Lesson 1: The lost coin.
Passage: Luke 15:8-10 - Jesus tells a story of a woman who lost one of her 10 silver coins and searches everywhere for it, rejoicing when she finally finds it. Likewise, there is rejoicing in heaven when one lost person comes back to God, because each of us is special and precious to God.
Big Idea: God is joyful over you.
For Teachers:
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit in a circle on the circle time rug and introduce yourself. Ask them about their week.
Warm Up Activity — Activity Leader
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are starting something brand new. We’ll be learning about some of the stories Jesus told to teach us about God. Today’s story is about a woman who lost her precious silver coin and searched all over her home just to find it.
Let's watch our video to learn more about the story...
Play Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Have you ever lost a toy or something that means a lot to you?
How did you feel when you lost it? What did you do?
How do you think the woman in the story felt when she lost her special coin? What about when she finally found it again?
Did you know that just like the coin was special to the woman, we are also special and precious to God?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you that you love each of us so much and that we are very special and precious to you. You know every single one of us by name, and you want us to get to know you too. May we learn more about you and grow closer to you every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Sand table — Activity Leader
Tell the children that there are 11 hidden coins in the sand. See if you can find all of the coins.
If a child is not interested in the activity, allow them to move to free play.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Have the children sit near the TV. Wait for children to arrive. Introduce yourself and ask about their week.
Warm up Activity: Find the Missing Coins — Activity Leader
Explain to the kids that there are several missing coins hidden around the room. Have them look all over and collect the coins they find.
After they have found all of the coins, explain that there is one special coin hidden. Use warmer and colder directions to help lead the group of children to the coin.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are starting a brand new series about the stories that Jesus told his followers to teach them important lessons about God.
Today's story is about a woman who lost one of her silver coins and searched everywhere in the home just to find it.
Let's watch our video to find out more about the story...
Play Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Did you ever have something that was very special to you that you lost?
How did you feel when you lost it and what did you do?
How do you think the woman in the story felt when she lost her coin? What did she do when she finally found it again?
What do you think this story teaches us about how God feels about us?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you that just like the silver coin was very precious to the woman in Jesus’ story, we are also very precious to you. Thank you that you love us and want to be our friend, and that we can talk to you whenever we want because you care about us so much. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Kinetic sand and coins — Activity Leader
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver.
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Welcome — Activity Leader
Welcome the kids to class and introduce yourself.
Warm Up Activity: Coin Code — Activity Leader
Invite the children to the tables. Share with them the code they need to decipher. Share with them that somewhere on the table there is an answer to the code, but they need to look for it. Once they have found all the coins, have them work together to decipher the message.
Preliminary Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Today we are starting a brand new series on the Parables of Jesus. Does anyone know what a parable is? (a story that is told to convey a deeper truth)
The parable that we'll be learning about today has to do with a woman who had several silver coins but lost one of them.
Let's watch our video to find out what happened next in the story...
Play Video Lesson — Bible Story Leader
Follow Up Discussion — Bible Story Leader
Have you ever lost something that was very important to you? What was it?
How did you feel when you lost it and what did you do?
What happened in the story Jesus told his followers?
What deeper truth do you think the story is teaching us about God and us?
Can you think of a time when you felt God was close to you? What was that like?
Prayer — Bible Story Leader
“Dear God, thank you for the story we learn about today, and how it teaches us that you love each and every one of us and that we are very precious to you, just like the lost coin was precious to the woman in the story. Thank you that you want to have a relationship with us and that you listen to our prayers. Please help us to get to know you more and grow closer to you every day. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
Activity: Ancient Coins— Activity Leader
Hand out the white worksheets to the students. Provide markers, pastels, pencils and pencil crayons. Have the students make their own ancient coins.
Dismissal: Collect tags and make sure each child leaves with their caregiver
For Parents:
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What was it that the woman in the story lost that was so special to her?
Can you think of something that's very special and important to you? How do you think you would feel if you lost it? What would you do?
What do you think the story is teaching us about how God feels about us?
How does it feel to know that you are very special and precious to God? Does it make you want to get to know God more?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What was it that the woman in the story lost that was so special to her? What did she do?
What do you think the story teaches us about how God feels about us? How does it feel to know that you are very special and precious to God?
What are some ways that we can grow closer to God every day?
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What was the story you learned about in class today?
What did the woman in the story do when she found out that she lost her special coin? What did she do once she had finally found it?
Do you think Jesus' stories have an important message for us to learn from? What do you think is the message of the story about the woman and her missing coin?
What are some things that help you feel closer to God?
