Open The Gospel – 14 September: Trinity 13, Luke 15.1–10

Reading: Luke 15.1–10

All the tax-collectors and sinners were coming near Jesus to listen to him. ²And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, ‘This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.’

So he told them this parable: ⁴‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? ⁵When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. ⁶And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” ⁷Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who need no repentance.

‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” ¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’

Things to think about with the child at the centre:

Activities

Activity sheets like these ones available for the parables Lost Coin and Lost Sheep
Have a Sheep Hunt around the church – hide sheep cut-outs all around the space and see how many you can find!

Response

Can you remember a time when you lost something important to you? How did you feel? WHat did you do to try to find it?

What about losing someone? Perhaps an older person might remember a time when they thought they’d lost a child, or when they were a child and got lost? How scary was that?
Imagine that God loves you even more than you love your family – how would God react if God thought you were lost? What lengths would God go to to find you again? That’s actually what happened – God, in the human form of Jesus, comes to find us when we are lost, and show us where God is and how to find our way back again. Its why people who met him often described him as “The Way” and themselves as “Followers of The Way” – if you were lost and someone wanted to show you the way back to the safety of home and family, you’d go with them! Jesus says “Come with me… I’ll show you the way”

Prayer

Give everyone a chocolate coin to hold

Like each coin, everyone in the world is valuable, special and important. Pray for someone who needs to feel that value, maybe because they aren’t feeling well, or because they are being treated unfairly, or because they are under threat.
You are a special person too! Like this coin is a gift to you, you can be a gift to others. Pray that God will help you know how you can help at home, in the community, at work or school, to others who might not even know you yet,
The story tells us about lost things, and makes us think about those who might seem lost to God. Pray for people who don’t know Jesus – that they might discover his love and “The Way” to the kingdom of God through Him.