Lesson 1 - Unconditional Love

Jesus told his friends many parables (stories 
with a special meaning) that still have an important meaning for people today. These stories tend to possess a MORAL (understanding right from wrong choices).
Can you hear the message(s) in the story of The Prodigal Son?

Read the story together and then talk about these questions...

1.) How did you feel about this scripture?

2.) How do you feel about the father, younger son and older son?

3.) What does the story tell you about God's unconditional love?
4.) How might the father's unconditional love for the younger son affect the brother who stayed at home in the future?

Can you complete the sheet below?  If you haven't got access to a printer, just write the answers onto a piece of paper.

Near the beginning of Jesus' ministry, a large crowd had gathered to hear his words, to be encouraged and to learn how to shape their lives for the better. This teaching of Jesus is called the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus went up a hill so that everyone could hear and see him. It also has another name; The Beatitudes.

Take a look at The Beatitudes and discuss these questions:

1. Which one would you like to have/be and why? 

2. Which one would you find hardest and why? 

3. Why should we try and love and our enemies? 

4. Why is it easier to love those who love us and harder to love those whom we think of as enemies? 

5. In what situations have you seen these values/attitudes being shown? 

6. What would our homes, our school and our class be like if we could follow Jesus’ teaching?

Can you create your own Beatitudes for our school?