Prayer Tree- creating for All-Saints, to Thanksgiving and beyond to Advent

In honor of All-Saints Day last week and in anticipation of thanksgiving in just a few...create a prayer tree for your worship gathering and/or your family.

As an All-Saints prayer station: focus the station on the people who have encouraged our faith or the people who have inspired us to draw closer to Jesus

SIGN/Directions: hebrews 12:1-8   FAMILY TREE

Consider all the people who have encouraged you to seek Jesus. Think about the people in your life, family, friends, teachers, youth leaders, etc who have helped you along the way in your journey with jesus ) or along your faith journey)These people might even be ones you've read about in books.

WRITE their names on the tags and pray for them. Thank God for their lives and ask God to show you more of how they have impacted your life. TIE THE TAG ON THE TREE

Part 2...Now think of someone in your life who needs to know the love of God...who may need encouragement on his/her journey with Jesus.  Write that person's name on a tag and take it home with you. Hang it somewhere where you will be reminded to pray for that person. Ask God to help you inspire and encouage this person to know God better and ask God to help you to inspire others around you in the coming weeks.

SET UP:

in this photo we used an artificial ficus tree that was already in the worshp space, and added white twinkle lights. we had a basket of sharpie markers of various colors and mailing tags from office depot/staples that already have string in them to use to tie them on the branches. OR

you can create a tree with a few large branches (with out leaves) stuck securely in a bucket and make tags out of colorful index cards or even print  off various shaped leaves, punch a hole in the top and add some yarn...then these card tags or leaves can be

THANKSGIVING TREE: Philippians 4:6-7

Continue the prayer tree idea ...you can take off the names of the" saints" or you can add to the tags on the tree.if you used only one color of tags for the SAINTS tree, you might use a different color for the thanksgiving tags.

SIGN/directions

Thanksgiving is a lost holiday in our culture...it sadly gets lost between halloween candy and christmas decoations and shopping.  Yet we are called to give thanks as Jesus gave thanks.

So what are you thankful for today? What are some great things or some little things that you can see as gifts of God and thank him for today?

Write your prayers on the tag and hang them on the tree. THANK GOD for the things he has given you and ask God to give you eyes to see the blessings and gifts he is giving you each week. and Ask God to help you be more grateful in the days ahead.

The Thanksgiving tree can be added to each day if you are doing it at home, or each time you meet if you are creating it with your small group or worshipping community. 

you can also encourage people to write down what they are thankful for during the week and bring this to your worship gathering to add to the tree. 

ADVENT...tomorrow..

you'll need chrsitmas gift tags and a christmas tree.

 

if you'd like more ideas for creating thankful prayers with small children at church or in your family, check out this great site

"IN" courage