The Father Is Love. May 13, Luke 15:11 32 Prodigal Son

Transcription

1 May 13, 2018 The Father Is Love DATE PONDER POINT Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Luke 15:11 32 Prodigal Son John 17:3 THE BIG GOD STORY REMEMBER VERSE Welcome and Worship (15 minutes) The large group room will be divided into three sections. Please help kids find which section they should sit in according to their grade: 1st2nd, 3rd-4th & 5th-6th. Toward the end of small group time, A/V Tech will play the 2 minute warning sound followed by a song. During or immediately following the song please regroup in the large group meeting space (not before). 5th & 6th graders can go directly to Snack Shack after small group time, rather than regrouping in the large group space. Begins class creating an inviting atmosphere for kids to feel welcome and engage kids in worship through singing and communion. The Big God Story (18 minutes) Creates space for children to hear God s word and prepare respond to the Holy Spirit in small groups Small Groups (20 minutes) Kids will build relationships with each other and their leaders, and respond to what they learned in the Big God Story as well as how to apply it to their lives Bless & Dismiss (4 minutes) Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. SCHEDULE Large Group Small 2 Min Group Warn. Regroup/ Dismiss 5th-6th 1st Service (9:00) 9:00 9:33 9:53 10:00 2nd Service (10:15) 10:15 10:48 11:08 11:15 3rd Service (11:30) 11:30 12:03 12:23 12:30 Host Administrative To Do s: Make sure no group is too large Make sure each group has enough supplies Close curtains and divider wall for small groups at 9:00 and 10:15 (and re-open after 9:00) Cue the tech when to play the 2 minute warning with song. Call names for dismissal after blessing 1

2 GOAL: Worship & welcome is all about engaging kids and helping them enter into worship, letting them know that class has begun preparing their minds for what they are going to hear. WELCOME (Host): Stage Lights On VIDEO LOOPS: Welcome Loop, 5 Min Countdown, Welcome Image We are so glad you are here today. Welcome the kids in your own words then say the following to the kids: Let s all stand and hear God s word and sing our praise to Him OPENING WORSHIP SONG (Worship Leader): Turn out main overhead lights REMEMBER VERSE VIDEO WORSHIP VIDEO 1: Movin Me WORSHIP VIDEO 2: Because of Your Love (Direct kids to get with their groups and circle up with their small group leader before sitting down) SMALL GROUP CONNECT IMAGE CONNECT QUESTIONS (Host): 4 MINUTE COUNTDOWN VIDEO What is the best food you have ever eaten? What is the grossest food you have ever eaten? Have you ever been so hungry that you were willing to eat food you did not like? What would you do if you had unlimited money? TIMELINE VIDEO (Storyteller) The Big God Story: Point out that what kids are about to hear is true and is recorded in the Bible. Open your Bible to the passage and leave it open and visible throughout The Big God Story. Invite kids to open their Bibles and follow along as you storytell. Children respond to what the Holy Spirit is teaching them as they reflect on the day s portion of The Big God Story. The Prayer of Release: This allows children and leaders to pause, be still, and ask God to quiet their hearts and minds. Before you pray, you might ask the kids to hold out their hands, palms up, in a spirit of releasing their worries and distractions in order to better receive what the Holy Spirit might have for them today. Then encourage the kids to quiet their voices, take a seat, and pray with you. 2

3 The Big God Story: video: Prodigal Son Parable 2min. and 30 seconds paper money ring robe prop box Storyteller Script Every week we get to hear The Big God Story the story of God s love for His people and the way He redeemed us through His Son, Jesus. What did we hear last week about the rich fool? What was that man worried about? Invite responses. Worry can be like a heavy weight. But Jesus is freedom, and He can save us, not just from the sin that separates us from Him but also from the sin that causes us to hold on to the weight of our worries. This is what it s like to live as God s children we re set free, and we re loved by our Father. Let s pause and invite God to teach us today. Lead children in Prayer of Release. Jesus loved using parables to teach His followers truth about God s kingdom. What s a parable? Encourage answers. A parable is a simple story that teaches a deeper spiritual lesson. Jesus parables reveal truth about our heavenly Father. The parable we ll hear today shows us the Father is love. Choose a Volunteer be the Prodigal Son, and have him act out as you tell the story. There once was a man who had two sons whom he loved very much. The youngest son wanted to leave his family and explore the world. Take paper money out of prop box. So he asked his father to give him all the money his father had saved for him. Storyteller gives money to volunteer prodigal son, and he begins stuffing paper money in pockets of pants, shirt, socks, or shoes. Although this made the father sad, he gave his son the money and the son travelled away. Not long after the young man left his father s home, he began to make some bad choices. Have Volunteer take money out of pockets and shoes; toss it to floor behind you. He spent all his money and now he had nothing left. He didn t have anything to eat, to drink, or a place to live. All he could do was find a job feeding pigs! What noises do pigs make? Encourage children to make their best pig noises. What do pigs eat? Allow children to answer. Yes, pigs will eat anything they can find. It wasn t long until the young man became very hungry. He even thought about eating the food the pigs were eating! Eeewww! No one would give him anything to eat. Having a stomach that was empty and growly made the son realize something. Have Volunteer hold tummy, He realized he made some bad choices. He hadn t been living the way his father taught him to live. The young man was very sorry for his choices and wanted to go home. He decided to go back to his father and ask for his forgiveness. So, the young man left the pigs behind and headed home to his father s house. When the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and ran toward him. The father was so happy, he threw his arms around his son! The son told his father how sorry he was. He said, Father, I have sinned against you and against heaven. I m no longer worthy to be called your son. Before the son could say more, the father turned to his servant and said, Quick, bring the best robe and put it on him. Take robe or costume from prop box and put it on volunteer. Put a ring on his finger Put the ring on finger), My son has returned! He lost his way, but now he is found! Then he told his servants to prepare a great big feast a party with lots of yummy food! It was time to celebrate. 3

4 The father loved his son. He knew his son was desperate and alone because of his sin. He also knew his son was sorry and needed forgiveness. So the father forgave him and welcomed him back home, even though his son didn t deserve it. What grace and love! Not everyone was happy though. The older son was angry and complained that he never got anything! But the father is love once again as he responds in verse 31. Read vv My son, the father said, you are always with me. Everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad. This brother of yours was dead. And now he is alive again. He was lost. And now he is found. Let s hear what happened one more time. Tech: Cue Prodigal Son Parable video (2:30) Whom do you think the father represents in this story? What about the son? Encourage answers. Right! The father represents God, and the son represents us. Like the son in the story, we all make choices that cause us to sin and separate us from God the Father. Jesus wanted everyone to know that His Father is love. Our heavenly Father is gracious and forgiving, and He pursues us He runs after us even though we don t deserve it. He created us. We are always His children, and He loves us. This parable reveals the truth of God. God the Father is our Father too. He is love. We can bring all our needs to Him because He longs to forgive us, and care for us. He wants us to be home with Him forever. Share a personal testimony of a time you experienced the Father s love. Tell the kids we are going to close the Big God Story by worshipping him. Ask the kids to wait until they are asked to come forward to take communion. WORSHIP VIDEO 3: Our God After a time of worshipping have kids come and take communion if they have been baptized, and bring their offering. Fade out song slowly at Worship Leader s prompting. (As the song comes to a close Worship Leader tells groups to head to their small group space. Say something like, Let s continue responding to what God is teaching us as we dismiss to our small groups. Please follow your small group leader at this time. ) IMAGE: It s time for small groups Turn main overhead lights on Dismiss for small groups refer to map for small group locations At the end of small groups... Tech cue: 2 minute warning with exit song, using ceiling speakers, at the host s prompting Turn speakers back to wall speakers for blessing, closing song and dismissal. 4

5 GOAL: Kids build relationships with each other and their leader as they respond to what they heard in the Big God Story. Neckties (1-2 grade) SUPPLIES Necktie cutouts (see Resources) Card stock (1 sheet per child) Scissors Markers or colored pencils ENGAGE In the parable of the prodigal son, the father represents our heavenly Father who rejoices when the lost are found. It s a beautiful picture of the Father s love. Today in honor of our Heavenly Father and His great love for us we will create Necktie! When the children arrive, point out the necktie cutouts and other supplies, and encourage each child to decorate a necktie. Encourage the kids to get as detailed and creative as they d like. As kids work on their neck ties use the following discussion questions to engage them in meaningful conversation. Prodigal Son Word Search Game (3-6 grade) SUPPLIES Word search for each child Basket with words to find for word search ENGAGE Pass out the word search to each child. Make them flip their word search over to the blank side. Place the words in the basket in the middle where everyone can reach it. Explain how the game works: each person will take turns drawing a word out of the basket. They will read the word and the class will discuss what that word has to do with the Big God Story. When the discussion is over the teacher will say Go! The kids will then flip their paper over and search for the word, racing each other. Continue having kids take turns with getting words and discussing them until time runs out or all the words are found. BLESSING Close your small group time reading a final scripture and blessing your kids using the Blessing Card from your supply bin in your cart. 5

6 GOAL: Bless kids to send them out with a sense of peace so they can be a blessing to others. CLOSING REMARKS/ANNOUNCEMENTS (Host): Wall Speakers On TRANSITION ACTIVITIES (HOST): Play Regrouping Video Announce the expectations verbally as kids regroup in the large group room Have a seat on the floor Stay seated until your name is called or you see your parents Meet up with your parents and exit the middle door. Play Fun Video: Wins vs. Fails Don t Try This at Home Videos Transition Activity: Worship Lyric Videos - Host should stay on stage as much as possible to watch the room, participate in the videos, talk to kids and reminding kids of dismissal expectations as needed. DISMISSAL (STORYTELLER): Call names of kids as parent come to pick up and welcome kids who are being dropped off. Encourage parents to enter the room and encourage kids and parents to exit out the middle door (103) 6

7 In high school, our girls Bible study planned a trip to New York City to celebrate the year. As the trip approached, our leader asked me, Did you invite Cecilia? She hasn t been to Bible Study in six months, I protested. It doesn t seem like she should get the reward of going. I know, my leader said, but I thought maybe the Lord could use this trip to help her get plugged into the group again. I was silent for a few moments. The older brother from the parable of the prodigal son loomed over me but I didn t want to acknowledge my attitude. It wasn t fair; I hadn t missed Bible study all year! A few years later, I experienced how the younger brother in the parable may have felt. I went through a season of feeling guilty all the time. I was trying so hard to please God but realizing the impossibility of being perfect. It got to the point where I felt guilty if I walked by a piece of trash on the sidewalk without picking it up. In the midst of my striving, the Lord told me, All I want is your heart. You don t have to do anything to please me; I m already pleased with you. I was never the same. Gratefulness for God s love filled my heart. After that, I thought about Cecilia with a new perspective. It s amazing how an encounter with the Father s love can change you. He is love. Kelly Goddard HRock Church In Luke 15, Jesus tells a memorable story that we refer to today as the parable of the prodigal son a story that might better be called the parable of the unloving brother. We can see the specific reason why Jesus tells this parable as we look at the story in context. In the beginning of the chapter, we see tax gatherers and sinners coming to Jesus something that greatly bothered the Pharisees and scribes. Pious Jews didn t have anything to do with these kinds of people. In direct response to the Pharisees unloving attitude, Jesus tells a series of three parables, all of which together point to one clear message: God rejoices when the lost are found. He is love. In the first two stories, we read about a man who loses a sheep and a woman who loses a coin. Both stories end with rejoicing over the lost object being found. This third climactic parable also tells the story of something lost this time, a wayward son who finds his way home, and great rejoicing ensues (by almost everyone). While we can take away many possible applications from such a story, the main point Jesus was making is that God rejoices when the lost are found and wants us to do the same. The end of the story makes this clear as it closes with the father teaching a poignant lesson to his older son, who doesn t rejoice when his brother returns. This lesson points directly at the religious leaders grumbling about Jesus spending time with sinners; it tells the leaders that they should have the same attitude toward the lost. This lesson, from an earthly father, reveals the heart of love our heavenly Father has for His children. God loves it when His children come home. God is love. 7

8 The parable of the prodigal son is one of the most touching stories in Scripture. We can relate to the son in the story because we may know what it s like to have done something wrong and feel absolutely ashamed. We may know what it s like to have a sibling or a friend who appears to be getting more than we feel is deserved, and we may know what it s like to feel wretched and in need of God s total love and forgiveness. Spend some time this week praising the God who offers Himself freely to those who repent and turn to Him. Praise Him for the times He offered you grace and forgiveness, even though you didn t deserve it. Praise Him for the blessings He has given you that are far greater than anything you could have imagined when God forgave you, rejoiced over you, and called you His child. 8