May 1, 2016 Bible Passage: Luke 15:11 32 (Prodigal Son) God Redeems (part 2) REMEMBER VERSE This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9 Schedule WORSHIP & WELCOME 5-7 minutes CELEBRATE 15-18 minutes BIG GOD STORY & RESPONSE 20-22 minutes WORSHIP THROUGH SONG 8-9 minutes BLESS 2 minutes 1
Inspire 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 Pasadena, CA Support 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. Equip 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 2
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. 3
Lesson Overview REV 456 3.9b Time Element Summary & Notes Supplies Provided Preparation Turn on lights, sound board, computer, TV s, Open Easy Worship Play music from Spotify playlist Turn on the mic for teachers to use 5-7 Min Total 1. WORSHIP & WELCOME (Host) Creates an inviting atmosphere by worshipping and welcoming kids. Let s kids know class has begun. Welcome Slide on the Screen 3min a. Worship through song Play Easy Worship Song - Better Than The Best Thing 2min b. Welcome & introduction Welcome kids to Worship and say a prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to come and teach us through worship and The Big God Story what God would have for us to learn about Him this day. Welcome kids to Worship and say a prayer inviting the Holy Spirit to come and teach us through worship and The Big God Story what God would have for us to learn about Him this day. 2min c. Announcements Camp Camp Slide 15-18 Min Total 2. CELEBRATE (Host) Establishes community and tells stories both personal and biblical in a fun and engaging way. 5min a. Remember Verse Kids can work on the remember verse together as a large group. 5min b. Traditions During Traditions, you are helping the kids work toward a common goal. Award a ping pong ball to kids if they: are a first time guest, bring their Bible, bring a friend or can say their remember verse. 2min c. Offering We give our offering as an act of worship to God. Remember Verse Cards Remember Verse slide/animation Ping Pong Balls Plinko Wall Offering Basket Offering Slide/Pics 3min d. Communion This is a time that we are quiet before the Lord and we take a few minutes to remember what he s done for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. After I pray, we ll pass the communion and if you ve been Communion Tray 4
baptized and made Jesus the king of your life, you may take communion as it is passed. Otherwise, stay seated and take this time to talk to God silently. 3min e. Connect Connect is a time to laugh, play, and enjoy each other s company. Encourage them to ask someone they might not know yet. 20-22 Min Total 15-18 min 3. STORYTELLING AND RESPONSE a. The Big God Story (Storyteller) 5 min b. Response (Storyteller continues) 10 min 4. WORSHIP THROUGH SONG (Host/Worship Leader) 1 Min 5. BLESS (Host) Creates space for children to hear God s word & respond to the Holy Spirit in worship and community as a large group. Point out that what they 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. Encourage adult volunteers to keep an eye out for kids who need help finding the Scripture passage and allow enough time for each child to locate the passage. Sends the kids out with a sense of peace and blessing so they can be a blessing to others. 6. DISMISS Collect nametags - Ask 5 th & 6 th graders to exit though the back hallway. 4 th graders need to wait for a parent to pick them up. Connect Question Slide Countdown video Timeline Scripture slide video: Prodigal Son Parable 2min. and 30 seconds paper money ring robe prop box Spotify response playlist Sketch journals Prayer journals Index cards cut in half (bright colors) Pens and pencils, crayons and colored pencils at each response station. Play Easy Worship Songs - Your Love Never Fails - The Lord Our God(new) Use your Bible & tell kids that their parents can pick up a HomeFront Weekly at the check-in desk so they can prepare for next week s lesson. [Shut down all electronics and turn off lights when you leave] 5
Worship & Welcome// 5-7 min Host Creates an inviting atmosphere by worshipping and welcoming kids. Lets kids know class has begun. Opening Worship Song: Better Than the Best Thing Welcome: Good morning boys and girls! Today we are going to talk about fathers, I have some questions for you that will help us discover what you know about fathers. What kind of clothes do fathers like to wear? (Allow kids to answer) What do fathers like to do? (Allow kids to answer) 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. No matter what we do or how far we move away from God, He is always watching and waiting to redeem us and set us free. Just like the father in the parable we are going to hear about, God redeems us and calls us to turn and come to Him! Announcements: Camp Slide 6
Celebrate// 15-18 min Host TRADITIONS REMEMBER VERSE OFFERING GOAL: $450 CURRENT: $ COMMUNION After everyone is gathered together as a large group, open with Traditions. During Traditions, you are helping the kids work toward a common goal and giving them mementos to celebrate things like memorizing the Remember Verse, inviting a friend, or bringing their Bibles. Once the kids have been awarded their mementos (in this case ping pong balls), direct them to add them onto the Plinko wall. When the common-goal tradition is complete (the Plinko wall is full), tell the kids are going to have a Mystery Snack Day! Colored Ping Pong balls are for those who are here for the first time or bring a guest with them (until they are used up). This week s Remember Verse focuses on a character trait of God that s highlighted in today s portion of The Big God Story. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 1 John 4:9 We give our offering as an act of worship to God. Today s Fact: Maybe you guys remember when Nick came to our class and thanked us for raising money for his time in Thailand this summer? Do you remember how he mentioned the time it would take to get to Thailand? The first major difference for Nick will be adjusting to the time change. Right now in Thailand, they are 12 hours ahead of our time. Think about that: If it is 9 o clock in the morning for us at Northside, then it is 9 o clock at night in Thailand! We need to be praying that Nick can adjust to being 12 whole hours ahead of the time here. Another thing we need to pray for is that Nick s traveling will go smoothly! It is going to take more than an entire day to travel all the way to Thailand, and then Nick will have to drive about 10 hours from the capital of Thailand to the city he will be living in! That means it will take almost two days for him to get to where we are sending him! He is traveling over 10,000 miles to get there! Let s remember to pray that God will be with Nick as he travels to Thailand, and also that God will be with him on his way home after the summer is over! This is a time that we are quiet before the Lord and we take a few minutes to remember what he s done for us by sending Jesus to die on the cross for us. After I pray, we ll pass the communion and if you ve been baptized and made Jesus the king of your life, you may take communion as it is passed. If you ve not made that personal decision, that s okay, too. We respect that each person is on a journey towards Christ. You can take this time to talk to the Lord about what next steps he may want you to take in your faith journey. CONNECT Invite the children to ask one another the following question or one of your own. Encourage them to ask someone they may not know. After a minute or two, ask several children to tell the group their friends answers. Question What is the grossest food you have ever eaten? 7
The Big God Story// 20 min Storyteller Point out that what they 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. Bible Passage: Luke 15:11 32 Storytelling Technique: Acting Out Narrative and Props SUPPLIES Bibles (1 per leader and 1 per child) Timeline slide and animation (see Resource Files) video: Prodigal Son Parable 2min. and 30 seconds paper money ring robe prop box RESPONSE SUPPLIES Sketch journals Prayer journals Index cards cut in half (bright colors) Pens and pencils, crayons and colored pencils at each response station. ENGAGE 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. We learned last week that God wants to redeem what is lost. He loves those who are far from Him and desires to redeem them into His perfect love. Today we are going to learn more about How God Redeems even when we make wrong choices. 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 Redeems. 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. 8
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. The scripture says he came to his senses and 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. 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 our Redeemer. 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 wants to Redeem 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. Storyteller continues into a time of response. Today s part of The Big God Story didn t start off very well, did it? The younger son wasn t a very likable guy, and he didn t treat his father very well. But how did it end? Encourage answers. Great thoughts. The father showed love and redemption by restoring the son back to his rightful place in the family. And because the father represents our heavenly Father, God, we learned that God wants to redeem those who are lost back to Himself. What sins, sorrows, complaints, or needs are you carrying today? Sometimes we keep these to ourselves because we don t believe God can possibly love us. But He does; He is in the business of redemption. He sent Jesus to us so we could all be redeemed and restored to a loving relationship with Him. Are you hurting? Are you sorry for something you did? The Father redeems. Are you scared? Do you feel like God couldn t possibly forgive you or love you? Nothing could be further from the truth. God Redeems! Your loving heavenly Father longs to run to you, embrace you, heal you, and 9
celebrate that you belong to Him. We are going to have 3 stations open today for you to respond to what God is leading on your heart. The sketch station, you may draw a picture representing how God is speaking to your heart. A Note to God, this can be a prayer or something you want to say to God, write it on the card and place it on the magnet board. Response Journal station, you can write in the response Journals. As the Music plays quietly, pray and ask God how He would like you to respond to Him today, and then obey by going to one of the 3 stations. Tech: Cue music. Spotify worship music Worship// 10 minutes Host/Worship Leader - Better Than The Best Thing - Your Love Never Fails - The Lord Our God(new) 10
Bless// 3 min Host Have kids sit as you open your Bible and read 1 John 3:1a over the group: See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! Our Loving Heavenly Father redeems. Now, I invite you to close your eyes and imagine your heavenly Father embracing you or looking at you as His child. If you want, you can wrap your arms around yourself in a hug. Or, you can simply sit quietly. Encourage the children to stay in this position as you speak the final blessing over them. May you know that you re a child of God. May you experience His love when you feel sad, confused, or lost. May you remember your Father will always respond to you in love, for He is your Redeemer. 11