“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son”. Luke 15:18-19
**The Love of Our Heavenly Father can’t be matched. He provides a haven for us to retreat to when life gets tough. When we reach rock bottom it is never too late to turn to “The Father”.
As we face another week it would do well for us to remember this parable of a Father’s Love.
Come Home
Oct 09, 2017 07:00 am
One of the most beautiful parables Jesus told is that of the prodigal son. A father had two sons, one of whom grew tired of home and decided to abandon everything and look for freedom in a “distant country.” Free from paternal restrictions, he began to squander his money with drinking, partying, and promiscuity. He soon found himself tending pigs, a humiliating task for someone of Jewish origin. He learned there is no true joy far from God in the “distant country,” and he determined to return home as take his place as a servant.
Satan, the prodigal son who never returned to the Father, tells prodigals today that the Lord will not accept sinners back unless they are good enough to be able to return. The main message of this parable is the love of the father. Our heavenly Father accepts us, forgives us, and loves us always. Knowing this makes all the difference!
Object Lessons:
#1 Materials: Fake looking jewels, mud, waxed paper, clear jar, towel, and water
Preparation: Cover each of the fake jewels in mud and place them on waxed paper. Allow
them to harden overnight. Fill jar with water before class.
Procedure: After children arrive, have them hold their hands out with their palms up. I have a special present for each of you. Continue to hold your hands out once I’ve placed your gift
in your hands. Gently place one dirty gem in each child’s hand. The gems should look like clods of dirt. The dirt will easily rub off if the gems are handled too much. As you give each
child their gift say, aren’t these beautiful? Children will make comments about the non-beauty they are holding. Oh wait a minute; I forgot to clean these gifts up. I’ve got a “God Solution”
here, let’s try it. Have each child drop their dirty gem in the jar full of water. Tell your Bible story while the jewels are soaking. If you have a lid on your jar, give it a quick shake before
removing jewels. Place the jewels on a towel as you remove them from the jar. Comment on how beautiful they are. They have certainly transformed from what they were at the beginning
of class. Hand each child a clean jewel.
The son in our story today sinned. Sin makes us dirty in God’s eyes. The boy became dirty on the inside because of the way he was acting and treating his family. He was also out
feeding pigs. That isn’t a clean job. He was filthy and in need of a “God Solution” to clean him up. God wants us to come to Him no matter how we are. If we seem pretty clean, a little
dusty, or full of dirt and mud – He wants us. None of us really wanted to keep the ugly clods of dirt at the beginning of class. Once they were clean and shiny they looked like a
cool gift though. Our “God Solution” took the dirty jewels and made them shine. God can cleanse us just as easily. No matter what we’ve done in the past, God can wash our sins
away and make us shine like jewels.
#2 Materials: Tube of toothpaste and a paper plate
Procedure: Show the full tube of toothpaste. Squeeze entire tube of toothpaste onto the paper plate. You can squeeze half out, and then choose a responsible child to squeeze the rest out.
While students are still admiring the mess on the plate, ask for a volunteer. Hand the volunteer the empty tube and ask them to put all the toothpaste back.
It’s impossible for us to refill this tube with paste. Think of this tube as a person, and the paste coming out as words. When we say something that hurts someone’s feelings, we can’t
just cram the words back into our mouth. After they come out, they make a mess that people remember. The boy in our story hurt his dad’s feelings by words that came out of his
mouth. Always watch what you say!
Calendar Update:
**October 20-22 Couples Retreat @ Camp Kulaqua Speaker is Mike Tucker from Faith for Today. “Mad about Marriage” Register @ the Camp Kulaqua website under events. Plan to come and be blessed.
October 31 Fall Fest/Trunk or Treat @ Forest Lake Church parking area
November 3-5 Creative Ministry @ New Community SDA Church (Palmetto Bay)
No, it is not Wednesday, but I will be out of town for a few days and I did not want to forget to send this letter to you before I left.
Please do plan to come to the Couples Retreat…(info is above in Calendar Updates). Mike Tucker is a great speaker and mentor. Don’t miss this opportunity that is provided by the Florida Conference Family Ministries.
Please pray for safe travels and again for all the people who have been thru hard times with the hurricanes, fires, and senseless loss of life. Let us focus again on our Heavenly Father and his forgiveness and Love.
I trust you will have a great rest of the week.