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Harvest Prayer Fayre plan

St Mary's Twyford, September 25th - October 3rd 2004

Sally Dakin & Paula Pocock

No.

Purpose

Activity

Equipment

1.

self-awareness;
God-awareness

What kind of a fruit or nut are you today?! Notice how different they look on the inside – open one if you’d like to, and hold it as you reflect and pray…
Are you open to God? to other people?
God knows what you’re like on the inside – and loves you totally.

variety of nuts, some open, nutcracker, basket,
variety of fruits, some open, knife, chopping board, fruit bowl

2. corporate celebration & thanksgiving for creation Let’s make a picture as a harvest thank-offering to God.
Choose pictures from the catalogues and stick them down, giving thanks to God for his glorious and generous creation.
seed catalogues, scissors, Pritstik, parcel paper background
3.

repentance for sin against God, against others, against creation

Here is an opportunity to recognise and turn from our sin.
You may be conscious of personal sin against God and against others;
you may be conscious of our individual and collective sin against God’s creation.
Take a piece of plastic for each thing you want to repent of, recognising its polluting effect, and turn from the sin as you weave the strip into the cross.

strips of plastic bags, ‘cross’ of interwoven string on large wooden frame

4. thanksgiving

God’s goodness and love for us are expressed in so many ways, and we can encounter him with all our senses.
Take time here to enjoy what you see and hear and touch and taste and smell – and give thanks.

 

flowers, chimes on banana hook, ocarina, rain stick, merino wool, essential oils on plate, chocolates
5.

praise

Pull’n’praise! – pull down a prayer and use it to express your praise to God.

 

cards with prayers hanging on elastic from washing line

6. listening to God ‘God made the heavens and the earth’: here’s some earth to explore. What might you discover as you dig about and play with the soil? Slow down and let God speak to you about his work, your life and his love...
wheelbarrow of earth on plastic sheet, sticks, stones, seeds, gardening tools, watering can, bowl of water, towel
7.

responding to God

Take time here to meet with Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. Take and eat...

broken loaf of bread

8. self-offering Take as many threads as you like, choosing each to represent a particular ‘thread’ in your life. As you knot them together, talk to God about each one, and offer them all to him at the foot of the cross.
threads in bowl
9.

prayer for others

This is a sort of prayerful ‘Lucky Dip’: who will you pray for?! Take a letter out of the bag, and pray for someone whose name begins with that letter. Replace and repeat as many times as you like! You can also stencil their initial on the big sheet, or add a letter sticker for them.

Scrabble letters, bag, book of names, stencils, pens in pot, alphabet stickers, A1 sheet

10. prayer for the world ‘The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations’. (Revelation 22:2)
Cut a piece of card into a leaf shape, and write on it the place or situation you want to pray for.
Hang it on the tree and ask God to heal the nations...
‘tree’ in pot, cards in dish, scissors, felt-tips in mug, hole-puncher, thread, waste bin
11.

prayer...

Sit’n’knit! – let’s make a prayer scarf. Knit as many rows as you like – any colour, any stitch – praying as the Spirit leads you. If you like, you can add some embroidery stitches to represent special petitions.

knitting in progress, wool, scissors, packet of wool needles

12.

going out God is in this place – and in you. Reflect for a moment on your time here… Is there anything else you need to do while you’re here – or after you leave?
Take a leaf as a reminder of today.
Go in the knowledge of God’s call on your life, and his presence with you this autumn and always.
skeleton leaves
       
 

reflecting & responding

What has God been saying to you this Harvest-time? How would you like to respond to him?
Use these materials to express yourself in any way you like.
Take your work with you – or leave it here.

natural coloured card/paper, other (natural?) materials, scissors, Pritstik, PVA glue, pens, pastels, crayons

 

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