Just as the flowers of springtime come in all shapes, colors and sizes, so praise comes in all forms of singing, praying, speaking and silence. We are going to worship by using beads of different colors to remind us of what God has so graciously done for us.
So let me give the shopping list and then the "to do" list:
1. Go to a craft store, Hobby Lobby, or even the crafts department of Wal-Mart and find beads of the following colors. (You can do this one or two ways. Buy enough beads for one string of beads that everyone will use during worship. Or, buy enough beads that everyone will have a set to keep. It's always meaningful to have something to take home to remind them of the time spent together, so consider this option if at all possible.)
Yellow
Blue
Red
Green
White
Purple
Gold
2. Purchase a piece of cord or chain on which to place the beads.
3. String your beads before your meeting.
4. Make a copy of the following "Color Coded Praise" for each person so that they may refer to it while they pray their praises.
Color Coded Praise
For our worship time we are going to give God praise for who He is and what He has done in our lives. We are going to use the colorful beads to represent the various attributes of God and what He does. You may use some of the following thoughts about these colors or let your imagination run and praise God for other things that a particular color evokes in your spirit and heart.
Yellow … Lord you have given us a new day, a new beginning, a chance to start over again. Your mercies are new every morning. Lam. 3:20
Blue … Lord, you are our hope, our high tower and refuge. You give us the hope of heaven and of glory. 2 Cor. 1:9,10; Psalm 31:1,2; Col. 1:27
Red … Jesus, by your blood, spilled out for us on the cross of Calvary, my sins are wiped away. You have redeemed me and I am free. Titus 2:14; Heb.9:14;
Green … You are life, and you give us new life, abundant and full.. John 6:47-51; John 10:10
White … Lord, you are perfect, without blemish. You are holy, like none other. And by your sacrifice You make us white as snow. I Peter 1:19; Is. 6:3; Is.1:18
Purple … You are the King of kings and one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that you are Lord. We thank you for giving each one of us a place in the royal family. And we thank you that although you are the King, we are also privileged to call you "Abba" our Daddy. Romans 14:11; I Peter 2:9,10; Romans 8:15
Gold… Of all the things that I count as good and precious in my life, you, Lord, are more valuable than any one of those things. You are more beautiful than diamonds, more costly than silver, more precious than gold. Psalm 18:1-3; Psalm 100; Psalm 103:1,2
Leader: Give everyone a set of beads (or pass the beads from person to person) and the "Color Coded Praise" and read the printed explanation. Continue giving direction by encouraging them to pray words of thanks and praise spontaneously as they feel led. Make sure they understand that they can simply read what has been printed for them or they can pray their own prayers inspired by the colors given. This way everyone can pray, even if they feel a little uneasy about praying out loud. Encourage them to pray short sentence prayers and to pray more than once if they would like to. Always model what you desire to see happen. (If you are passing the beads then begin praying and pass them on to the next person.)
