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| Purpose | Activity | Equipment | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | self-awareness/ God-awareness | Take an ice-cube out of the cool-box. Hold the ice in the palms of your hands and watch as the ice begins to melt. Know that God holds you in his hands; let his love warm your heart and melt the frozen places deep inside... | cool-box, ice-cubes, ice-bucket, towel, 'Please close tightly' sign |
| 2 | self-awareness/ repentance | Switch the kettle on and watch as the water heats up to boiling point – and then subsides. Do you sometimes get all hot and bothered? Or all steamed up? Or do you boil with anger or resentment? Talk to God about how you feel and behave, and why. What does God want to say to you? | see-through kettle, extension lead, distilled water, 'beware of boiling water' sign |
| 3 | self-awareness/ repentance | Paddle about in the pool (with your feet or hands) and notice the effect you have on the water. What does this say about the effect you have on the people and the world around you? – what sort of ripples do you create? If there is anything you want to repent of, ask God to forgive you and help you... | paddling pool, pump, floor covering, chairs, towels Isaiah 43:2 |
| 4 | repentance | God wants us to be close to him; he wants to wash away our sin and guilt. What do you need cleansing from now? Come to him in repentance and let him forgive you and free you; use the water in the font to remind yourself of your baptism... | towel Hebrews 10:22 |
| 5 | praise & thanksgiving | What other 'water words' can you think of? Write them up on the wall. Then let the words inspire you to praise God with a prayer or a painting. | lining paper, knife, flip pens in pot, A4 paper, pencils in pot, rubber, sharpener, paint box, brushes on dish, jar of water, Blu-Tac/tape Isaiah 58:11 |
| 6 | praise & thanksgiving | Let's celebrate God's watery creatures! Design and decorate a small fish, and hang it in the aquarium. | prepared aquarium, wires across, invisible thread, needles in pincushion, scissors, card, felt-tips in jar, sequins in dish, glue Genesis 1:20-21 |
| 7 | praise & thanksgiving | Praise God for his glory – by making a joyful noise to him with these bottles! Tap the bottles or blow across their tops; experiment with different amounts of water… | glass bottles, chopstick, rubber mat, jug of water, J-cloth Habakkuk 2:14 |
| 8 | listening, receiving | Go for a little walk down to the stream (through the Burial Ground and the Millennium Garden). Ask God to speak to you there. | umbrellas in stand |
| 9 | listening, receiving | Does your life ever feel like this piece of turf?! How healthy is your (spiritual) life at the moment? What would make you healthier? Talk to God about what you need, and as you gently water the turf ask him to refresh and renew all of your life. You might also like to sprinkle a few seeds… God loves to make things grow. | turf in tray, mini watering can, grass seeds in dish Psalm 72:6 |
| 10 | listening, receiving | Remember what fun it can be to play with water? Take time now to do just that. Experiment with the equipment and notice how the water behaves. Expect God to speak to you as you play… | paddling pool, floor covering, water toys, towel |
| 11 | prayer for individuals | Take a shell to represent someone you'd like to pray for, and hold them before God as you remember their needs. Then let the shell go into the water as you entrust them to his loving care. If you'd like to, light a candle as a symbol of your continuing prayer and concern and float it on the water. | metal bowl, tea lights in basket, lighter, shells in basket |
| 12 | prayer for a relationship | Here's an opportunity to pray for a difficult relationship – either between two individuals or between two groups or factions. (You might be involved.) Take the bottle and let the oil represent one party and the water the other. Ask God to bring reconciliation and healing in the relationship; shake the bottle to bring the separation to an end. | bottle containing oil and water |
| 13 | prayer for those God is calling | Jesus invited Simon to "put out into deep water." What 'deep water' might Jesus be inviting you to venture into? Who might he want you to introduce him to? Write their name or initial on a fish and pray for them, then tie it to the net. | net, threaded card fish shapes in basket, threads, pens in jar Luke 5:4 |
| 14 | prayer for your church | Cut a shape out of blotting paper to represent your church, then dip it in the coloured water as you pray for God to fill the church with his Holy Spirit. Keep on praying until it is completely saturated! | plastic tablecloth, blotting paper, scissors, bowl of water with food colouring, wet wipes |
| 15 | prayer for the world | Have a look at these pictures of droughts and floods in various parts of God's world, and pray for those affected. You might like to hold the globe as you pray about global warming – and about our responsibilities. | globe, pictures of floods and droughts Amos 5:24 |
| 16 | prayer for the world | Write a bottle-message to God – a special prayer for someone far away, perhaps. Roll it up, put it in a bottle, and float it on the pool. (Maybe there's something you could do as well as pray?) | paddling pool, floor covering, bottles in basket, A6 papers, ballpoint pens in jar Proverbs 25:25 |
| 17 | reflecting & responding | What has God been saying to you here today? 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. | blue/green card/paper & other materials, scissors, Pritstik, PVA glue, pens, pastels, crayons, pots/dishes |
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