9/5/10 Easter 6 and Rogation

Prayer Tree

BIBLE READING

Revelation chapter 22 verse 2  - the tree of life

Rogation (immediately before Ascension Day) is traditionally a time at which the Church prays for the local community in which it is fixed – this can include the ancient tradition of the beating of the bounds.

PREPARATION

This session requires extra preparation as it includes the creation in advance of a prayer tree in the assembly hall.  The tree can be a wall display, a free standing structure, or even a real plant.  You also need a pile of paper leaf shapes (one for each person present) and the children need to bring a pencil to assembly.  If you already happen to have a prayer tree, use this assembly as an opportunity to reinforce its use.

A photograph of somewhere in the world you personally would like to visit.

INTRODUCTION

Share your photograph and explain about the place and why you would like to visit it.  Ask others to share where their special places or countries might be (adults might find this easier than children, simply because of their greater knowledge; some other staff might like to come prepared with pictures).

THE MESSAGE

Explain that in the very last book of the Bible there is a description of a wonderful place, the new holy city of Jerusalem.  It is not the same Jerusalem as you can visit today in Israel, but a city that will be seen at the end of time.  The city sounds very beautiful and there is one special verse we are going to think about today: “on either side of the river is the tree of life, with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month, and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.”

Can you imagine what an amazing tree that would be?  A tree where you could use the leaves to cure not just people, but to cure all the things that are wrong with the world.  If you had a tree like that what would you use the leaves for?  Collect together different ideas – personal, local, national, global.

Our tree is not a healing tree, but it can be a praying tree, and we can use it to remember anyone or anywhere in the world and their needs.

Distribute the prayer leaves and ask children to write or draw on it someone or something which they think needs prayer – this may or may not be something you have talked about together.

PRAYER

Collect together the prayer leaves, and pray using a small number of the requests that are there.