3 Festive ideas for your Prayer RoomTandia Hughes - 11 Dec 2015

Christmas - a time to spend with family and friends, gathered around the fire, filling up on food. A time to think about the New Year and what it has in store for us.

But sadly, Christmas is also becoming increasingly consumeristic. People are losing sight of the meaning of Christmas with the days consisting of presents, food and parties. The festive season is a great opportunity to decorate your prayer room. Lots of the things we associate with Christmas can also work really well as prayer stations.

Three ways to make your prayer room more festive

Christmas tree

I have a friend who prides herself on the decoration of her Christmas tree. In early December every year we’re invited to view her Christmas tree and normally, it’s pretty spectacular. Christmas trees are central to the majority of households, towns and churches during the advent season.

Did you know in the 16th Century Germans were accredited with starting the Christmas tree tradition?

Add a Christmas tree…

You will need baubles of different sizes and permanent markers; and of course, a Christmas tree. Write the names of people you want to keep in your prayers over the next year on the baubles, and hang them on the tree. 

Snow

A few years ago I bought some snow boots feeling excited, believing I would use them. Since then, I think I’ve worn them once. Snow doesn’t come often in England, and when it does, we go into melt down!  At school we used to have competitions to see who made the best snowflakes to decorate the classroom.

Every snowflake that falls is different; each is unique in its own way.

Let it snow!

Often prayer rooms have an activity focusing on identity. Using white paper and scissors, spend some time creating a snow flake. Think about your strengths, what makes you unique? If you want you can write these around the edge of your snowflake. Hang or stick it against a black background to make it stand out.

You are unique and special, and your snowflake will be too.

Presents

Presents are becoming more extravagant and popular. People spend lots of money on gifts that often aren’t around the following year; gifts that we grow out of and move on from.

At Christmas we remember receiving the best gift humanity could have received. God gifted us his son. We mustn’t grow out of or move on from Him.  

Give gifts…

Using Christmas cards, write a couple of Christmas cards to encourage, support and bless other people through kind words or scripture. If you want to sign it then you can, if not then leave it anonymous. Leave it at the prayer station and take one of the others away with you. Why not pray for the recipient before you write?

Take time out over the busy Christmas season to spend time with God. Celebrate the centre of Christmas, Jesus, Emmanuel.