The Reflectionary

Some ways of praying using our fingers and hands. These are useful for All Age Worship, for assemblies and schools work, for Sunday School and for praying at home as a family.

Pointing Prayers

(referring to 2 Corinthians 5:17 – new beginnings)

In our prayers today we will use a pointing finger to show us what to look at. Make a pointing finger and we can point in different directions as we pray. When I say God of new beginnings, in your mercy, please respond Hear our prayer.

First, we point upwards and think of God. God does not live on the roof or on a cloud, but it can help to think of him as being higher than us. We point upwards to God and we pray:

Dear God,
You are high and you are holy. We confess that we do not always come up to your standards. Sometimes we don’t even come up to our own standards.
We are sorry when we do things we know are wrong.
We are sorry when we hurt people with our words.
We are sorry when we think things that are not worthy of you.
Please forgive us, and make us new.

God of new beginnings, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Now we point downwards, and think of people who are feeling low. Perhaps you can think of someone who is ill or worried or sad for some other reason, or someone on the prayer list. We point downwards and we pray:

Dear God,
You have given us wonderful bodies, but sometimes bits don’t work very well. Please look after people who are ill, particularly those we are thinking of right now. Please look after people who are feeling anxious or have other troubles, particularly those we are thinking of right now.

God of new beginnings, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Now we point outwards, through the walls and windows, as we think about people far away. [name some current world issues] We point outwards and we pray:

Dear God,
Although you made this world good, sometimes there is fighting and disaster, and many people are hurting and frightened. Help us to work towards a world that is fair and just. Please give wisdom to world leaders, to rule for the good of all people. Have mercy on the broken bits of our world and make it new and right again.

God of new beginnings, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Now we point to the people around us. Choose one person nearby and in the silence, ask God to bless them and to help them be the new person that God wants. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know their name, because God does. We point to our neighbour and in the silence we pray:

[pause]
God of new beginnings, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Finally, we point to ourselves. The Bible says,  ‘When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world. The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new!’ We point to ourselves and we pray:

Dear God,
Thank you that you make me new. Thank you that the old things are gone and I can make a new beginning with you. Thank you that you loved me in the past, you love me now and you will love me forever. Help me to love you and to walk closely with you each new day.

God of new beginnings, in your mercy, Hear our prayer

Amen.

Lord’s Prayer Finger Rosary

This is to help us think about the words of The Lord’s Prayer, not rattling them off like we’re on auto-pilot.

Hold out your hands with the fingers spread and palms facing you. Starting from the thumb on the left, we say the words of The Lord’s Prayer slowly, thinking about each section. You can point to the appropriate finger with the other hand as you go through, or you can touch each finger to your chin as you pray.

You will notice that some of the traditional line breaks are changed. This is to break the prayer into concepts, rather than lines of equal length, to help us to think about what we are praying.

 

Left thumb	Our Father in heaven,	Think of God as your perfect father.
Left index	Hallowed be your name,	Think of God’s holiness.
Left Middle	Your kingdom come,	Pray that people know and love God.
Left Ring	Your will be done on earth as in heaven.	Pray for justice in the world.
Left Pinkie	Give us today our daily bread.	Thank God for his provision.
Right Pinkie	Forgive us our sins,	Confess your wrong-doing.
Right Ring	As we forgive those who sin against us.	Ask for strength to forgive others.
Right Middle	Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.	Ask for guidance and protection.
Right Index	For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours	Praise God for his glory.
Right Thumb	Now and for ever. Amen.	Think of God’s everlasting love.

Five People

Look at your hand and imagine that your fingers are five people.

Thumb
This is apart from the others – pray for those who feel left out: people who feel they don’t fit in.

Index finger
This points the way – pray for those who lead us and help us: parent, teachers and church leaders.

Middle finger
This is the tallest – pray for people who are in charge, in our country and the rest of the world.

Ring finger
This can’t move far from the others – pray for those who are close to us: our family and friends.

Little finger
This is the weakest – pray for those who are ill in body, mind or spirit.

 

Hand Shapes

We make shapes with our hands to help us think was we pray.

First, make a circle with your hands for the sun.

God, you are glorious like the sun.
The sun’s light reminds us that you show us the way and the truth.
The sun’s warmth reminds us of your mercy and love.

Take away one hand to leave a half-circle for the moon.

God, may we be like the moon, which reflects the light of the sun.
May we reflect your light and grace,
So that all people may know and love you.

Spread out your fingers to make a star.

God, when I see the stars in the massive universe, I feel very small.
Thank you the you know and care about even me.
Thank you that you hear me when I pray.

Finally, make your hands into a heart shape.

God, you are all love.
You loved me before I knew you.
You love me now, and you will love me for ever.
That is amazing. Thank you.

Amen