Materials
27
SUGGESTED SEQUENCE
Two Sons and a Father
LESSON TITLE
Luke 15:11-32, Ephesians 4:32
WHERE TO FIND IT
Tip
Today’s experience focuses on the story typically called “The Prodigal Son,” but we’ll explore what both brothers did wrong. Ultimately, the goal is for kids to see that God is a loving father and loves us unconditionally, like the father in the story.
Note
Kids could have a hard time with the word “repent.” Try focusing more on examples than having kids understand the exact meaning.
Slide 1
Note: Give kids some free play time at the beginning. You could have some Kids Club music on in the background. Check out http://crossroadskidsclub.net/music/ for plenty of music!
Slide 2
Connect Activity:
Stationary Hide and Seek
Say: Most of you have probably played hide and seek, but you might not have played the way we will today.
Here are the rules:
Note: This version of hide and seek works better in a small space than the traditional version. If you’re playing in a larger space, consider setting boundaries.
Do: Play the game. Play for around ten minutes.
Slide 3
Ask: Usually, when you play hide and seek, what does the seeker do? (They go look for the other people).
Ask: What did the seeker do in our game? (They stayed in one place)
Say: This reminds me of a story from the Bible. The story is a special kind of story called a Parable. A parable is a story Jesus told to teach people.
Slide 4
Say: Our story is about two brothers and their father. You’ll see in the story that one brother decides to basically run away with his dad’s money. Like the seeker in our game, his dad stayed, but was always looking for his son to come home. The other brother stayed home and continued to work with his dad. He actually ended up making his dad sad, too.
Slide 5
Say: As you watch the video, pay attention to how both brothers made their father sad.
Do: Play video.
Slide 6
Ask: So why did the younger son make his dad sad? (Let kids respond: He sinned/made wrong choices, ran away from his father, lived wildly, etc.)
Say: That’s right, the younger son made a lot of wrong choices. He didn’t even care about getting close to his dad.
Slide 9
Say: In fact, the dad was so excited he threw a party!
Connect Activity: Throwing a Party
Say: We’re going to play a game. We’ll take turns telling what we would bring to the party from the story, but the catch is we are going to start with the letter A and then keep going through the alphabet.
Slide 10
Ask: So let’s think…who could the dad in the parable represent? (Let kids say: God)
Ask:Yep, God! And do you think the brothers are like anybody we know? (Let kids say: Us.)
Say: That’s right, US. This whole story is all about how much God loves us even when, like the sons, we make wrong choices.
Ask: Remember how the younger son ran away and made some pretty bad choices? And the older son wasn’t very loving?
Say: Well we’re kind of like those sons. We make wrong choices, and when we do that, we turn away from God, and aren’t close to him anymore.
Slide 7
Say: Now it might seem strange, but even though the older son followed all the rules, he also made his dad sad. Ask: Do you remember why? (Let kids respond.)
Say: Yep, he didn’t show love to his brother. He wanted his brother to get punished, and didn’t understand why his dad was happy.
Ask: Is that a loving thing to do? (Let kids respond.) Nope.
Slide 8
Say: Even though both of the boys made bad choices, their dad still loved them. While the younger son was was still in the distance, his father RAN up to him and KISSED him!
Slide 11
Say: But no matter what we’ve done, God will always welcome us with open arms, just like the dad did. He’ll celebrate us, and be so glad that we chose to come back to him! And because he’ll always welcome us back, we can turn away from our wrong choices.
Slide 12
Say: When we turn away from our wrong choices, that’s called “repenting,” which means saying “sorry” and going back to God.
Say: Now remember, we don’t have to stay turned away forever. Just like the younger brother could come home, even after making some wrong choices, you can repent and get close to God again. So right now, let’s all say, “God, I repent!” (Let kids respond.) Great job!
Slide 13
Ephesians 4:32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Ask: Since Jesus gave his life for us, and forgives us of every wrong choice we make, WE we can forgive others, and show kindness to them, just like Jesus did for us.
Slide 19
Connect Activity: Repent Balloons
Say: I’m going to give everyone a sheet of paper. Draw a picture of a balloon on the sheet of paper. Remember that the dad (and God) just wanted his sons (and us) to love him back. How can WE show God we love him? (Ideas on next page if kids need help.)
Write or draw one way you can show God you love him on the back (or front) of the balloon.
Review the Story
Slide 14
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Slide 16
Slide 17
Slide 18