March 25, 2023
K-3rd Grade
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4th-5th Grade
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Story Focus: We end the month in Luke 15:11-32, when Jesus shared a parable to help people understand God’s amazing grace and forgiveness. A son came to his father and asked for his share of the inheritance. This broke the father’s heart, but he went ahead and gave the son what he wanted. The son wasted all of the money and hit rock bottom. That’s when he decided to go home to his father and ask for forgiveness. The father welcomed him home with open arms and threw a giant party for him. His older brother, on the other hand, chose not to forgive and became angry with his brother. He not only missed out on a party, but he also missed out on rebuilding a relationship with his brother.
Bottom Line: God will always forgive you. Jesus’ parable is such an amazing reminder of God’s love. God’s grace and forgiveness is so deep and wide. When we come to God and ask for forgiveness, God is there waiting with open arms, offering unfailing love that restores the relationship we’ve broken. This is all possible because of Jesus. We pray that every kid understands what Jesus did for them and trusts God with their whole life.
Key Question: When is it hard to ask for forgiveness? We start with this question because we want preteens to see this story from the perspective of the lost son. Most of us have had moments when what we’ve done really hurts people in our lives. Maybe we’re embarrassed or ashamed, and it feels overwhelming to ask for that person’s forgiveness—or hardly worth it. We hope that as kids think through some of the difficulties in asking for forgiveness, they’ll also consider why it’s so important to make things right with those they’ve hurt.