Heading

This parable  is the first 2 of a trilogy of parables found in Luke 15. We highly encourage you to go ahead and read the whole chapter as you prepare for these two lessons.

• Lost Sheep

• Lost Coin

• Lost Son (commonly known as the Prodigal Son)

What are Parables?

Take this opportunity to teach your children what parables are. They are little stories Jesus told that teach us about the Kingdom of God. They are similar to fables in that they are stories with a deeper meaning. But fables give moral or ethical lessons. For example, the Tortoise and the Hare teaches us not to give up (if you are the tortoise) and not to be too full of yourself (if you are the hare). The Boy Who Cried Wolf teaches us that if we lie repeatedly, people won't believe us even when we are telling the truth. Parables teach us about life in the Kingdom of God, or life as a Christian.

Parable Summary

First, note the context of these parables. Jesus was associating with tax collectors and "sinners", and the Pharisees were none too happy about it. They couldn't understand why Jesus would associated with such outcasts. So Jesus told them these three parables to illustrate a Kingdom lesson. Here are the commonalities between all 3 parables:

• There are some lost and some found.

  • Lost Sheep: 99 "found" sheep and 1 "lost" sheep

  • Lost Coin: 9 "found" coins and 1 "lost" coin

  • Lost Son: 1 "found" son and 1 "lost" son

• In each parable, the owner of the item made it clear that they valued the lost item as much as the items they still had

• In the first 2 parables, the owner of the sheep and coins go looking for their lost items and left no stone unturned to find it.

• In the last parable, that father gave the son his wish, but waited with expectation for him to come home.

• Each time, when the lost item was found, the owner threw a big party

The Kingdom lesson in this parable: God loves all people, whether they are believers or not. He is actively looking for people who don't know him and wanting them to believe in him.

1. Warm Up get your kids talking and engaged

Have you ever lost something that is very valuable to you? What did you do to try and find it?

Today, we're going to learn about 1 parable that Jesus told about something that was lost.

2. Teach the Story 

3. Bible Mastery give them basic Bible skills

Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud Luke 15:1-10 

4. Comprehension Questions make sure they understand the story

First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story.  What to do if you don't know the answer?

• What is a parable? A little story Jesus told that teaches us what life is like as a Christian, in the Kingdom of God

• What was the first parable about? A lost sheep

• How many sheep did the shepherd have? 100 total

• How many were lost and how many were still with the shepherd? 1 lost, 99 with the shepherd

• What did the shepherd do to find the 1 that was lost? He left the 99 behind and looked for the 1 that was lost until he found it

• What did he do after he found the sheep? He put it on his shoulders and carried it back to the flock. Then he had a big party!

• What was the kingdom lesson in these parables? God loves all people, whether they are believers or not

5. Faith Questions open up a conversation about faith and the gospel; close with prayer

• Jesus helped us understand that some people are lost and some are found, and that he loves the people who are lost just as much as the people who are found.

• Are you a lost sheep? You can allow Jesus to find you by believing in him, admitting that you have sinned and need Jesus to forgive you, and by accepting his forgiveness for your sins.

6. Memory Verse hide God's Word in their heart

Everyone should be quick to listen. But they should be slow to speak. They should be slow to get angry. James 1:19

Directions

Cut a large handful of mini marshmallows in half using the kitchen scissors and set aside. You want a small size marshmallow that is even smaller than the mini. 

Frost each graham cracker square with white frosting. I use a knife or spoon to spread it on, but you can also put the frosting in a plastic bag and cut off the tip if you’d prefer to frost that way.

Directions

1. Give the kids a piece of blue, black, and green construction paper.
2. Have them cut grass out of the green paper
3. Have them cut legs and a sheep head/ears out of the black paper.
4. Have them glue all the pieces of the sheep and the grass on the blue background adding cotton balls for the sheep wool!

Directions

1. Choose one student to be "it."

2. "It" is blindfolded.

3. Quietly choose one of the other students to baa like a sheep.

4. The blindfolded child must try to guess who is "baaing."

5. If he is right, the two will switch places.

Directions

1. Divide students into two teams.

2. Choose two students (or adults) to be the shepherds, one per team.

3. The rest of the students will be sheep.

4. The shepherds must run down and get a sheep and carry them on their back.

5. The first team to gather all of their sheep wins.