Prayer and Talking

An assembly from the Culham St Gabriel archive

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To develop an understanding that prayer is simply talking with God.

Preparation and materials

• You will need a mobile phone and the Lord's Prayer. Arrange for someone to call your mobile phone as the assembly begins, making sure the volume is turned up high, and to have a short pretend conversation with him or her.
• Have available an image of the Convent of Pater Noster, which displays the Lord’s Prayer in 140 different languages, and the means to display it during the assembly (an example can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/qgp2jgh).

Assembly

1. When your mobile phone rings, as arranged, have your short pretend conversation. You could say something along the lines of:
   
   Hello, Dad, how are you? Is Mum OK? How's the cat? Still chasing next door's dog? How's the weather where you are? It's very warm here - I'm glad you're jealous!
   
   Listen, Dad, I'm really glad you called this morning, but I honestly can't stay long - I've an assembly full of children all sitting down quietly listening to me ramble on with you! No, don't worry, I'm sure they're glad not to have to listen to me anyway! Take care now and give my love to Mum  . . .  Bye!.
2. I'm sorry about that and for keeping you waiting. Do you know who I was talking to?
3. Do you think that you would have known who I was speaking with even if I hadn’t said ‘Dad’ during the conversation?
4. Would the conversation have been different if I had been speaking to the headteacher, do you think, or to someone at the bank or a famous person?
5. Because I know my dad very well, the conversation is chatty and informal. I don't need to put on a formal voice, like this  . . .
   
   Act out a phrase or two in a posh voice. 
   
   I don't need to sound worried or anxious either, like this  . . .
   
   This time, act out a phrase or two in a worried voice. 
   
   I don't need to pretend to be someone other than who I really am – I can be myself. In fact, if I hadn’t been in assembly, I would probably still be talking with him now!
6. Prayer is very much like a friendly chat with God. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, the word he used for 'Father' in his own language (Aramaic) is less formal than that, more like 'Daddy'.
   
   Display the image of the Convent of Pater Noster, which displays the Lord’s Prayer in 140 different languages.

Time for reflection

Prayer is simply sharing and chatting with God in everyday language and enjoying God's company. We can tell God everything - the things that make us happy and the things that worry us. It is also a chance to say sorry for the wrong things we've done.

Remember that God also loves to hear us thank him for answering our prayers.

Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for always being there for us.
Thank you that we can speak to you at any time and in any place.
Thank you that, with you, there is never an inconvenient time!
Amen.

Song/Music

'Make me a channel of your peace' (Come and Praise, 147)