Spiritual Practice of the Week:  Prayer Flags

Prayer flags come to us from the Tibetan Buddhist culture. Traditionally, prayer flags come in each of the five primary colors and have prayers and texts from the tradition written on them. Tibetans believe that prayer flags promote peace and bless the land and the people who create them. They also believe the wind catches the prayers on the flags and take them to God.  In this practice, invite youth to create their own Christian prayer flags to hang in the youth room, outside the church, or take home. You will need brightly coloured fabrics cut into 35 centimetre squares. You may choose to use the symbolic colours listed below or others.

Sew a seam on one end of each flag (leaving ends open) so that thick string or rope can be strung through. Use fabric felts, permanent markers, or fabric paint to write prayers, messages, and images on the flags. The words and images on the flags will be a blessing to all.

You may choose to leave your flags up for the year, adding to them on occasion, or you may use them only for a special evening of practice. You may want to ask for permission to hang them outside your church building or in a garden.  Ideally, a prayer flag is hung where wind and Spirit can swirl around it.

Colours and Symbols

Blue: Sky and space, stillness

White: Air and wind, movement

Red: Fire, passion, life force

Green: Green growing things, renewal

Yellow: Land, stability

© This prayer practice and all of those on the Sunday Morning Blog Post can be found in:  "Go Deep: Spiritual Practices for Youth Ministry" Wood Lake Publishing
Doris is the Youth Director for the United Church of Canada in BC.