“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens” (Ecclesiastes 3.1)

I borrowed a sermon. Yep, I said it! I borrowed a sermon . . . actually, I adapted a sermon from Rabbi Judy Shanks at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA. She wove in her sermon with the musical Rent’s Seasons of Love. I adapted it with my own personal stories and used someone from the choir to sing excerpts of Seasons of Love. More importantly, I used the lyric “How do you measure your life in love?” as a theme for the interactive prayer stations.

Interactive prayer stations are a wonderful opportunity for people to reflect on how God calls us to live in love, act in love, and be love. The interactive prayer stations are meant to be intergenerational. (For more specific instructions on layout, purpose, design, and more ideas, you can view previous posts tagged under “Interactive Prayer Stations.”) You can see more pictures of these prayer stations here.

Interactive Prayer Station #1: Love Thy Neighbor

Materials: Huge Dry Erase Board, Dry Erase Markers, Candles

Interactive Prayer Station #2: Signs of Love

Materials: Video Projector, Screen, Big Post-Its, Sharpies, Newsprint, Random Acts of Kindness Video

Interactive Prayer Station #3: Balancing Love

Materials: Long Branch or Stick, Strips of Paper, Thick Crayons, Candles, Ornament Hooks, Melted Crayon Heart Board

Interactive Prayer Stations for Toddlers & Kids:

The chancel area was decorated with paper hearts and pictures of images measuring love to house the interactive prayer stations. The stations were centered on the senses.

Materials: Brown Lunch Bags, Number Boxes, Spoons, Rainbow Sprinkles, Mini Marshmallows, Mini Chocolate Chips, Hot Cocoa packets, m & m’s, Peppermints, Sandpaper cut into hearts, Cinnamon Sticks, Glue, Paper, “Love” Stamps, Embossing Stamp Pad, Heating Tool, Sugar Free Kool-Aid, Clear Embossing Powder

You will need an adult to supervise these stations given the use of heat and the difficulty of embossing.

Ingredients for Smelling Embossing Powder:

Mix 1 part sugar-free drink mix to 1-1/2 parts Clear embossing powder. For example, you would mix 1 teaspoon drink mix with 1-1/2 teaspoons of Clear embossing powder. You’ll have a scented embossing powder!

Note: For the scent, select a sugar-free flavored creamer or sugar-free drink mix for your project, such as sugar-free Kool-Aid® or cocoa. Why must the mix be sugar free? Because heated sugar crisps and browns. When choosing the right drink mix, consider both color and scent. Colored embossing powder will work for scratch-and-sniff images; however, unless you use embossing powder that is the same color as your drink mix, the colors may blend strangely. For visual instructions, click here.

Directions for embossing:

• Stamp your image on a colored ink pad and on your card.
• Sprinkle the embossing powder over your stamped image. Dust off the excess powder.
• Using the heat tool, heat the powder until it melts.

Recipe of Love:

1 Packet Hot Cocoa Full of Love

2 Peppermints of Joy

3 Spoonfuls Mini Marshmallows of Fluffy Kindness

4 Spoonfuls Mini Chocolate Chips of Understanding

7 Spoonfuls Mini M&M’s of Colorful Laughter

8 Spoonfuls Chocolate Sprinkles of Patience

Lavish with Hugs; Sprinkle with Kisses; Add a smile on top

Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13.4-7)