Children’s Sermon

Luke 15:1-3, 11b – 32

God’s Amazing Love

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Luke 15:1-3, 11b – 32
God’s Amazing Love

By Dr. Carol J Miller

OBJECTS: Bring a sack of party horns or shakers

One time Jesus told a story about a Father and his son. The son was a grown-up son––a man. One day the son asked his father to give him a lot of money—half of all the money the father had! Well, instead of getting mad at his selfish son, the father gave him the money! The son then left his father and went to another country.

Can you guess what he did with the money? [respect all answers] He wasted every penny. He had big parties and he bought fancy stuff. Pretty soon the son had spent it all the money. His expensive things were broken and he had nothing. He got a job feeding pigs, but he didn’t even make enough money to afford pig food to eat.

One day he sat down in the pig sty and said, “I’ve been a fool. My Father gave me everything; he loved me, and I just walked out and haven’t lived the way he taught me to live. I’m going to go home and tell him I’m sorry. Maybe he’ll give me a better job than feeding pigs.” So the son got up and started for home. All the way he kept thinking about what he’d say. He was afraid his father might throw him out and tell him not to come back. The son was very worried.

But as the son came down the path toward his father’s house, guess what happened! Does anyone know? Well, let me tell you, the son saw his father running down the path with his arms open wide to welcome him home. The son started to say the words he had been practicing—his big apology. But the father was not interested. He was so happy that his lost son was found that he threw a big party and gave his son new clothes and a special ring.

I’ll tell you a secret. The father in Jesus’ story is God. The son is all those people who do not pay attention to God and do not live the way God taught them. How does God feel about them when they come back to him? God throws a party —because even when we mess up, God loves us and just wants us back. Now I think that’s a great thing to know, don’t you?

Here, take a party horn and celebrate God’s love with me.[ Let the kids blow the party horns for a minute. Then collect the horns!