Parable of the Prodigal Son

The Parables

The parable of the prodigal son

Main Point:  God forgives us when we sin.

Summary of the Parable:  A son demands his inheritance from his father before the has died.  The father gives it to him.  The son leaves and goes to a faraway land, where he quickly squanders the money.  The son falls into poverty and survives by taking care of pigs.  The broken son returns home, where his father lovingly welcomes him back with a lavish feast.  The other son comes to the house learns what is going on, and refuses to go into the home.  The father goes out to the other son and pleads with him to understand that his brother was lost, but now is found. (Luke 15:11-32)

Introduction for the Teacher:

At first the kids may have a hard time making the connection of forgiveness from a story that's about being lost and found.  Lost and found are concrete terms for kids.  They've all had a favorite toy that's been lost, and then later found.  But that doesn't mean that anyone needs forgiving, does it?  So throughout your discussion, help the kids understand how the prodigal son got lost from God by choosing to do the wrong thing and wandering away.  Unlike a toy, the main character in this story got up and left.  He shouldn't have.  But when it was time to come back - to be found - his father was eager to forgive and have a relationship with his child.  That's God.  God always wants to make today a new day in our lives by forgiving the past moving forward, by saying "Welcome Home".  For kids, the past might be a little different than for adults.  But they have issues, struggles, and sins like every other person.  This will help them understand God's forgiveness through the lens of their own story, whatever that might be and lead them to share God's love and forgiveness with the people around them. 

Gather the kids

Sometimes we do or say things that we shouldn't do or say.  And when we do those things, it makes God sad and the people around us sad as well.  In today's Bible passage, the prodigal son made his father and entire family sad.  Here's what happened after he took all of his money and left.

The Bible says "A few days later this younger son packed all his belongings and moved to a distant land, and there he wasted all his money in wild living.  About the time his money ran out, great famine swept over the land and he began to starve.  He persuaded a local farmer to hire him and the man sent him into his fields to feed the pigs.  The young man became so hungry that even the pods he was feeding the pigs looked good to him.  But no one gave him anything. (Luke 15:13-16)

At this point, the son didn't feel like he could come home.  Ask the kids Why do they think he'd feel that way?  Say that when we do wrong things or say hurtful things or think thoughts that aren't from God, we create obstacles that get in the way of us having good relationships.  Those obstacles make it hard to have good friendships and family relationships and just make thing feel weird.  So let's talk about some of those obstacles.

If you have a wipe off board you can use it, or you can use card stock to write each one on, or just do this as a discussion without writing it.

On the board, write three categories: Small Obstacles, Medium Obstacles, Large Obstacles.  Ask What are some obstacles in your lives?  Things that you do wrong, fail to do, thoughts you think that you shouldn't anything like that. 

Invite kids to give answers.  Help them out with an example or two if needed, such as gossiping about a friend at school, yelling at a sister or brother, taking something that belongs to someone else and so on.  When kids give an answer, ask the group if it is a small, medium, or large obstacle.  Get the whole group in on the discussion.  Then write the obstacle under the appropriate column on the board.  When you have recorded several answers, point to the board.

Look at the board and have the kids focus on the board.  Tell them to look at all the obstacles we have in our lives.  Obstacles that make it hard to have good, loving relationships with the important people in our lives.  Some of these things are obstacles that are pretty hard to forgive.  Ask the kids which of these would be the hardest for them to forgive if someone did it to them and why?  Ask How they would feel if someone did all the things to them?  Ask why do you think God forgives us for all the obstacles we put in the way of our relationship with Him? 

Luke 15:28-32 - Open your Bible and read from it or you can paraphrase the story.  But show the kids that it does come from the Bible. 

"The older brother was angry and wouldn't go in.  His father came out and begged him, but he replied, 'all these years I have slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to.  And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends.  Yet when this son of yours comes back after spending your money on things that were not good, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!'  His father said to him, 'Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me and everything I have is yours.  We had to celebrate this happy day.  For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found!'

Ask the kids to explain  how they feel about how the older son reacted.  What would you do if your brother or sister did something really, really, wrong but didn't get in trouble?  How do you think God expects us to feel when he forgives others, even if their sins are really serious?  How can you show your family members your love and forgiveness this week?

God wants us to celebrate with our family members and be happy for them, even when they get something extra special.  To do that, sometimes it's best to focus on what's awesome about the people in our family.  

Today we have been talking and learning that God forgives us when we sin.  And no matter what that obstacle we have made, no matter what sin we have committed, no matter what wrong thing we have done, God will always welcome us home, always forgiving us.  God wants you to come to Him with anything and everything in your life. 

Now, let's close our eyes and silently thank God for being so forgiving.  Think about something that you have done that you may need forgiveness for. 

After a few moments, begin a prayer aloud with the kids thanking God for giving us such a great day and teaching us that no matter what we can always turn back to God.