Luke 15:11-32
Jesus told another parable about God’s love. “There was a man who had two sons,” said Jesus. “He owned a big farm.”
“His youngest son did not want to work anymore. He wanted to travel and have fun. So he asked his father for his share of the family money.
“The son got the money. He packed his things and left. He couldn’t wait to see the world! His family was sad to see him go.”
“At first he had fun spending the money. He bought expensive clothes, and he ate fancy food. But soon all the money was gone.”
“He had to go to work and he got a job with a pig farmer. He was so hungry that even the pigs’ food looked good. The son wanted to go back home. He said, “I will tell my father I am sorry for what I have done. I do not deserve to be called his son. Maybe he will let me work for him.’”
“The father saw his son coming down the road. His eyes filled with tears as he ran to greet him.”
“The son said, “Please forgive me, Dad.” That night, they had a big party. The father explained, “My son was lost, but now he’s found.”
Jesus explained his story. “God is like this father. He is full of love and joy when people who are lost come back to him.”
Discussion Questions
- How many sons did the farmer have? two
- Who wanted to leave the farm?The youngest son wanted to leave.
- Why did he leave? He didn’t want to work anymore so he took his portion of the family money and left.
- Did the money run out? Yes and when it did he began working on a pig farm. He was sad and hungry.
- The youngest son soon realized that he wanted to return home. What the father happy to see him? Yes, very happy!
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for loving us after we have turned to sin instead of you. It is a blessing to know you are always there for us. Amen
Memory Verses
“‘Love your neighbor as yourself” Leviticus 19:18
Invitations to the Feast
Materials needed: white paper, watercolor paint, brushes, cups of water
The children paint the paper in any designs they want.
Tell them they are making invitations to the feast the father had when his son returned.
Fixing Mistakes
Give each child some play dough to use while you talk with them. Talk about mistakes. Tell them we all make 5mistakes. Provide an example of a mistake.
Make a sculpture of one (perhaps a lamp you've broken). "Break" the lamp and show them that you have broken it and tell your story.
Fix your sculpture. Talk to the children about forgiveness. That although sometimes we can not fix mistakes, we can ask for forgiveness and that our heavenly Father wants us to come to Him, even with our mistakes.
