FOR Primary, Sunday School, and HOME
LESSON LIFESAVER Activity
PARABLES: The Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Prodigal Son (find the lost pictures)
Fellowshipping Lesson:
Have youth think of those who may be LOST, the youth who may not be coming to church. Think of ways they can help them return to activity.
With this FIND THE LOST PICTURES ACTIVITY, youth can:
• Find the lost sheep,
• Find the ten coins,
• Find the fatted calf (in the Prodigal Son story)
ANSWER PREVIEW: This black and white poster shows in red where everything is hidden.
Read parables: the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coins (Luke 15:4, 8)
LOST SHEEP
“What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?”
LOST COINS
“Either what woman having ten pieces of silver, if she lose one piece, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it?”
PRODIGAL SON (Luke 15:12–32)
vs. 32 “It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.”
When the youth have finished this activity, they should understand that Jesus Christ’s parables (about lost things) teach us about God’s love, our worth, and not judging others unrighteously.
TO MAKE Print, color, and cut out the Find the Lost Pictures—Prodigal Son Poster that follows for each youth.
THOUGHT TREAT Candy or cookie coins. Purchase chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, or make sugar cookies, cutting them out with a bottle lid. Then press a washed coin into the cookie before baking. Give each youth 10 cookie coins, having them reserve one coin for the one that was lost (in the Parable of the Lost Coin).
ACTIVITY INCLUDES – SCRIPTURE CHALLENGE CARD: Help youth Search and Ponder this scripture card by filling in the blanks. PRINT this 5 x 7 scripture card from the pdf included with the above activity. You can punch the two holes on the left and tie a ribbon to attach cards or use two metal rings to connect cards.
Luke 15:21-22, 24
“And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him . . . For this my son was dead, and is alive again . . .”
. . . MORE ACTIVITY IDEAS . . .
For the above activity
PARABLES: The Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Prodigal Son find the lost pictures
To add to and enhance this lesson activity study Sources 1 and 2 side-by-side, comparing the teaching concepts (SOURCE 1 is detailed below* – SOURCE 2 is in “The Lost” article found HERE.
SOURCE 1
Study the Discussions 1 and 2 that follow, found in the New Testament manual 7 lesson 19: The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son found HERE and below*).
SOURCE 2
Study “The Lost” article HERE (describing The Lost Sheep (Luke 15:4-7), The Piece of Silver (Luke 15:8-10), and The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).
LESSONS IN LOVING OTHERS.
When the children have finished this activity, they should understand that “Jesus Christ’s parables about lost things teach us about God’s love, our individual worth, and not judging others unrighteously.”
Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2012 general conference, said,
None Are So Lost
“If for any reason you … have lost your way, then you need only apply the Savior’s teachings from Luke, chapter 15, to correct your course. … Why did Jesus teach these parables? He wanted us to know that none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot find our way again through His Atonement and His teachings.”
*FROM THE LESSON
Suggested Lesson Development
Invite a child to give the opening prayer.
Attention Activity Share with the children a time when you or someone you know lost something valuable and then found it again. Describe for the children the value of the item, how you felt about losing it, what you did to find it, and how you felt when it was recovered. If appropriate, you could bring the object to show to the class.
Ask the children to relate any incidents in their lives when they lost something valuable and found it again.
PICTURES. (see pictures in “The Lost” article (HERE)
Scripture Accounts Using the pictures at appropriate times, teach the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. (For suggested ways to teach the scripture accounts, see “Teaching from the Scriptures,” p. vii.)
Explain to the children that these parables, just like the parables of the sower and the wheat and the tares, teach an important gospel principle.
Study the following questions and the scripture references as you prepare your lesson. Use the questions you feel will best help the children understand the scriptures and apply the principles in their lives. Reading the references with the children in class will help them gain insights into the scriptures.
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PARABLES
The Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin
• Why was the shepherd so concerned with one sheep out of a hundred or the woman with one coin out of ten? (Luke 15:4, 8.) Explain that the people generally were poor and one coin or sheep was very valuable to them. In the same way, all of Heavenly Father’s children are valuable to him. Why do you think each one of us is valuable to Heavenly Father?
Discussion and Application Questions Lesson 19 The Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin, and the Prodigal Son 64
• Why do you think the sheep got lost? How do you think the coin got lost? How can we or someone we know be lost? Help the children understand that being lost also refers to people who are not obeying the commandments and are doing things that make them unworthy to return to Heavenly Father.
• What did the shepherd do with the lost sheep when he found it? (Luke 15:5.) How did his actions show he loved the sheep? Whom does the shepherd represent? Whom do the sheep represent?
• What did the woman do to find the lost coin? (Luke 15:8.) What has Jesus Christ done to help those who become lost and do not keep the commandments? (D&C 18:10–11.) How can we help those who may be lost?
• What did both the shepherd and the woman do when they found the sheep and the coin? (Luke 15:6, 9.) How would you feel if you had helped someone repent and come back to Jesus Christ?
• Why do you think that heaven and the angels feel joy when someone repents? (Luke 15:7, 10.)
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PARABLE
The Prodigal Son
• What does prodigal mean? (To be wayward and wasteful.) • What did the prodigal son do with his inheritance? (Luke 15:12–13.) What do you think “riotous living” means? Why do you think some people decide to live this way? How do you think the father felt while his son was gone? How would you feel if someone in your family acted like the prodigal son? (Be sensitive to children who might have family members who are not keeping the commandments.)
• What did the prodigal son do to get food when his money ran out? (Luke 15:14–16.)
• What does “when he came to himself” mean? (Luke 15:17.) How do you think the son’s suffering and sadness helped him want to repent?
• Why do you think the son decided to return to his father? (Luke 15:17–19.) What kind of master was his father? (Luke 15:17.)
• How did the father feel when his son came home? (Luke 15:20.) What did he do for his son? (Luke 15:22–24.)
• How did the older son feel when he learned that his younger brother was home? (Luke 15:28–30.) Why is it important to continue to love family members who disobey the commandments?
• What did the father promise the older brother? (Luke 15:31.) What example did the father set of how to treat those who have sinned but have repented? (Luke 15:32.) How do you feel when you see someone repent and turn from wrong to right? How should we treat people who have not kept the commandments but who are sincerely sorry?
