Prayer Action: Option 1

Action: praying (part of) the ‘Our Father’/Lord’s Prayer with an action for ‘thy/your Kingdom’ that’s based on this week’s storytelling. See Prayers for Other People: Special Option (click here).

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This can be used either in the place of your usual Prayers for Other People, or as the Prayer Action within your usual prayers.

 

Prayer Action: Option 2

Action: planting seeds and watering them

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Name and Name are going to bring around these pots of seeds.

If you’d like them to give you a seed,

you could hold your hands out like this.

Model holding out cupped hands.

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Let’s hold our seeds up to God.

Model holding cupped hands, with seed in, upwards.

Let’s ask God to hear them as a prayer for ourselves

and a special person.

Hum the tune together, with ‘Jesus, hear our prayer’ as a refrain until all the children and adults who wish to take seeds have done so.

God’s Kingdom is like a tiny seed!

Our prayers can be part of the Kingdom growing!

As we continue to sing, you might like to sprinkle your seed

onto our garden.

 

Hum the tune again as the seeds are planted. Large groups may prefer to ask two older children or an adult to take a garden around the group to collect the sprinkled seeds.

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When the group is ready:

As we pray, let’s watch beautiful things grow in our garden.

End this time of prayer with the final verse of the Prayer Song you’ve chosen.

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Prayer Action: Option 3

Action: imagining writing party invitations

 

God’s Kingdom is like a big party!

God has a special party invitation for people who

who are feeling sad or lonely or left out.

Maybe you know someone who’s feeling sad?

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Let’s close our eyes and imagine Jesus

coming to our sad friend and giving them an invitation.

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After a moment:

Let’s open our eyes.

Let’s take God’s invitation.

Mime taking an imaginary invitation from ‘heaven’

Let’s write the name of a special person on it.

Lead the children writing the name or mark-making in the air

Now let’s hold the invitation in our hand.
Lead the children in holding up the imaginary invitation.

Let’s promise to be part of inviting EVERYONE

to God’s Big Party this week.

End this time of prayer with the final verse of the Prayer Song you’ve chosen.

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Prayer Action: Option 4

Action: showing how a seed grows tall with our bodies

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Jesus wants plant the seed of God’s Kingdom in all of us!

When we pray, it’s like we’re asking God

to water the seed inside us.

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Let’s close our eyes for a moment.

Let’s imagine Jesus coming to us now.

Now let’s imagine Jesus watering

the seed of God’s Kingdom inside us.

Hold a moment of quiet.

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Let’s open our eyes again.

Let’s show how a seed grows when it’s been watered!

Let’s curl up into a ball like a seed.

Lead the children in curling up into a ball.

First, we need to put our roots down.

Let’s show our roots with our fingers.

Lead the children in wiggling fingers.

We need to let our roots grow down deep.

Lead the children in wiggling fingers down.

Then after 3, let a little shoot pop up.

1, 2, 3 . . . Pop!

Poke your hands up over your head like a little shoot.

Then start to grow up tall.

Gradually stand up, swaying like a growing stalk.

  

Taller and taller, onto our tiptoes . . .

Reach up with pointy hands and on tiptoes.

Let’s turn our faces up towards the sun!

Then let our leaves or branches spread out wide.

Arms stretch slowly outwards

Look at those beautiful plants!

Let’s imagine Jesus sprinkling refreshing water on us now.

Let’s ask for God’s Kingdom

to grow even more inside us as we pray.