Leader Guide
Object Lesson
- Bibles or the Superbook Bible App
- Box
- Cloth to cover the box
- Marker
- Various items that your students routinely use and would be sorry to lose, such as a coin, hat, ball, purse, bracelet, ring, necklace, wallet, book bag, etc. If playing the game at the end, have at least one object per child
Label the box “Lost and Found” in large letters.
Place the various items in the box and cover it with a lid or a cloth.
Place the covered box behind you.
We have been discussing two parables about the lost son and the lost sheep. Jesus told three parables about something that was lost. Would you like to guess what the other story is about?
Read Luke 15:8–10:
8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it?9 And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.’10 In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Even though the woman still had nine coins remaining, the one lost coin was valuable to her. She could not wait until the morning light to look for it! She lit a candle and searched the entire house at night until the coin was found. She then celebrated with her friends and neighbors! Like the other parables, Jesus told this story to illustrate how important every person is to God!
Have you ever lost something that was valuable to you?
Ask children to name things that they’d lost and to share if or how they found it.
Sometimes we cannot relax or sleep because we just cannot forget about what we lost!
During your search for the lost item, did you return to a place, like church or school, where you used the item, and ask if anyone had found it?
Display the lost and found box. Did they have something like this?
How did you feel when you started to look through the lost items—were you excited and hopeful?
Yes—and if you found the item—you most likely couldn’t wait to tell your family and friends who had been searching for your lost item, too! Finding something valuable to you is exciting! Now, imagine the joy in heaven as God and the angels celebrate when someone who is lost is now found!
Optional game: Let’s play a game where I’ll name an item, and you can each take a turn feeling inside the box to try to find the lost item. Cover the box with the cloth and hold it up high so children cannot see inside. Allow each child to take a turn finding a lost item.