GATHER
Get comfortable in a quiet space alone or with others. Ready the space with matches, a candle, and dimmed lights. Turn off and put away your phones. Make sure children have used the bathroom! Say: “We are taking away all of the things that will distract us, to make space to come close to God.” Allow a moment to settle in before beginning.
ENTER GOD’S PRESENCE
LEADER: We invite Jesus, the light of the world, to shine on our lives and help us see God. (Light the candle)
RESPONSE: Open the eyes of our hearts, so we can see the hope God has chosen us to receive.
LEADER: Holy Spirit, help us to see the richness of your gifts in the ordinary moments of each day.
REFLECT ON MY DAY
Remember what has happened today, using these prompts. Adults and older children may wish to reflect silently; younger children usually need to be led through their day aloud:
- How did I feel when I woke up this morning? Did I stay at home today? Did I go anywhere? What happened this afternoon? How do I feel right now?
Ask God to show you the moments today that you are thankful for:
- When did I smile today? What did that feel like inside? What do I wish would happen again? Who was I happy to be near today?
Ask God to show you the moments that were hard for you today:
- When did I want to hide today? Did I choose not to listen to someone, or to ignore them? Did I use an unkind voice today? What did I feel like inside when I spoke in an angry or unkind way?
OFFER MY DAY TO GOD
Silently or aloud, tell God “thank you” for being close to you in every part of your day - both the hard and the good parts. Imagine Jesus walking closely alongside you through every moment of your day, and ask him to help you sense his presence with you tomorrow.
Close in prayer from Romans 8:
Who can say anything against God’s children? Who can condemn us? No one. Christ Jesus is at the right hand of God, and is praying for us. Jesus, help us to remember that your prayers and love for us are as close as our own breath. Amen.
DAILY PRAYERS
MONDAY, APRIL 3
We are grateful for the beautiful world God has made, but we also see things all around us that make us sad. Tell God today about what is broken and wrong in the world: places where there is fighting, where people are not safe, where no one looks out for the weak or powerless. Ask God to be near, and to see, the things in his world that make us cry.
TUESDAY, APRIL 4
Long, long ago, Jesus stood outside Jerusalem and cried. He was so sad, because the people in the city didn't know how to live at peace in God’s ways. Sometimes we feel that way about our city, too. Tell God about things we see in San Francisco that make us sad. Ask God to be near and to share our sadness.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5
Sometimes bad things happen to the people who are near us: our friends, our family members, our teachers, our neighbors. We feel so sad, especially because we can’t fix it. Tell Jesus about the things that are hard in our neighbors’ lives, and ask him to be close to them.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6
God has told everyone who follows Jesus that we should be at peace and love one another like family. But sometimes the people in God’s family fight and disagree. Ask Jesus to help us all listen to him, and to love one another even when we disagree.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7
In our families, all too often we fight with one another or are unkind. We don’t put others before ourselves. Ask God for forgiveness, and to help us love our families like God has loved us.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8
Every single one of us has done things that have hurt people around us and ourselves. None of us has loved God or other people the way Jesus taught us to. We have all sinned, and we are all loved. Ask God to come and meet us with healing, forgiving love.