Remember
Breath Prayer: Inspired by Luke 15
Breath in: God is merciful.
Breath out: He loves forgiving me.
Song Themes: Our Heavenly Father is Good. He gives peace, love, and joy! (Geared towards ages 2-8 but true for every age!)
Remember one another
Is anyone celebrating something that happened this week? Let’s share so we can all thank God together.
Is anyone struggling, feeling sad, lonely or scared? How can we pray for one another?
Remember what we learned last week
Practice the Following Jesus Liturgy (With our youngest kids only focus on the portion that we’re currently learning)
Leader: What is a disciple?
Kids: Someone who is following and being formed by Jesus in all of life.
Reflect: Sons and Daughters of God
*Pastoral Tip*
This week's topic may be challenging for some kids. Some of the questions below are straight forward. You will probably get the answers you expect. Some of them can be sensitive, though, and require a wise, pastoral response. Be ready to be kind, loving, and patient, especially with children who may have experienced trauma or haven't had an opportunity to form secure attachments. Invite the Holy Spirit to give you a tender heart for today's lesson.
Set the stage with Key Concepts and Questions
Our Heavenly Father is kind, patient, and loving. When we ask for forgiveness, He jumps at every opportunity to love us and make things right.
Have you ever wondered, "How come my parents keep giving me rules and spoiling my fun?" Have you ever felt upset with your parents for giving you chores, or things to be responsible for?
Have you ever wanted to be the boss? What would you do? How do you think it would go?
Read or Watch: "Running Away"
Discover through curious questions:
Ask the children what stood out to them. What did they like about the story? Was anything new or different than how they’d heard the story in the past? Allow the conversation to be led by their questions, insights, and wonderments.
Discuss:
Have you ever made a mistake and wondered if your parents will still love you afterwards? What happened? How did it go?
Respond
Experience: Role Play
Act it out
Allow kids to play different roles a few times through (the father, the prodigal son and pigs).
Help them act out important parts from the prodigal son story
Ask them - how did it feel to be welcomed back when you played the role of the prodigal son? How did it feel to show kindness to the son when you played the role of the father? What do you think pig food tastes like?
Encounter: PRAY
If you have time and capacity allow the kids to draw a prayerful picture
Listen
Turn on some worship music and have the kids color the picture of the prodigal son coming home to the father.