Scripture: Luke 15: 11-32
Memory
Verse: “Be kind
and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.” Ephesians 4:32 (CEV)
Offering: Boys and Girls
Club
Concepts:
·
God loves us
always, even when we do wrong things.
·
God forgives us
when we ask.
·
Making bad
choices can hurt you and others.
·
God doesn’t want
us to be jealous even when things don’t seem fair.
·
God wants us to
be thankful for what we have.
Objectives:
1. Older children will locate the story of the Prodigal
Son in their Bibles. Younger children will learn that the story is in Luke.
2.
The children will
play a game to reinforce their knowledge of the story’s details.
3.
The children will
be able to define a parable as a story told by Jesus to teach his listeners
something.
4. The children will understand that the Prodigal Son is
a parable told by Jesus to teach his listeners about God’s love and
forgiveness.
Procedure:
Welcome and Introductions:
1. Greet the children and introduce yourself. Wear your name tag. Make sure the children
are wearing name tags. If not, ask the shepherd to supply a temporary badge.
Remember you are interacting with a different group of students each week who
may not know you.
2.
Open with a brief
prayer (optional, as they have just prayed in Great Hall).
3.
Explain the
purpose of this workshop. Today we’ll
play a game to see how well you know the story of the Prodigal Son.
Scripture/Bible Story:
Be sure to call this the
story of the Prodigal Son. The kids need to recognize the name when they hear
the story referred to elsewhere. Be prepared to define “prodigal” if anyone
asks (extravagant, wasteful, and reckless).
1.
Grades 1-2 will
not use Bibles, but do open yours to show them where the story is located. For
grades 3-5, make sure everybody has a Bible. There are extra Bibles in the
room. Help the students to find the book of Luke. Get the shepherds to go
around the room and help with this.
2.
If necessary,
review the organization of the Bible: The Bible is divided into two big parts,
the Old and New Testaments. Each part is made up of books, which are divided
into chapters and verses. Remind them that the first four books of the NT are
the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. Show them that if they open their Bible
in the middle, they’ll usually land in the book of Psalms in the OT. Point out
that the book name is at the top of each page. After finding Psalms, if they
then take the pages on the right side and divide them in half, they’ll land
somewhere in one of the four gospels From that point they can find Luke.
3.
After
they’ve found Luke, help them find chapter 15, then verse 11. Some of the
children will confuse chapters and verses. Show them that chapter numbers are
the big ones, and also are at top of every page.
4.
Emphasize that
this is a parable – a story told by Jesus to teach people something about God
or about how God wants us to live.
5.
Read the story from
the CEV or review it using the summary below as a guide. Either way, be dramatic!
Unless this is the first Sunday of the rotation, let the children help you tell
the story. This will give you an idea of how much they already know.
6.
If you can draw
recognizable pictures, here’s a suggestion for helping first- and second-graders
remember the details: While telling the story, hold up single-picture flash
cards – a pig when the son feeds the pigs, a ring when the father gives the son
a ring, etc.
7.
Ideas for
reviewing the story in later weeks:
Story Summary
Tax collectors and
other disreputable people were crowding around to listen to Jesus. The
Pharisees (devout Jews who followed the law very closely) and teachers of
Jewish law started grumbling, "This man is friendly with sinners. He even
eats with them." So Jesus told this story:
Once a man had two sons. The younger son said to his
father, "Give me my inheritance now.” So the father divided his property
between his two sons.
The younger son packed up everything he owned and left
for a foreign country, where he wasted all his money in wild living. After he had
spent everything, a bad famine spread through that whole land. Soon he had
nothing to eat.
He went to work for a man in that country, and the man
sent him out to take care of his pigs. (Feeding
pigs would be the lowest, most despicable job for a Jew. Pigs were considered
unclean under Jewish law.) He would have been glad to eat what the pigs
were eating, but no one gave him a thing. Finally, he came to his senses and
said, "My father's workers have plenty to eat, and here I am, starving to
death! I will go home and say, `Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and
against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your son. Treat me like
one of your workers.' "
The younger son started back to his father. But when
he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran
to his son and hugged and kissed him.
The son said, "Father, I have sinned against God
in heaven and against you. I am no longer good enough to be called your
son."
But his father said to the servants, "Hurry and
bring the best clothes and put them on him. Give him a ring for his finger and
sandals for his feet. Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and
celebrate. This son of mine was dead, but has come back to life. He was lost
and has now been found." And they began to celebrate.
The older son had been out in the field. But when he came
near the house, he heard the music and dancing. So he asked one of the
servants, "What's going on here?"
The servant answered, "Your brother has come home
safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf." The
older brother got so angry that he would not even go into the house.
His father came out and begged him to go in. But the
older son said to his father, "For years I have worked for you like a
slave and I have always obeyed you. But you have never even given me a little
goat, so that I could give a dinner for my friends. This other son of yours wasted
your money. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be
killed for a feast."
His father replied, "My son, you are always with
me, and everything I have is yours. But we should be glad and celebrate! Your
brother was dead, but he is now alive. He was lost and has now been
found."
Application:
1. Divide the class into several teams of three to five
players (you might call them the Scribes, the Pharisees, the Prodigals, the
Older Brothers, etc.). The teams will take turns spinning the game wheel and
answering questions about the scripture. Have the shepherd keep score on the
white board.
2. Line the teams up and let the first person in line for
the team spin and answer a question. Let him consult his team if needed, but he
is the only one who can give the answer. If he answers correctly, award his
team the number of points he spun for. No points for a wrong answer.
See end of lesson plan for
questions. Feel free to improve the questions or add some of your own.
Grades 1-2: Use the multiple-choice answers provided with the
questions. A few questions, especially those near the end of the list, are
fairly difficult or involve interpretation. You might decide not to include them
for the younger children.
Grades
3-5: Give the team a chance to answer
the question, but offer multiple choices if they’re stumped. If the class seems
to already know the story well, you can mix up the order of the questions. You
might add some open-ended questions that don’t have a right or wrong answer:
What better decision could the younger son have made? Who in the story is your
favorite character and why? Etc. Award points for any reasonable answer.
3. After his turn, the player goes to the end of his
team’s line. Go to the next team and continue until everyone has had a turn.
4. Alternatives:
Reflection Time: (10:30)
Gather
the children in a circle and discuss:
Remember
that the Prodigal Son is a parable, a story that Jesus told to teach his
listeners something. Who do you think the father in the story is like? God
I wonder how the father
is like God. He loves his son even when
the son does wrong things. God also loves us always, even when we do wrong
things.
The younger son in
the story thought he didn’t need his father, and went his own way. I wonder if
we ever act that way toward God. What are some things we do when we wander away
from God? Accept all reasonable answers
but include making bad choices, treating other people badly, being ungrateful
for the things we have. Making bad choices can hurt you and others.
When the younger
son realized how wrong he had been, what did he do? He told his father how wrong he had been and how sorry he was. What
does this tell us that we should do when we are in the wrong? Ask God for forgiveness. God forgives us
when we ask.
Why was the older
brother upset? He had done everything
right, and thought he deserved the fine treatment that his brother was getting.
Do you ever feel that things aren’t fair, because somebody else is getting
something that you deserve more? Suppose you know somebody you think has been
living a very bad life, and they feel sorry and ask God for forgiveness. I
wonder how God wants us to treat that person? Accept all reasonable answers but include, God doesn’t want us to be
jealous even when things don’t seem fair, and God wants us to be thankful for
what we have. We should forgive others the way God forgives us.
Recite
the Bible memory verse learned in the Great Hall. “Be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you
because of Christ.” Ephesians 4:32
Journals (10:35):
Pass out the journal pages and ask
the shepherds to pass out pencils/markers. Optional: Give the children a
sticker or some other memento to paste in their journal as a reminder of the
workshop. Read the prompt out loud and offer suggestions if needed. Grades 1-2:
Make sure they know the meaning of the words such as repentance. Grades 3-5:
There are no wrong answers to the questions; the purpose is to think about the
point of view and emotions of each character. If you are short of time,
encourage them to answer the last questions (about themselves) first.
Those who finish early can turn the page over and do
the activity on the back.
At 10:45 ask the students put away their
pencils/markers and sit quietly.
Encourage the children to bring an offering next week. Remind them that
the offering from this rotation will go to the Boys and Girls Club.
Prayer (suggestion): Thank you, God, for your constant love and
forgiveness. Help us to love others the way you do. Amen.
Tidy and Dismissal: Ask the children to help collect Bibles, pencils, etc.
When the room is tidy, dismiss the class.
Teacher preparation in
advance:
1. Read the scripture passages and attend the
Faith Quest Leaders Bible Study.
2. Prepare opening and closing prayers.
3. Room set-up (must wait until after
4. Optional: Bring a CD or taped music for background music while you are
gathering, meditative music for Reflection time. A boom box is located in the
Puppet workshop cabinet.
5.
Display the
memory verse in the room.
Supply List
Extra Bibles
Dry-erase marker (in supply
bin)
Timer (in supply bin)
Pencils (in supply bin; the
shepherds also have pencils)
Journal pages
References
Desoto Presbyterian Church,
Dallas. “The Prodigal Son.” http://rotation.infopop.cc/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/3126088121/m/6126088121
Storytelling ideas:
http://www.dennisdewey.org/Dennis8.htm
Questions for game
In the parable, how many sons
did the man have? (2)
Which son (older or younger)
went away? (younger)
Before he went away, what did
the son ask his father to do?
A. Give him a ring and a robe.
B. Give him his inheritance.
C. Throw him a party.
After the son got his share
of his father’s property, where did he go?
A. To a faraway country.
B. To
C. To
What did the son do with his
inheritance money?
A. Bought himself a farm.
B. Gave it all to the poor.
C. Wasted it.
What happened to make food
scarce where the younger son was?
A. There was a shortage of
pigs.
B. There was a famine.
C. The king took all the food
for himself.
After he ran out of money,
what job did the younger son take?
A. feeding pigs.
B. working in the fields.
C. cooking calves.
What was so terrible about a
young Jewish man tending pigs?
A. Jews thought pigs were too
ugly to touch.
B. Jews thought pigs were too
tacky to talk about.
C. Jews considered pigs to be unclean; eating them was forbidden under
Jewish law.
Why did the son decide to
return home?
A. He was homesick and missed
his brother.
B. He was starving.
C. He wanted to be there for
his father’s birthday party.
What did the son plan to say
to his father when he returned home?
A. I am not worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your
servants.
B. I am not worthy to be
called your son; treat me like one of your fatted calves.
C. I am not worthy to be
called your son; treat me like my older brother.
When the father saw the son
coming home, what did he do?
A. got on his horse and rode
to meet him.
B. ran to meet him, hugged and kissed him.
C. called the boy’s mother to
come and see him.
Which of these things did the
father give the son when he returned home?
A. a clean shirt.
B. a gold watch.
C. a robe.
Which of these things did the
father give the son when he returned home?
A. a medallion to hang around
his neck.
B. a ring.
C. a silk scarf.
Which of these things did the
father give the son when he returned home?
A. sandals.
B. money to replace what the
son had wasted.
C. a gold cross necklace.
What animal was killed to prepare
a feast for the returning son?
A. a pig.
B. a calf.
C. a kid.
Where was the older son when
his brother came home?
A. in the house.
B. at his friend’s house.
C. out in the field.
What was the first clue the
older son had that his brother had come home?
A. he heard his father
yelling.
B. he heard music and dancing.
C. he saw his father running
to meet his brother.
What did the older brother do
when he heard music and dancing?
A. asked a servant what was going on.
B. went in the house to find
out what was going on.
C. asked his father what was
going on.
How did the older son react
to the return of his brother?
A. he was happy and wanted to
celebrate.
B. he was angry and jealous.
C. he didn’t care.
How did the older son react
to the celebration feast?
A. he ran to help cook the
calf.
B. he ran to join the party.
C. he refused to go inside.
What did the father do when
he saw that the older son refused to come inside?
A. Shrugged and said, “Too
bad.”
B. Went out to talk to him.
C. Told him to come inside or
else.
What did the older son say he
had been doing the years while his brother was away?
A. serving and obeying his father.
B. spending his own
inheritance wisely.
C. taking good care of his
mother.
What animal did the elder son
wish he had been given to share with his friends?
A. a pig.
B. a goat.
C. a lamb.
What did the father say ABOUT
the older brother?
A. I love your brother the
most.
B. I love you the most.
C. You are always with me, and all that I have is yours.
What did the father say ABOUT
the younger brother?
A. Your problems are your own
fault.
B. My son was dead and is alive again, he was lost and
is found.
C. I love you more than your
brother.
Who told this story?
A. Jesus.
B. A Pharisee.
C. The older brother.
To whom was Jesus talking
when he told this story?
A. his disciples.
B. some scribes and Pharisees.
C. the two brothers.
What is a parable?
A. a story that teaches something about God.
B. a story with a happy
ending.
C. a story with a surprise
ending.
Which person in the story is
like God?
A. The older brother.
B. The father.
C. The servant.
What was a Pharisee?
A.
a government
official.
B.
a Jewish police
officer.
C.
a devout Jew who followed the law very carefully.
Jesus told this story to a
group of Pharisees. Who in the story was most like the Pharisees?
A. The father.
B. The younger brother.
C. The older brother.
What book of the Bible tells
the story of the Prodigal Son?
A. Matthew
B. Mark
C. Luke
Is the story of the prodigal
son in the Old or the New Testament? (New)
What is the Bible memory
verse you learned in the Great Hall?
A. “The Lord is my shepherd,
I shall not want".
B. “Be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you
because of Christ.”
C. “For God so loved the
world that he gave his only son...”