Inspire (for parents)

My dear friend, Lauri, became a widow at a very young age and was left to raise her two sons alone. She often worried about her boys and wondered if what she had to offer was enough. She recognized the importance of a man’s influence in the lives of her sons and knew that without one there was the potential for problems. She knew they needed the kind of wisdom and loving protection that comes from a father.

It was at those times she turned to her heavenly Father, who gently reminded her that He is still very present in her boys’ lives. He is the Father to the fatherless, and He loves her boys even more than she can. He can and will fill the gaps.

Now, in the moments when Lauri feels she is parenting alone, she knows to direct her boys to look to Jesus to better know their heavenly Father. In John 14:7, Jesus tells us, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” He goes on to say in verse 9, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” What things do we see in Jesus that help us know His

Father? Love, compassion, humility, patience, long-suffering, mercy, gentleness, kindness, prayerfulness, obedience, joy, peace, sensitivity to others, and strength. Jesus’ entire life on earth was a mirror of His Father’s attributes, and He wants nothing more than for us to know Him and love Him.

As Lauri’s oldest son heads off to college, the Father’s influence is apparent all over him—because he has chosen to live a life that reflects Jesus, and through Jesus he has known His Father.

by Debbie Guinn

Equip (for parents)

Equip is additional background information that will help you introduce this Scripture passage to your children this week.

It is important to Jesus that we know His Father. In the parable of the prodigal son, Jesus spoke of customs, inheritance, and possession of property, with which the listening Jews would have been familiar. The son requested his inheritance from his living father—an action that seems mildly insulting to those in our culture but would actually have been wildly offensive to those listening to Jesus. By asking for his share of the inheritance before his father’s death, the son was, in effect, saying he wished his father was dead!

The father’s decision to grant his son’s request was irrevocable and affected the entire family’s financial future from that point forward. Most likely, the son’s inheritance was property. The son further insulted his father by transferring the property he received into cash, which he quickly squandered. By doing this, he ignored any claim his father had on the property, and he violated Jewish Law by failing to honor his parents with the ability to sustain them in their old age.

Even without the knowledge of these cultural implications, we can still understand the shamefulness of the son’s request. But, knowing these implications, we understand that his request was even more grievous than we might have thought and the father’s actions even more incredibly gracious.

Through this parable, Jesus revealed many things about His Father: He is abundantly loving, giving, gracious, and forgiving. He revealed that no matter how sinful the sinner, the heavenly Father pours out love and forgiveness to the sinner who repents and returns home.

Support (for parents & kids)

One night this week, choose to save your after-dinner dessert for a special celebration. JUST FOR FUN, send your children off to hide somewhere after dinner. Let them know they should hide until you call them. While they’re gone, set the table with a fun dessert. Let a little suspense build before you call them back. As they join you, celebrate with clapping and cheering; then enjoy eating dessert together. After the celebration, tell them you’re going to read a part of The Big God Story about a boy who had been lost. When he returned home, his father called for a celebration.

Read Luke 15:11–32 together and ask your children what they think about the father’s response to his son. Ask them how they think the father felt about his son’s request. What did the son say to his father when he came home? Share with your kids that this is how God, our heavenly Father, feels about us.

Remind your children that what they just heard is part of The Big God Story in the Bible. Let them know that in church this week they will learn more about how Jesus wants us to know His Father.

WHAT THINGS DO WE SEE IN JESUS THAT HELP US KNOW HIS FATHER?

REMEMBER VERSE

Getting StartedScripture: Luke 15:11–32 (Prodigal Son)

Main Point: Jesus Wants Us to Know the Father

This resource is designed to allow your family to

have time in God’s Word before your children

attend church. Because God’s plan is for parents to

be the primary spiritual nurturers of their children’s

faith, we know that as you grow spiritually, your

children will grow spiritually as well.

3.7

© 2012 David C. Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children’s ministry leaders. All rights reserved.

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“How awesome is

the Most High,

the great King over

all the earth!” Psalm 47:2