A Father Welcomes His Son Home Lesson 11 Bible Point God loves us, no matter what. Bible Verse And may you have the power to understand, as all God s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is (Ephesians 3:18). Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n find out that everyone sins and makes wrong choices; n discover from the story of the prodigal son that God is always willing to forgive; and n see that God s love is wide, high, deep, and long. Teacher Enrichment The Bible Basis n A father welcomes his son home. Luke 15:11-32 The young son s request for his share of the inheritance shows that his heart was no longer with his father but on all that freedom had to offer. Jewish law, however, did not allow a person to sell his father s land inheritance because it had been given by God. So in asking his father to give him the land early, the younger son was breaking the law. Since that must have been what the son did, the Jews listening to this story would have been appalled. The next part of the story isn t hard to predict. The son foolishly spent his money and was left with nothing. At that point, the son decided to return to his father, hoping to simply become a hired hand. The son was pretty sure he had lost his right to be the father s son. Because a family would not normally forgive a son for such a sin, Jesus listeners would have been extremely surprised and angry to hear that the man ran out to meet his returning son. Wealthy landowners did not go out to meet anyone ; servants did that. And a man of stature would not have run anywhere because to do so he would have to lift the bottom of his long robe, improperly exposing his ankles. The father s kisses symbolized the forgiveness he offered his son even before the son uttered his confession. Even though the son had turned away, sinned willfully, and disgraced the family name, the father was waiting to forgive his son and save him from the death he deserved. What a wonderful picture of God, who watchfully waits, ready to forgive us when we return to him in repentance! Prayer God shows us his amazing love in Romans 8:38-39 and Ephesians 3:18-19. In what ways does God show his love and grace to you? How can you mirror that grace to others like the father in this parable? Pray: Father, thank you for running to meet me and accepting me into your loving arms. Help me mirror your love... 131
Lesson 11 Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God's direction in teaching the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance What Children Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Welcome Welcome! Receive a warm welcome from the teacher, and make name tags. Attention Grabber Unconditional Gravity Experiment with gravity and learn that God s love, like gravity, is always there. Family Name Tags (p. 128), markers, scissors, tape or safety pins Paper Object Lessons Bible Exploration & Application Service Closing The Son Who Messed Up Learn about the prodigal son from the story in Luke 15:11-32, and find that because God loves them, God is always ready to forgive them. Love That Never Ends Name wrong things kids do, and learn from Romans 8:38-39 that nothing can separate them from God s love. Wide, Long, High, and Deep Create a giant sculpture representing God s love, and learn from Ephesians 3:18-19 that God s love is high, wide, deep, and long. Forgiving Families Pray that God will help them be forgiving. Bible Bibles, red tempera paint, paint dishes, paintbrushes, white paper, white crayons, magnetic and nonmagnetic items Bible, old newspapers, masking tape, marker, CD player 132
A Father Welcomes His Son Home Welcome SUPPLIES: Family Name Tags (p. 128), scissors, markers, tape or safety pins Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. Thank each child for coming to class today. As children arrive, ask them about last week s lesson and Growing Together discussion. Use questions such as How are your parents showing you love when they feed you healthy meals? and How did you care for a family member last week? Say: Today we re going to learn that God loves us, no matter what. Hand out the name tags children made during Lesson 10, and help them attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if children weren t in class previously, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. Tell children that the signal you ll use during this lesson is clicking the creature clicker three times. Ask children to respond by snapping their fingers three times as they stop talking and focus their attention on you. Rehearse the signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so they ll have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. Attention Grabber n Unconditional Gravity SUPPLIES: paper Before class, inflate the inflatable hand and set it aside. As kids arrive, give each child one linking heart or star and a piece of paper. Say to each child: Find a partner, and do an experiment to see whose linking heart or star falls the fastest. Then do another experiment to see whose paper falls the fastest. When all the kids have arrived, gather kids and ask: How fast did your heart or star fall compared to your partner s? (They fell the same speed; mine fell a little faster; my partner s always beat mine.) How fast or slow did your paper fall compared to your partner s? (Mine was faster; it kept changing; sometimes it was fast, sometimes it was slow.) Can you think of anything that won t fall at all? (A balloon; an airplane.) Say: Let s make paper airplanes out of our pieces of paper. We re going to do another experiment to see how the airplane will fall. Help children make a simple paper airplane, using the steps in the margin. When kids have finished, have them work in their pairs to throw one airplane and drop a linking heart or star at the same time. Give kids a minute to experiment, and then ask: Why do you think the hearts and stars fell faster? (They are heavier; we didn t throw them like we did the airplanes.) Why do you think the airplanes still fell, even though we threw them? (They slowed down; everything falls.) Object Lessons 133
Lesson 11 Hold up the bead ball and the inflatable hand. Ask: Which of these, the smaller bead ball or the larger inflatable hand, will fall fastest? Why? (The hand will because it s bigger; the ball will because it s heavier; they ll fall the same.) Drop the two objects at the same time. You may want to perform the experiment a few times to show kids that the ball will always fall the fastest. Ask: Why did the ball always hit the floor first? (It s smaller; it s heavier; it s not filled with air like the inflatable hand.) Why do you think things always fall, no matter what? (They are pulled by gravity; everything falls; they are heavy.) Say: Gravity is a force that pulls everything to the ground. Even balloons and airplanes eventually make it back to the ground. Gravity is unconditional. That means that no matter what, it will always pull us down. Ask: What other things can you think of that are unconditional, meaning they will always happen? (I will always wake up in the morning; the sun will always rise; my mom will always love me.) Say: Those are all great ideas of something that s unconditional. But I have another thing that s unconditional God s love is always there. God loves us, no matter what. We like to say God shows us unconditional love. We sometimes make bad choices and sin against God, but no matter what we do, God still loves us. The young son in our story made some bad choices and sinned against his father and against God. But his father still loved him, no matter how bad and hurtful his choices were. Return the inflatable hand, linking hearts and stars, and bead ball to the Learning Lab for future use. You may want to give a copy of the story to an outgoing student who s a good reader to lead the actions as you read the story. Bible Insight The parable of the prodigal son is recorded only in the book of Luke. The chapter begins with the grumbling of the Pharisees, and the three parables that follow (the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son) all reflect God s love toward sinners, a concept not considered by the privileged Pharisees. Bible Exploration & Application n The Son Who Messed Up SUPPLIES: Bible Open your Bible to Luke 15:11-32, and show the passage to the children. Say: Follow my actions as I tell today s story. Have children follow the actions inserted in the story. Say: There was a father who had two sons. (Hold up two fingers.) The youngest son decided he was tired of living at home. So one day he said to his father, Dad, I m outta here. Give me my share of your money. (Hold out your hand as if asking for money.) The father sadly gave him the money (pretend to put the money in your pocket), and the son packed up all his belongings (pretend to pack) and all his money and went to a faraway country. (Slap your legs to make walking sounds.) There he wasted his money by living foolishly. Ask: What kinds of foolish things might he have spent his money on? (Parties; junk food; toys; having a good time.) Say: When all his money was gone, a time came when there was no food 134
in the country. The young man was poor and hungry. He got a job feeding pigs. (Make pig noises.) That was about the dirtiest job anybody could have. Pigs were fed scraps that people didn t want to eat. Ask: What do you think it was like to work in a pigpen? (Yucky; terrible; the grossest thing ever.) Say: The son was so hungry that he even wished he could eat the pigs food. But no one gave him any of the food. Let s make noises like the ones his stomach must have made. (Pause for stomach-growling noises.) The son thought, Every one of my father s servants always has enough to eat. But I m almost dying of hunger. I ll leave and travel back to my father s house as quickly as possible. I ll say to him, Father, I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. The things I ve done are so bad that you shouldn t even call me your son anymore. Please at least give me a job as one of your servants. (Hang your head in sorrow.) So the son quit his job and hurried back home. Let s make running sounds to show how fast he traveled home. (Slap your legs quickly.) The father stood looking off in the distance. (Shield your eyes and look into the distance.) When the son was still a long way off, the father saw him and felt sorry for him. He ran out to meet his son. He hugged his son and kissed him because he was so excited to see his son. (Slap your legs quickly; then hug yourself.) The son said, Father, I ve wronged you and sinned against God. I m not good enough to be called your son. (Hang your head in sadness.) But the father said to his servants, Hurry and bring the best clothes for my son to wear. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. We ll have a feast for dinner. My son was lost to me, but now he s found. It is as if he was dead and now he s alive again. (Clap and cheer.) The older son was out in the field, and as he came close to the house, he heard music and dancing. When he found out what had happened, he was angry. (Make an angry face.) He said to his father, I ve been a faithful son to you. I ve worked hard for you and served you for many years. You never gave me a feast like this. But your other son wasted all your money, and you re throwing a big party for him. It s not fair! (Stomp your feet as if throwing a tantrum.) The father said to him, Son, you are always with me. Everything I own belongs to you. (Extend your hands as if giving something away.) But we have to celebrate and be happy because your brother was lost but now he s found. (Clap and cheer.) Ask: Were you surprised that the father was so glad to see his son? (No, fathers are supposed to forgive their sons; yes, I thought the father would punish the son for leaving; no, I knew the father loved his son.) The son deserved to be punished for wasting all his money on foolish things. Why do you think the father hugged and kissed him? (Because he missed his son; because he forgave him; because he loved him.) How do you think the son felt when his father accepted him? Why? (He was surprised because he didn t deserve it; he was glad because he knew his father loved him.) Have you ever been forgiven when you deserved to be punished? Tell us about it. (Once I broke a plate, but my mom said it was OK; once I lied about something, but when I told my dad, he forgave me.) A Father Welcomes His Son Home 135
Lesson 11 How do you feel when you are forgiven for something you did wrong? (I don t like being punished, so I m happy when I m forgiven; it makes me feel so much better.) Say: The young son in this story made bad choices and sinned against God and against his father. But his father still loved him. All of us sin and make wrong choices. When we do, it makes God sad. But God is like the father in the story. God loves us, no matter what. And no matter what we do, God is willing to forgive us. Object Lessons WARNING! This activity uses magnets. Swallowed magnets can attract each other through opposing intestine walls, causing serious infection or even death. Seek immediate medical attention if magnets are swallowed or inhaled. n Love That Never Ends SUPPLIES: Bibles, red tempera paint, paint dishes, paintbrushes, white paper, white crayons, magnetic and nonmagnetic items Have kids form a circle around a variety of magnetic and nonmagnetic items. Hold the magnets. Say: Just as the son in our story made his father sad, sometimes we do wrong things that make God sad. We call those wrong things sins. When we sin, we are doing something that God doesn t want us to do, such as lying or hurting someone. We try to do what s expected of us, but sometimes we fall short. It s kind of like these magnets. Magnets don t always do what we expect them to do. They don t always attract to things we expect them to. Demonstrate this idea with an item that might appear to have magnetic qualities, such as a piece of silver or gold jewelry. Then let students take turns with the magnets, choosing an item that may or may not have magnetic qualities. When everyone has had a chance to try, retrieve the magnets and return them to the Learning Lab. Ask: Did the magnets always do what you wanted or expected them to do? (No, they weren t attracted to this chain like I thought; I was usually right.) What kinds of things do we sometimes do that God doesn t want us to do? (We get into fights; sometimes we lie or say bad things.) In the same way the magnets didn t always do what we wanted them or expected them to do, we don t always do what God wants us to do. How do you think that feels to God? (He s sad; it hurts his feelings.) Why does God still love us when we ve done wrong? (We are his children; he loves us no matter what we do.) Say: When we sin, we re not doing what God wants us to or behaving the way God expects us to. But God still loves us, no matter what. Help kids find Romans 8:38-39, and ask a volunteer to read the passage aloud. Then ask: What do these verses tell us about God s love? (Nothing can separate us from it; even angels can t separate us from it; God will always love us, no matter what.) Say: I ll read these verses once more. This time, try to remember all the things mentioned that can t separate us from God s love. Read Romans 8:38-39 once more. Then ask: Who can tell me what things can t separate us from God s love? (Death; life; angels; demons; things in the present and future; powers; things above and below us; anything else in the whole world.) 136
Say: Wow! That s quite a list. Ask: Do you think any of the sins we mentioned earlier could separate us from God s love? Why or why not? (Yes, because God hates sin; no, because God will always forgive us.) A Father Welcomes His Son Home Say: God is sad when we do wrong. But that doesn t mean he stops loving us. Nothing can ever make God stop loving us. And he ll always forgive us when we re sorry and we ask for forgiveness, no matter what sins we commit. He forgives us because he sent his Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. We don t have to pay the consequences or face the punishment for our sins because Jesus already did. Give each child a piece of white paper. Ask children to use white crayons to each draw a thick cross on their papers. As kids are drawing, pour red tempera paint into paint dishes, and distribute paintbrushes and the poured paint. Say: Jesus was perfect when he died on the cross. We are not perfect because we have made bad choices. But Jesus took our sins away from us when he died on the cross. As you cover your paper with red paint, think about your sins and ask God to forgive you. As kids cover their papers with red paint, the paint will color the paper but will not stick to the cross. Ask: How is this picture like Jesus forgiving us? (The sins don t stick to us like the paint doesn t stick; Jesus died on a cross so we can be forgiven.) Why did Jesus choose to die on the cross for us? (Because he loves us; because he wants to be with us forever in heaven.) Ask for some volunteers to help you clean up the paint and paintbrushes. Give each child a piece of red construction paper. Show kids how to fold the paper in half lengthwise and cut a heart out of it. As kids list the things that can t separate us from God s love, have them write or draw those things on their hearts. Remind kids to take their hearts home and look at them each day to remember how much God loves them. Have kids form a circle. Hand the plush heart to someone. Say: We re going to pass this heart around the circle. As you pass it to your neighbor, say his or her name and say, God loves [person s name], no matter what. At the conclusion of the affirmation, put the plush heart away. n Wide, Long, High, and Deep SUPPLIES: Bible, old newspapers, masking tape, marker, CD player Have kids form two groups, and have them sit in two lines facing track 13 each other. Give the person closest to you in each line a stack of old newspapers. Give the person on the other end of each line a roll of masking tape. You ll need a marker. Say: Let s create a huge sculpture that helps us see how big God s love really is. Before we begin, listen to what the Bible says about God s love. Read Ephesians 3:18, emphasizing the words wide, long, high, and deep: And may you have the power to understand, as all God s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. Each group will take a turn calling out ways God shows his love to us. For example, you might say, my family or Jesus or forgiveness. The people beside me will take turns handing me sheets of newspaper. When 137
Lesson 11 you call out something, I ll quickly write it on newspaper and then pass it to your line. You ll crumple the paper as you pass it down the line. Then the last people in line will work together to tape all the crumpled paper together in one large sculpture. Let s see how huge a sculpture we can creatively make. Work as fast as you can for up to five minutes to make the sculpture as big as possible. If the children have trouble thinking of ideas, call out some yourself to get them started. Ideas might include food, parents, friends, a house, or our country. Congratulate the children on their fast, creative work. Then say: Look at the size of this sculpture! We only worked on this sculpture for a few minutes, and look how big it is. God has been doing loving things for thousands and thousands of years. Ask: If we made a sculpture that showed all of the loving things God has done, how big would it be? (Bigger than a skyscraper; bigger than the universe.) Say: God s love is huge. It s bigger and more wonderful than anyone will ever know. And the best thing is that God loves us, no matter what! Let s celebrate God s love right now. Have the children stand in a tight circle around the sculpture and gently toss the sculpture in the air as they sing track 13, How Wide? (Ephesians 3:18), with the CD. Lyrics are in the back of this book. If some pieces of the sculpture fall off, just reattach them and continue. HANDS-ON BIBLE Say: God has been showing people his love for thousands and thousands of years. He even sends us a reminder of that sometimes. Ask: What is something God sends to remind us he loves us? (Family; everything we need; a rainbow.) Help kids find Genesis 9 in their Hands-On Bibles. You ll need a paper plate half for each child, coloring or painting supplies, construction paper, yarn, scissors, and tape. Help kids follow the instructions in the I Promise! activity in their Hands-On Bibles. As kids are working, say: To help us remember a promise God made and that God loves us, he sends a rainbow every now and then. We can show God we love him by making promises. When you make your promises on your raindrops, remember that they are promises of love to God. 138
A Father Welcomes His Son Home Closing n Forgiving Families SUPPLIES: none Join kids in a circle, and give the plush heart to the child on your right. As kids receive the heart, have them each say one thing they learned today. (God loves us, no matter what; God s love for us is really big; Jesus died for us because he loves us; a rainbow helps us remember that God loves us.) Say: Today we ve talked about how God loves us, no matter what. One reason Jesus told the story about the boy who left home and the forgiving father was to show us how God will forgive us. Another reason Jesus told the story was to show us how he wants us to forgive others. Sometimes the people who are hardest to forgive are the people who are closest to us the people in our families. Feel the beads of the bead ball. Say: Family life was kind of bumpy for the family in our Bible story today. Ask: Who can tell me about some of the problems that family faced? (The son went away from home and spent all his money; the older brother was jealous when the other brother came home; the father was sad because the younger son wanted to leave; the son didn t have enough food.) Say: Family life can be bumpy for anyone. Sometimes brothers and sisters disagree about what to watch on TV. Sometimes people get tired and crabby with each other. When those things happen, it s important to forgive each other right away. I m going to pass this bead ball around our circle. As you run your fingers over the bumpy beads, think about a time that was bumpy for you in your family, but don t say anything out loud. Then say, God wants us to be forgiving, and gently toss the ball to someone else in the circle. After each child has had a turn, say: Let s pray. Pray: Dear Lord, thank you that your love is wider, longer, higher, and deeper than we can ever imagine. Thank you for always forgiving us when we ask. Please help us forgive others. In Jesus name, amen. Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Growing Together handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week s topic. Follow up the Growing Together activities next week by asking children what their families did together. Want even more activity ideas for this lesson? Check out HandsOnBible.com/tips. 139
Families 11: God loves us, no matter what. Bible Story A father welcomes his son home (Luke 15:11-32). Bible Verse And may you have the power to understand, as all God s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is (Ephesians 3:18). Today the children learned that God loves them, no matter what. They learned from the story of the prodigal son that God is always willing to forgive them when they ask and that nothing can separate them from God s love. Breadstick Hugs Make these treats with your child. You ll need one can of refrigerator breadsticks, oil, and Parmesan cheese. Separate the dough into breadsticks. Stretch each breadstick until it s about 10 inches long. Then twist the breadsticks into pretzel shapes. (You might want to use a pretzel as a pattern as you twist the dough.) Brush the breadsticks with oil, and sprinkle with cheese. Bake according to the directions. When they re done and still warm, take them to someone who needs to feel loved. Give that person a hug as you share your warm pretzels. God s Love Poster Read Ephesians 3:18-19 with your child. Then have your child think of something that s very wide (the ocean, for example), something that s very long (the main road in your town), something that s very high (a skyscraper), and something that s very deep (a swimming pool). Have your child draw pictures of those four things. Then make a rebus poster. Have your child print Ephesians 3:18 on poster board, but substitute your child s pictures for the words wide, long, high, and deep. Hang the poster in your child s room to remind him or her of God s love. Surprise Hearts Make it a family project at the beginning of the week to cut lots of hearts out of scrap paper or used wrapping paper. Give each family member a pile of at least 20 hearts. Have each person put a distinguishing mark on his or her hearts. For example, Mom might put an M on hers. Throughout the rest of the week, play Surprise Hearts. Have each family member secretly leave hearts for the rest of the family. For instance, you might put a heart in the sugar bowl, in the cereal box, on a pillow, or inside shoes or pockets. Be creative and have fun! At the end of the week, talk about how much your family members love each other and how much fun it was to plan surprises. Also talk about the loving things God does for us that take us by surprise, such as creating a beautiful sunset on a trying day. Morning Song Before bed, read Psalm 90:14 with your child: Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives. Then learn the following song together. Sing it through several times to the tune of Frère Jacques. In the morning, wake your child by singing the song to him or her. Are you sleeping, child of God? Here s the sun; rise and shine. Stretch your arms to heaven. Smile as you remember God loves you. God loves you. 140 Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 481, Loveland, CO 80539. HandsOnBible.com