‘Prayer Tools’ Childrens Lesson on the Prodigal Son

BIG IDEA: PRAYER TOOLS HELP ME CONNECT WITH GOD

AIM: The ‘Prayer Tools’ Childrens Lesson on the Prodigal Son is the third session in the ‘Prayer Bootcamp’ series.

SONG IDEAS:

1. ‘I Will Pray’ by Yancy
2. ‘Pray about Everything’ by LifeTree Kids
3. ‘I Love to Pray’ by Herald Entertainment

Sergeant: Every soldier needs certain items, whether it be special high tech binoculars, medical kits, or torches. Every soldier needs to carry certain tools to help them. Today we’ll be learning all about the different prayer tools we need in service. But first, it’s time to workout. Every soldier needs discipline and the ability to persist. Let’s see what you’ve got, soldiers. [Lead the children in a quick workout; knee ups, starfish jumps etc]

GAME IDEAS:

1. Pop Til you Drop. (regular/widescreen) Write different challenges on slips of paper and put them in balloons. Children must each pop the balloons and do any of the challenges that lie within. [Make sure you let children know about balloons popping – some may need to leave the room.]
2. Tug O’ War. (regular/widescreen) Find a long rope and have teams tug it out until the winning team brings the opposing team over the line to their end of the room/field.
3. Army Man Hunt. (regular/widescreen) Split into two teams. Both choose one person to hide. The opposing teams must find their opposing hiding person before the other team. The winning team is the team to find their opponent first.
4. Drill Sergeant Says. (regular/widescreen) Like ‘Simon Say’s only using the words ‘Drill Sergeant.’ This will work best if the drill sergeant is actually dressed like they are in the army.

BIG VERSE: Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12.

(regular/widescreen)

[mepr-s3-link src=”teaching-series-prayer-bootcamp/Bible Cards.pdf”]Download Bible Cards [/mepr-s3-link] and [mepr-s3-link src=”teaching-series-prayer-bootcamp/Bible Card Poster.pdf”]Bible Card Posters[/mepr-s3-link]

SET the Scene:

Read Matthew 6:14-24. 

Read the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32. You can tell this story using the [mepr-s3-link src=”teaching-series-prayer-bootcamp/Action Story – Prodigal Son-min.pdf”]action story found here.[/mepr-s3-link] 

VIDEO IDEAS:

1. ‘The Prodigal Son’ by SaddleBack Kids
2. ‘God’s Story: Two Sons and a Father’ by CrossRoads Kids Club
3. ‘The Lost Son’ by Max7.org
4. ‘The Lego Prodigal Son’ by somedudenamedmilan

REVIEW QUESTIONS:

1. Which son took their money and left home?
2. What did they do with all their money?
3. Where did they end up?
4. When the son went home, what did the father give him?

 

SPOT the Simple Meaning:

1) DISCIPLINE IS:

Skit: You will need two people to dress up as school kids.

1: I can’t believe it! I failed!

2: Failed what?

1: My spelling test!

2: Well, did you practice them?

1: Practice them? No.

2: Well how did you expect to pass then?

1: I thought it would be easy. Anyway, practicing is boring! I hate doing spellings.

2: Well at least if you’d have practiced you wouldn’t have messed up!

1: How did you do?

2: I passed.

1: How did you do that?

2: I told you, I practiced.

Say: Did you see that? One person was willing to put the work in and the other person wasn’t. That’s kind of like our story today. The first son was willing to stay at home and work with his father. the second son wanted to have fun and party. Yet the second son wasted all his money away. He wasted what he was given and failed. He had to come back to his father. The first son was already with his father and would get to use the money he earned in the future.

You see, in life and in prayer sometimes we need discipline. That means doing what we don’t want to do to get a good future.

If you want a good job you first have to learn how to do it. If you want to pass a test or get onto the football team you have to practice. If you want to play an instrument you need to put the hours in to learn how to play. If you want to be a soldier you need to learn to protect and work together with other soldiers.

Prayer is all about coming to know God. It’s about spending the time with Him. If we want to know God and have a good future in being His friend, we need to put the time in to get to know Him. Sometimes we might not want to do that. We might be like the Prodigal Son who wanted to do his own thing. Perhaps we think going and playing would be better than going to church. Maybe we think watching TV is more interesting than reading our Bibles or praying. Yet when we discipline ourselves in prayer we will see amazing rewards in our character, our attitude, and in the whole of our lives!  God’s Holy Spirit (the third person of God – remember, the Trinity) [Remind children or explain to children if they are unaware of the Trinity] will give us power to discipline ourselves if we ask Him to.

When we come to God in prayer He transforms our lives!

 

2) PRAYER TOOLS: FORGIVING

You will need a piece of acetate with a wipe board pen. Write words on the acetate of things that are hard to forgive. Lying, cheating, stealing etc. Then dip the acetate into water and watch those things disappear.

Say: The Prodigal Son knew what it meant to let people down. He knew what it was to get things wrong. He left his father and everything went wrong. He knew he had to come back. The father forgave him even though he had left him.

Jesus told this story to show us God’s love for us. We are like the prodigal son who left his father. Each one of us has turned away from God, or turns away from God when we choose not to involve Him in our lives. We do things that God doesn’t like. [Write the words on the acetate]. Yet God chose to send his only Son, Jesus, to come to the earth and live a perfect life so that we could be forgiven for the wrongs we have done. The Bible tells us that someone had to be punished for the wrongs we had done. Jesus took the punishment and  gave his life so that we could be forgiven.

The father in the Prodigal Son parable forgives his son. His wrongs have been forgiven. [Dip the acetate in the water and watch the words disappear.] That’s the same with us when we ask Jesus into our lives and ask God to forgive us. He comes in and wipes away all our wrongs so that we can be forgiven and know God.

Before we come to pray God asks that we forgive others; just as He has forgiven us. In Mark 11:25 Jesus says;

“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

That way we can have clear communication with God, knowing that we are right with Him and others. So let’s remember the first of our three prayer tools today: Forgiveness.

 

3) PRAYER TOOLS: FASTING

Bring out a meal or something that smells really good to eat. Resist eating it; but show the kids how yummy you think it is. Alternatively hold up a phone or tablet as you talk. This section works really well with personal testimony – you could explain about something you have given up for a season, why and how you did it.

Say: When the Prodigal son left home it wasn’t until he got really hungry that he started to think about his father. He stopped to look at the pig’s food and he wanted to eat it! Then he remembered his father.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:16-18:

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.  But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Christians fast to help them get to know God better. Fasting is a prayer tool. It’s something we use to help us spend time getting to know God. The Prodigal son started to think about the father when he had no food to eat. When we give up something; food, our phones or tablets, TV – anything we love to do, for a short time, it helps us to get our mind back on God and to come to Him. It’s a discipline.

The Prodigal Son made his way home when he realised that his father could look after him better than he could look after himself. When we realise God can look after us better than we can look after ourselves we will come back to God too. Fasting helps Christians remember that God has a much better plan for our lives than we do. A future with Him is always the best. So that’s the second prayer tool: Fasting.

 

4) PRAYER TOOLS: GIVING

Chocolate Coin Giveaway. You will need lots of chocolate coins that you can throw out to the children (safely!) as you talk.

Say: When the Prodigal Son came home what did the father do? [Get feedback] He gave the son a ring and a robe and threw a massive party for him! WOW! Isn’t that amazing! The father was so generous – so giving! That is exactly what our Father in Heaven is like! God loves to give!

Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-24:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust^[a] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

God wants us to know that it is great to give! He wants us to be giving as He is giving. This is a great tool that we can use to show God how much we love Him and others. That’s why it’s our third prayer tool. We might not give money in our prayer, but when we pray God can show us how and who to give to. All we need to have is ears to listen. Then we will have many stories of how God has used our money. We will store up treasure in Heaven – so when we see God He will show us what all the money we gave did for eternity! Perhaps it will have helped people to know God, or helped children to be fed. All these things have eternal rewards when we listen to God and do what He tells us to do with our money!

SEARCH the Scriptures:

Mud Dessert. (regular/widescreen) Pour out some chocolate custard into large bowls. Print out [mepr-s3-link src=”teaching-series-prayer-bootcamp/Bible Verses about Forgiveness-min.pdf”]bible verses on Forgiveness,[/mepr-s3-link]Giving and Fasting and laminate them. Hide them in the chocolate custard. Choose a few volunteers to compete by finding the bible verses in their bowls – using only their mouths. The winner is the player to find the most Bible  verses during the allocated time.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. Who is the best at forgiving?
2. Who has given the most to us?
3. What has He given?
4. What’s the point of fasting?
5. What kind of fasting does God like?
6. When we give, who are we acting most like?

 

SENSE How You Feel:

Imagine what it was like for the Prodigal Son to realise he wanted to come home. Imagine you are that son and answer this question:

Why did you decide to come home?

1. Draw or paint a picture that shows why you decided to come home. You could also use lots of different materials in your picture such as colored sand, inks, buttons, ribbons, sequins, glitter (if you dare!) different types of paper (tissue, crepe etc) and anything else you can think of.
2. Write a song or a poem that shows why you wanted to come home.
3. Mould: in play-dough the reason why you wanted to come home.
4. Build: using lego bricks the reason why you wanted to come home.
5. Create using junk items (old bottles, boxes and cans – all safe and inspected first) the scene showing why you wanted to come home.
6. Fill in/Color the activity booklets for [mepr-s3-link src=”teaching-series-prayer-bootcamp/Prayer Tools 5-7s-min.pdf”]5-7s[/mepr-s3-link] or [mepr-s3-link src=”teaching-series-prayer-bootcamp/Prayer Tools 8-11s-min.pdf”]8-11s[/mepr-s3-link]

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

1. When you imagined that you were the son in the story, what was the reason you decided to come home? (show your craft to explain what you decided)
2. How can forgiving help you when you pray?
3. How can fasting help people when they pray?
4. Why is it important to give as a result of prayer?
5. Is there someone you need to forgive?
6. Is there something you need to fast?
7. Is there someone you need to give something to?
8. How has praying helped you this week?

 

SEEK God:

Using the Prayer Tools Template, have children choose one of the tools and pray to ask God what He wants them to remember from today. Ask them to write on the back which one they think God wants them to explore. It’s not advised to encourage children to fast food. They would need to speak to their parents about that. However, you could ask them to think about fasting something else, forgiving or thinking of who they can give to as a result of this session.