prayer and meditation. These images are chosen based on the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday mornings. To engage in this practice online, press play on the Soundcloud player, and then click the image to enlarge it. May God bless your time spent intentionally looking for the presence of God.
Visio Divina is the practice of looking at an image in prayer and meditation. These images are chosen based on the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday mornings. To engage in this practice online, press play on the Soundcloud player, and then click the image to enlarge it. May God bless your time spent intentionally looking for the presence of God.
Visio Divina is the practice of looking at an image in prayer and meditation. These images are chosen based on the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary for Sunday mornings. To engage in this practice online, press play on the Soundcloud player, and then click the image to enlarge it. May God bless your time spent intentionally looking for the presence of God.
Good God Ideas 