At Any Time
We can always pray
by Rebecca Parkinson (revised, originally published in 2009)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To explore the Christian belief that we can pray to God at any time.
Preparation and materials
- You will need five objects that represent how we communicate with people, such as a mobile phone, a walkie-talkie, a cup-and-string telephone, an email and a letter.
Alternatively, you may wish to use the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (At Any Time), in which case you will also need the means to display them. - Have available a dictionary or the definition of the word ‘communication’, and the word ‘COMMUNICATION’ written out with each letter on a separate piece of paper.
Assembly
- Explain that you are going to show the children five objects, and you want them to try to work out what they have in common.
Show the selection of objects, or Slides 1-5, to the children. - Ask 13 children to come to the front and give each of them one of the letters from the word ‘COMMUNICATION’.
Ask them to try to work out which word they could make by using all the letters. Point out that the word ties in with the objects that they saw.
Encourage the audience to help them. - If the children don’t guess the word, give them some clues. When they have the answer (or you have told them!), ask them to stand in order so that the word ‘communication’ is spelt out.
- Ask the children what the word means. Ask another child to come to the front to find the word in the dictionary and read out the definition.
- Talk about the ways in which the children have already communicated today. Suggestions could include chatting face to face, talking on the phone, sending a message, smiling, pulling a face, answering the register and so on.
- Go through each object or slide, discussing how each thing is good for communicating. Discuss whether each object has any disadvantages.
For example, a mobile phone is a great way of communicating with people even when they aren’t home, but it can be lost easily. There are also times when it needs to be switched off, making the owner uncontactable.
Likewise, an email is a good way to contact someone if you don’t want to disturb them at a busy time, but some people may not check their emails for several days.
Explain that all forms of communication have their good and bad points, but none of them give immediate access to someone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Time for reflection
Christians believe that God is available for them to talk to at all times, that there is never a moment when God is not listening to them. This can bring people great comfort because they feel that they are never really alone.
Psalm 121.4 tells us, ‘He who watches over you will never slumber or sleep.’
Ask the children whether they ever feel scared and alone.
Many religions believe that God is always with us and that we can talk to him at any time.
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you that you are always there for me to talk to.
Thank you that you understand me when others don’t.
Amen.
Song/music
‘The Lord’s Prayer’ by Brother Francis, available at: https://youtu.be/i70XoA2ZxYQ (2.43 minutes long)