Auszug. © Genehmigter Nachdruck. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.

When You Pray As a Family

Abingdon Press

Chapter One

Looking Forward

In days to come / the mountain of the LORD's house / shall be established.... / Many peoples shall come and say, / "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, / to the house of the God of Jacob; / that he may teach us his ways / and that we may walk in his paths." —Isaiah 2:2-3

Supplies

? Bible(s)

? sacred candle, matches or lighter

? strand of yarn (about three feet long)

? blindfold

Welcoming God

Gather as a family and light a candle as a symbolic way of inviting God to join you during this time together. Sit quietly for a moment so that everyone has the opportunity to relax his or her body, mind, and spirit.

Sharing With God

Say: If there is anything weighing on our minds and making it difficult to focus, let us share it now and then let it go.

Enter a quiet time when family members can share. You might go first and set the example by sharing anything that is weighing on your own mind.

Listening for God

Say: In the Scripture we are reading today, the prophet Isaiah describes how beautiful our world will be when everyone follows God and Jesus. This was written before Jesus was born, but we read it during Advent because Jesus showed us, through his life, how to follow God. Let us hear what Isaiah has to say.

Read aloud Isaiah 2:1-5. Take turns reading the Scripture, or have a different family member read the Scripture passage each week.

Family Share and Reflection Time

Say: Isaiah describes a beautiful world that we try to be part of as we follow Jesus. But it is not always easy to follow God and Jesus. Let's take a few moments and do an activity to remind us that it will take energy and focus to follow God.

Activity: Lay the strand of yarn on the floor in a wavy line. Invite each family member to walk it barefoot one at a time. Older children, teens, and adults should close their eyes or be blindfolded. Younger children, who are still learning to balance, will have difficulty walking it and should keep their eyes open. After each family member walks the yarn, rearrange the line to make a new pattern. Enjoy this time!

Discussion Questions:

? Was it easy or difficult to walk the line of yarn? ? What kinds of things does God ask us to do as we walk along the path God has marked out for us? (Examples: be kind to others, read the Bible, pray, forgive) ? What can keep us from doing what God wants us to do? ? Are there any changes we need to make so that we can walk God's path better?

Asking God

Say: Let us pray together as a family ...

Let us share our prayers for the world—for our country and leaders, and for other countries and their leaders ... Let us share our prayers for the church, ministers, and other spiritual leaders ... Let us share our prayers for our friends, teachers, and others in our community ... Let us share our prayers for family members and our own specific needs ...

Use the space provided below to make note of family prayer requests. Each week, there will be a time to review requests from the previous week.

Prayer Requests: _____________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

Offering Ourselves to God

Pray aloud together:

God, we have read your Holy Word, We have prayed together, We have spent time with you, We have experienced your love for us, Now, we promise to love one another and others as you love us. In the name of Christ. Amen.

Blessing One Another

Invite family members to bless one another. Some examples might be:

"May God bless you, guide you, and be with you, today and always. In the name of Christ, Amen." "I love you, and I ask God to bless you." "God loves you just the way you are, and so do I!"

(See p. 13 of the introduction for an explanation of how to give a blessing.)

Week 2 | Advent

Preparing the Way at Home

"Prepare the way of the Lord ..." —Luke 3:4

Supplies

? Bible(s)

? sacred candle, matches or lighter

Welcoming God

Gather as a family and light a candle as a symbolic way of inviting God to join you during this time together. Sit quietly for a moment so that everyone has the opportunity to relax his or her body, mind, and spirit.

Sharing With God

Say: If there is anything weighing on our minds and making it difficult to focus, let us share it now and then let it go.

Enter a quiet time when family members can share. You might go first and set the example by sharing anything that is weighing on your own mind.

Listening for God

Say: In this second week of Advent, we are going to hear about John the Baptist, who was Jesus' cousin. John preached about Jesus being our Savior. He said that the people needed to prepare for his coming into the world.

Read aloud Luke 3:1-6. Take turns reading the Scripture, or have a different family member read the Scripture passage each week.

Family Share and Reflection Time

Say: John spoke in this Scripture about preparing for Christ. Advent is the four weeks before Christmas. It is the time when we prepare ourselves to celebrate that Jesus was born and that we can follow him.

Activity: Take a walk around your home and point out anything that reminds you that you are preparing for Christmas. Notice things such as your Christmas tree, if it is up, wrapping paper or presents, cards, decorations, and so forth. If you do not have any young children, you might choose simply to stay put and talk about evidences you have seen in your home and your community.

Discussion Questions:

? What things have we done as a family to prepare for Christmas? ? What things have you done personally to prepare for Christmas? ? Are there things we can do to make our spirits ready to celebrate?

Asking God

Say: Let us pray together as a family ...

Let us share our prayers for the world—for our country and leaders, and for other countries and their leaders ... Let us share our prayers for the church, ministers, and other spiritual leaders ... Let us share our prayers for our friends, teachers, and others in our community ... Let us share our prayers for family members and our own specific needs ...

Use the space provided below to make note of family prayer requests. Take a few minutes to review requests from the previous week.

Prayer Requests:...