Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello, everyone! Today we will watch a new Superbook video, “The Prodigal Son.” It is a parable, or short story, that Jesus told to help people understand something very important about God. It’s time to begin our Superbook video and see why Chris’ friend seems to be in trouble! But first, let’s meet a shepherd boy back in Bible times to see if he can keep track of his sheep.

Play Video 2: Chris and Joy’s Dilemma (5 minutes)

Chris and Joy's Dilemma

Chris, Joy and Gizmo don’t know how to help a friend who is running away because he thinks his dad will never forgive him.

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

The SuperTruth for today is: “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.” Let’s have the boys shout it on the count of three; are you ready? 1, 2, 3! “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.”

Very good; now let’s hear the girls: 1, 2, 3! “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.”

God is ready to forgive, no matter what we have done. That gives me a lot of hope; how about you?

Chris’ friend Aaron  is in trouble. Joy believes he should return home, but Chris isn’t so sure. What do you think he should do?

Let’s watch the rest of the video and see what happens!

Play Video 3: Bible Story and Resolution (17 minutes)

Bible Story and Resolution

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to ancient Galilee. Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son—a young man who leaves home for what he thinks is the adventure of a lifetime, only to discover that what he wants most in the world is his father’s love. The children learn about God’s unfailing love and the power of forgiveness.

Play Video 10A: SuperVerse Graphic 1

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 1

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Psalm 86:5:

O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.  

The father in Jesus’ parable was waiting and watching for his long-lost son to return—not to punish him, but to forgive, accept, and welcome him home. Who does this remind you of? God, our heavenly Father.

Yes, God is waiting for us to call upon Him. His love will always be there for us, no matter what happens.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray. Dear heavenly Father, thank You for this wonderful story that shows us Your love and forgiveness. Help us never to forget that we can always run to You, no matter what we have done! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

It is time for our Small Groups, where you will travel on a journey and return home to a celebration! Let’s go!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4-6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

In the Superbook adventure, why did Aaron think he could not return home? He didn’t think his dad could forgive him.

Was this true? No.

How did Aaron’s father respond when he found his son?

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.”

In our game today, you will each have a turn to play the Prodigal Son. You will take your inheritance, waste it all on fun and games, feel sorry for what you’ve done, and go home with nothing. However, you will arrive home to much more—forgiveness and a celebration. Let’s get started!

Divide the children into two equal teams and have them stand single-file behind the starting line, with the box of items between the teams. Give a bag to the first player on each team and start the game. The two players each take five items from the “Inheritance” box and place them in their bags for the journey.

They walk quickly to the “throw line,” take the items from their bags and throw the pieces one at a time into the “Fun and Games” box. To keep the game moving quickly, you may say that all pieces that miss the box should be left where they fall on the floor; OR, if you have more time, you may tell children to keep throwing until each piece lands in the box.

Children then carry their empty bags back “home.” If playing on a clean floor or carpeting, players can make the journey back by “walking” on their knees—symbolizing that they are sorry. If the floor is rough, children should walk on their feet.

Upon returning “home,” players should stand up, hand the bag to the next player, and walk to the end of the team line. On the way, each member gives the player a “high five” while the entire team celebrates by clapping, cheering, then shouting the SuperTruth together. After the celebration, the next player begins the journey. The first team to have all players complete the journey and celebrate wins.

How does it feel to be forgiven?

Yes, one thing we can always be sure of is that our heavenly Father has unfailing love for His children and will always forgive us! Now, let’s learn some more about our Bible story and the father’s forgiveness.

Teaching

Have you ever thought that something you did was unforgivable? Have you ever thought that God couldn’t forgive you?

The truth is that God is always ready and willing to forgive us, even when others may not! Let’s say our SuperTruth together. “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.”

Was the older brother ready to forgive his brother? No!

The older brother was bitter, angry and hurt. He could not understand why his father would not only forgive the other son, but actually celebrate his homecoming!

Have you ever felt resentment or anger toward someone you thought should be punished and instead was forgiven and given a second chance?

Yes, that can be difficult to understand, but the beautiful message of Jesus’ parable today is that God’s love is unfailing and He is always ready to forgive us. Listen to what the Bible tells us about our heavenly Father:

Read Psalm 103:8:

The Lord is compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

Was the older brother compassionate, merciful, loving, and slow to anger?

No, he reacted like we often do, especially when we follow the rules and others don’t, right? I am glad that when I make a mess of my life, God does not treat me like the older brother would—or how I might treat others by being angry instead of forgiving!    

The Prodigal Son would normally have received his inheritance after his father died—yet he demanded his inheritance while his father was alive. That was rude, wasn’t it? By doing that, he was almost telling his father, I wish you were dead! Hold up the bag, shake it, and act like it is heavy to lift.

The father granted his request even though he did not agree with his son. Why would the father do this, knowing it was the wrong choice? The father represents God, who gives everyone a free will. Our free will means that we can choose to trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior and serve Him, or we can choose to go our own way. If we choose to walk away from God, it grieves Him because He loves us and wants only what is good for us. Yet He didn’t pre-program us like robots—He gave us the choice of whether we want to love and serve Him, and He is delighted when we make wise choices.  

The father in our story did not force the son to stay with him. The son left home with his inheritance and traveled to a distant country. He then wasted all of his father’s hard-earned money on foolish living.

Empty the contents of the bag onto the floor and drop the bag to the floor. “Prodigal” can mean extremely wasteful. He didn’t save or invest the money—he totally wasted it! With his inheritance gone, he had to find a job. And the only work he could find was feeding pigs! Jesus was telling this story to Jewish people, who would have been horrified at the idea of that particular job. That’s because pigs were considered unclean animals, so to work with pigs would have been very embarrassing.

So here is the Prodigal Son—dirty, poor and hungry. He was so hungry that even the pigs’ food looked good to him, but no one would give him anything to eat! When he was growing up in his father’s home, he had taken a lot of things for granted—such as food, a roof over his head, clothes, and someone to care about him. Yet he had despised all of that to run away. Suddenly, everything he had taken for granted at home looked very good to him. The Bible says this is when he came to his senses! Now, by the son’s will, free will—he freely chose to return home to his father—it was his choice! The son hoped he might be allowed to work as a servant in his father’s house. Yet he realized that he had acted so selfishly and disrespectfully, perhaps his father would not allow him to return at all, even as a servant.

Optional: Let’s read what happened: Read Luke 15:17–24:

“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’ But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet. And kill the calf we have been fattening. We must celebrate with a feast, for this son of mine was dead and has now returned to life. He was lost, but now he is found.’ So the party began.”

Hold up the welcome mat and place it on the floor in front of you. Much to his amazement, his father welcomed him home—not as a hired servant, but as his dear son! Before the Prodigal Son could say a word, the father hugged and kissed him! Then the son confessed his sin, which was not only against his father but his heavenly Father, God! And what happens when we confess our sins to the Lord?

Read 1 John 1:9:

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

The father told his servants to bring the son a ring, sandals, and a robe; and he called for a celebration feast! This showed the father’s total acceptance and forgiveness, restoring his son as a member of the family again!

Sometimes, when we sin and disobey God, we feel ashamed and think we can never have the relationship again that we had before. But because Jesus paid the price for our sins by dying on the cross, we can be cleansed from our sin and restored to a right relationship with God, our heavenly Father! 

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Now it is time for our Discipleship Challenge that we will work on for all three lessons.

Give each child a pattern for the Superbook Lost and Found Challenge Booklet. Have them fold the booklets and put their names near Gizmo on the front. If you have time, children may color Gizmo, if desired.

Look up the first “Lost and Found Challenge” scripture at home, then fill in the answers to the four questions. If you don’t have a Bible at home to look up the scriptures, I will give you the scriptures on a separate page. Next time, we’ll talk about your answers. 

SuperVerse

Our SuperVerse for today, Psalm 86:5, describes God, our heavenly Father.

O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.

We are His children and He is loving, kind, and ready to forgive. When we come to Him humbly and confess our sins, God wants to wrap His arms around us, forgive us, and make us feel secure in His love and acceptance. This is the kind of heavenly Father we have!

Tell the children to look at the board and say the SuperVerse together twice. Then have them lower their heads and cover their eyes so they cannot see the board. Change three words of the SuperVerse to alter its meaning: 

• Change “good” to “mean.”
• Change “ready” to “slow.”
• Change “love” to “anger.”

Have the children look at the board again and raise their hands to tell you what is wrong with the SuperVerse. As they tell you the correct words, write them on the board to fix the verse. 

Repeat the process and change three more words:

• Change “forgive to “punish.”
• Change “unfailing” to “failing.”
• Change “all” to “some.”  

Let’s shout our SuperVerse together. Psalm 86:5:

O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.

Note: For another SuperVerse activity, see the Additional Activity, “In Order to Forgive.”

Prayer

Who remembers our SuperTruth?

Very good! Let’s say it together as a group: “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.”

Think about the word “always.” What does that mean to you? Every time, at any time, continuously, forever.

How does that make you feel—to know that when you come to God in prayer, He is always there and ready to forgive you?

The father in the video was watching and waiting to forgive his son who had wasted all of his inheritance. Jesus wants us to see our heavenly Father like that—not waiting to punish us or turn us away, but to lovingly forgive us when we sin and to welcome us back with open arms!   

Have children find a place in the room where they can pray alone. Ask each child to think of wrong things they have thought or done that they would like their heavenly Father to forgive. Tell them that we cannot hide anything from God, and He is ready and waiting for us to come to Him so He can forgive us and remove any of the condemnation or shame that we might be feeling.

After a few minutes, close in prayer: Dear God, Help us to always see You as a God and Father who will love us and forgive us no matter what we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Balloon Game

We are going to play a game about how the Prodigal Son received God’s forgiveness. The Prodigal Son realized that he had made an unwise choice and had sinned against his father and God.  

Read Luke 15:20–21:

“So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’”

The son’s actions and earlier attitude displayed many forms of sin: disobedience, pride, greed, and selfishness, to name a few. But, on his way home, the son was met by his father who brought love, compassion and forgiveness to his lost son.   

Divide the children into two equal teams. Have the teams make two single file lines, with players standing about an arm’s length behind each other, and leaving several feet of space between the teams—see illustration. Give a “Sin” balloon to the player at the front of each line. Give a “forgiveness” balloon to the player at the back of each line. Start the game. Without turning around, the first player must toss the “sin” balloon backward over his or her head to the player directly behind. The balloon continues to move backward in this way until it is caught by the player at the back of the line. That player keeps the “Sin” balloon in one hand while using the other hand to toss the “Forgiveness” balloon to the player directly ahead. The “Forgiveness” balloon moves forward until it reaches the player at the front of the line. At the end of the round, the entire team immediately turns around to face the opposite end of the room, and the second round begins. The player who was at the back of the line is now at the front of the line. He/she tosses the “sin” balloon overhead and backward to the player directly behind. Continue with the game as it was played in the first round. The first team to complete both rounds wins.   

Note: If a balloon falls to the ground, the player who was to receive the toss must pick it up and continue play from that point.

That looked like a lot of fun! In our game, when we let go of our sin, what did we receive back on the second balloon? Did it say rejection or punishment? No—Forgiveness!

Yes, God is not eagerly waiting to punish us; He is ready to forgive us. It doesn’t matter what the sin is, our loving heavenly Father is ready to meet us with forgiveness like the father in our Superbook story. Our SuperTruth says: “Our heavenly Father is always ready to forgive.” 

SuperVerse Game

Divide the class into teams of two to four children, depending on class size. Two teams will play at one time. Place the SuperVerse cards on the floor at one end of the room, with the teams standing at the opposite end. Start the time. The first two teams will walk quickly to the pile and sort out the cards into two sets so each team has a complete one. The teams will then each place their cards in the proper order on the floor and shout the SuperVerse together as a team. Use the board to record each team’s time. After both teams’ times have been recorded, have the teams mix up the cards in a pile for the next round. Play additional rounds until all teams have played. The team with the fastest time wins.

Optional: if time permits, play again—each team plays twice—and add the two times for each team together to determine the winner.

Each team was really fast today; great job! Let’s shout out our SuperVerse together. Psalm 86:5:

O Lord, You are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for Your help.

Activity

Do you know what a storyboard is?

It is a series of drawings representing the shots planned for a movie or TV show. Here is an actual storyboard scene that the producers used to make our video today! Show children the storyboard sample. 

Divide the children into groups of three. Try to place an older child in each group. Hand out a pencil and Storyboard Template to each group. Assign the four different patterns—each with a set of three scenes—to the various groups. For larger classes, you may split up the storyboard scenes or assign the same scenes to additional groups. Children should look up and read Luke 15 in their Bibles for additional information.

Today, each group will create a storyboard to illustrate part of our Superbook story about the Prodigal Son. You will draw three parts of your section of the story in the three blocks on your group’s paper. Think of elements of the story you can add, like facial expressions, or work, or motions they might be doing at the time. Consider what each character might be feeling at the time, such as sadness, anger, happiness, or surprise.  

Give groups a set amount of time to brainstorm and draw their sections of the story on the storyboard. Emphasize that this is to be fun; they should not spend a lot of time on detailed drawings. Move around to each group to monitor progress and to give hints and suggestions as needed. After the time has expired, have each group display their storyboard to the class, presenting the entire story in sequence.

Then have each group practice acting out the section of the story they drew, performing it for the class in sequence.

It was interesting to see how you illustrated the story today. Each group did an outstanding job! Our story today shows that we have a loving and forgiving God we can always run to, no matter what is happening in our lives!

Coloring Activity

Do you know what a storyboard is?

It is a series of drawings representing the shots planned for a movie or TV show. Here is an actual storyboard scene that the producers used to make our video today! Show children the storyboard example and briefly discuss the scene.

Today we are going to color in three scenes from our Superbook video.

Pass out the Storyboard Coloring Pages, along with the crayons, washable markers, or colored pencils. Remind the children to put their names on their pictures so they can take them home after class.