Luke 15:11-32 Father’s Day
God is Our Father
HOOK:
Bring in a bowl of pet food (whatever you have: dog, cat, gerbil, rabbit, snake food) and some kind of snack cake (Hostess, Drakes) or any kind or delicious dessert that kids like. Without saying anything about what’s in the dishes, put them out before the children and ask them which one they want for snack today. Take a count of how many want “choice A or choice B” and then ask them why they chose the one they did. You can now tell them what kind of pet food was in the dish, and then tell them that we are going to hear a Bible story about a person who was so hungry that he would have eaten pig’s food if someone had given it to him. (If you would like, you can bring in enough of the treat for everyone to have one, or you can say, “Well, we’re not having either of these for snack today, but whatever treat we are served will be yummy!! (NOT pet food!).”
BOOK: Luke 15:11-32
Jesus was always teaching the people about God and telling them stories to make it easier for them to understand. A story that teaches something is called a parable. One of the stories Jesus told was about a son and his father.
There was a young man who asked his father for the money that he had set aside for him. The father did not want his son to waste the money, or leave his home because he loved his son and didn’t want anything bad to happen to him. But the son got his way and went far away from home and lived a wild life. Then one day, he realized that all of his money was gone. He couldn’t even buy food. He had to get a job. His job was a dirty job that only servants did. He had to feed pigs. He was sooo hungry, that he would have eaten the food the pigs were eating if anybody would give him any. But then he realized that even the servants in his father’s house had enough food, and here he was starving to death! So he decided to go back to his father’s house and tell him that he was sorry and ask for forgiveness from his father and from God. As he was travelling home, his father saw him off in the distance and ran to him and threw his arms around him. He was so happy to see him that he threw him a party, put a gold ring on his finger and gave him new clothes. The man was so happy that his son came back and he told everyone!!
LOOK:
The boy who left his father’s home and wasted all his money didn’t do the right thing. But even though he turned away from his father, left home and did a lot of bad things, his father was still happy to see him. The father forgave his son and took him into his home and celebrated that his son was safe and back in the family.
TOOK:
How would you feel if you had to eat dog food or pig food because you were so hungry? That would be pretty disgusting. What if you did something bad, and when you sat down at the dinner table, your mother served you dog food, but gave your brother/sister a nice meal of __________ because you were naughty during the day? That would make you feel very unloved, wouldn’t it? Your Mommy and Daddy love you very much. Even if you do naughty things or don’t treat your family right, they still love you. They may not be happy that you are being naughty, but they still love you and take care of you. It’s the same way with God. God will never stop loving you! He will forgive you for the bad things you do when you ask Him, and He will always be your Heavenly Father. The man in the story (parable) was so happy to see his son (even though the son did bad things) that he threw a party for him, gave him new clothes and a special ring. It’s the same way with God. He is always there to forgive you, love you and be your Father.
MEMORY VERSE:
“. . .God is the father of all who believe. . . ” Romans 4:11
CLOSING PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank you for your love and that once we’re your child, that will never change. Help us to make you happy and to ask for forgiveness when we make mistakes. Thank you for being our Loving Heavenly Father. In Jesus’ Name, AMEN!!
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