The Lost Coin - Parable of Jesus Sunday School Activity

Parables of Jesus are earthly lessons with heavenly meanings. These lessons not only helped those Jesus was talking to at the time, they can help us on a daily basis.

To go along with the parable about the lost coin, we've come up with a couple of activities for you to do with your Sunday school class.

You can find the parable about the lost coin in Luke 15.

Sunday School Activities

In this first activity, you'll only need three things:

• coins
• white copy paper
• crayons/pencils

Each child will need one sheet of paper. Let each child place a coin under the sheet of paper. Let them use the crayon or pencil to make a stencil of the coin by rubbing the crayon over the coin until you can see the coin design on the paper. On the top of the paper, let the kids write:

The Lost Coin

Luke 15

The kids can take this home as a reminder of how we are to look for that lost person we can tell about our Lord and savior.

 

 

In the second activity, you will need either a real coin or a paper coin you've drawn or printed out. Have the kids close their eyes while you hide the coin in the room. Once you've hidden the coin, tell the kids to find the 'lost' coin.

 

Whichever child finds the coin, let them hide the coin the next time. Continue playing until every child has a chance to hide the coin.

 

 

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Parables of Jesus - The Lost Coin - Sunday School Lessons

Jesus sets example after example for us to follow in the bible. For one, he doesn't avoid sinners or people nobody likes. In this lesson, the people no one likes are tax collectors. In case you didn't know, tax collectors were hated during this time. Many would take more money than they were suppose to from the people just so they could put more money in their own pockets which made them hated.

If you look in Luke 15, the chapter begins with Jesus sitting and eating with sinners and publicans (or tax collectors). The Pharisees and scribes began talking about Jesus saying, "Can you believe Jesus is eating and talking with those sinners?"

Let's think about this for a minute - aren't we all sinners? They had no business judging when they were sinners too, but they did.

This Sunday school lesson begins when Jesus starts telling the parable of the lost coin. You can get the FREE Sunday school lesson about the lost sheep, as well. The lost sheep parable comes just before the lost coin parable in Luke 15. You can use them hand-in-hand or as two separate lessons.

Just this weekend, I told both parables during the same lesson since they express the same point Jesus was trying to make.

Get the FREE lost coin Sunday school activity!

The Parable of the Lost Coin - Sunday School Lesson

This parable is very short. If you have children that can read, have the children turn to the passage in their bibles or have bibles ready for them to read from.

Here is the lesson:

Ask the kids, "Would you want to be around a sinner?"

Wait for answers.

Most kids will respond with the answer - no.

Ask them, "Why wouldn't you want to be around a sinner?"

Wait to hear what the kids will respond.

Now say, "Did you know that you are a sinner?"

This will get their attention. Then, say, "What if no one wanted to be around you? What if no one wanted to talk to you?"

You see, if no one wanted to talk to you, you wouldn't have any friends. You wouldn't have had someone to tell you about Jesus. If you didn't know about Jesus, you wouldn't be here today.

We are sinners because we've all done something that we shouldn't. Maybe we've told a lie. Maybe we've taken something that wasn't ours. Most of us haven't minded our parents at one time or another. What about complaining or griping? Did you know those were sins too?

Philippians 2:14 KJV

¹⁴ Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

We have all complained about something in our life, haven't we?

When the Pharisees and the scribes started to talk about Jesus being around sinners, Jesus said this:

There was a woman who had 10 pieces of silver. If she lost one of those pieces, wouldn't she light a
candle, sweep the house and keep looking for it until she found it?

Think about this for a minute - If you had 6 puppies and one got lost, wouldn't you want to look for it? You may even have called your grandparents or your friends and told them one of your puppies was missing.

You would look and look and look and look some more.

When you found it, wouldn't you tell all of your friends or grandparents that you found it? You would be so happy and want them to be happy with you, right?

That is exactly what the woman did in this parable of Jesus.

She looked until she found it. Then, she called her friends and neighbors together to rejoice with her.

What This Teaches Us

This parable was told to help us understand that we are to talk to those who need to hear about Jesus. We are to spread his word.

At the end of the parable, Jesus concludes...

There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.

Whenever someone gives their life to the Lord (is saved), the angels rejoice in heaven. Imagine, for any of those who have asked Jesus to be their Savior, the angels in heaven were rejoicing with you!

If we don't tell others (sinners) about Jesus, how will they ever know.

We need to spread God's word to whoever we can and then, if they accept Jesus as their Savior, we can rejoice with them along with all of the angels in heaven!



Photo of puppy was taken by Sigismund von Dobschutz (Wikimedia Commons).


 

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Parables of Jesus - One Lost Sheep - FREE Sunday School Lesson

A parable is a earthly story with a heavenly meaning. Jesus used parables to help get his point across. In one parable of Jesus, he talks about one lost sheep.

This is a great story for all ages to help them understand the importance of trying to find that one person who needs to come to Jesus.

The parable begins when the church leaders start to talk bad about Jesus. Why were they talking bad about him?

Jesus was eating and talking with sinners (which we all are) and tax collectors. Tax collectors were hated during this time because many of them took more money from the people than they were suppose to.

The point of this Sunday school lesson and this parable is to help the kids understand the importance of bringing people to Christ. If we don't tell people about Jesus, who will?

Just as Jesus' disciples spread the word of God, we too should tell as many people about him as we can.

This Sunday school lesson can be found in Luke 15: 1-7 KJV.

You can start your lesson by having the kids turn to the verses in the bible. If they are old enough, let them read along with you. It is good practice to show the kids that the bible stories you teach are found in the bible and where.

Parable of Jesus - One Lost Sheep

Jesus told this parable to the church leaders who were saying bad things about him spending time with the sinners and tax collectors.

The parable of Jesus began with a question to the leaders. It went like this...

If you had 100 sheep and one got lost, which one of you wouldn't leave the 99 sheep and go out to look and find the one lost sheep?

When you find the lost sheep, wouldn't you put it on your shoulders and rejoice (be happy) because you found it?

Then, when you got back home, wouldn't you call all your neighbors and friends and say, "Rejoice, with me. I have found my one lost sheep?"

Just as you would be happy about your one lost sheep, all of heaven will rejoice when one sinner turns to God (repents)? They will be more happy that the one comes to God than 99 people who do not need to repent.

You see, Jesus wants us to go looking for that one lost sheep.

Of course, this doesn't mean that we are to go buy a bunch of sheep and wait until one gets lost so we can find it.

In the bible, the Lord is called the Shepherd and we (people) are the sheep.

Psalm 23

The Lord is our shepherd; I shall not want.

For very small children, have them learn the first part of this verse. For older kids, have them learn the whole verse and discuss what it means to 'not want' (more on that below).

If you are teaching teens, have them learn the whole 23 Psalm. Maybe even offer them a prize for whoever can recite it the following week. It doesn't have to be a big prize - a bag of chips, a pack of gum, a sucker or even a book mark.

Not only does this verse give us the assurance that the Lord being our shepherd will find us if we are lost, it shows us that he will provide. We do not need to want things. He will give us what we need.

As part of his flock, we are to search for those people (or sheep) who do not know him as their savior. We are to tell them how much Jesus loves them and wants to be a part of their lives.

What We've Learned

From this parable of Jesus, we learn that we are to go looking for that lost sheep, or friend that doesn't now about him.

We can pray for them. We can invite them to church or Sunday school. If your parents can, how about picking them up and bringing them with you. Maybe their parents will start coming if their children do.

If you have youth meeting or VBS, invite them to that as well.

This week, tell the kids it is their job to be a shepherd and look for one lost sheep to tell about Jesus or invite to church. As a Sunday school teacher, do the same. It's not good enough to tell the kids what they should do. We have to set the example and invite someone too.

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One Lost Sheep Coloring Page - Sunday School Coloring Pages

Jesus' parable about 'one lost sheep' explains that when one person is lost, he needs to be found. While the parable is using an earthly story to explain the importance of leaving 99 sheep to find the one lost sheep, the heavenly meaning behind the parable is much deeper.

The deeper meaning is so that we can understand that when one lost person is brought to Christ, the heavens rejoice! Imagine playing a part in all of heaven rejoicing!

Each day, we go about our busy lives and think only about the tasks at hand.

As Sunday school teachers, we may think about getting our Sunday school lesson ready for the following week or maybe even about what snacks we are going to serve.

But, guess what.

These things aren't nearly as important as spreading God's word and looking for that one 'lost sheep' that God is waiting for to join his flock.

It is our job as Christians and as Sunday school teachers to go looking for that one 'lost sheep' and teach our class to do the same.

Below is a coloring sheet with the words "ONE LOST SHEEP' written on the side. Have the kids color the page and take it home.

Tell them to hang it somewhere they will be able to see it every day.

If they hang it on their door, they will be reminded to talk to someone about Jesus each day. If they hang in over their bed, they will be reminded to pray for someone each night.

Make sure to encourage them to move the sheep around the house to keep reminding them of their job for Christ - finding the lost and leading them to salvation!

Sunday School Coloring Page

The Sunday school coloring page below can be colored and left as is or use your imagination and let them cut it out and paste it on a colorful sheet of paper. Maybe even let them add cotton balls to the sheep. If you don't mind a mess, let them use glitter!

Let the kids have fun as they will hopefully use it as a reminder for a long time to find the 'lost sheep'.

Find more Coloring Pages for Sunday School!

I found this great site that offers amazing ideas for the lesson of One Lost Sheep.
I hope you like it!

Click for more FREE "One Lost Sheep" material!

 

 



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Christian Fiction Books - Books for Kids

Christian fiction books are hard to come by for kids, middle grades, and young teens nowadays. There are quite a few Christian fiction books on the market for adults, but don't our kids need Christian books too?

Author, Annette Phillips, has released her latest Christian fiction book - Hidden Arrows.

She has written it with boys and girls in mind ages 9 to 13 years. While there is a boyfriend/girlfriend plot between the two main characters, Kenton and Anali, the book doesn't focus fully on this instead it is packed full of mystery and adventure and how the two must work together to solve the mystery.

Kids will love how the story keeps rolling from beginning to end with very little down time. For kids who don't like scary mysteries, I can assure you this one is not scary at all. It leans more toward adventure with a bit of a mystery threw into the mix.

Here is the book details as described by the author:

For as long as Kenton can remember, his parents have pushed him and his older brother into a life of all basketball, all the time. But that changes when Kenton stumbles into a series of mysterious grave robberies. He, with the help of a Cherokee girl named Anali, discovers that life can be dangerous if you choose the wrong path.

 

Kenton finds himself talking to God after experiencing Anali's faith, and in the end discovers that choosing to go the distance for his troubled brother after being told to 'let it go' saves his entire family.


Even though the story talks about basketball and how his parents push him and his brother into it, there is very little basketball related parts. Although, boys and girls who love basketball will appreciate how its intertwined within the books pages.

You can pick up "Hidden Arrows" available now on Amazon. You can also find more Annette Phillips' books by clicking here.


 

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The Love of God - Sunday School Coloring Page

The love of God goes far beyond what we feel sitting in the church pew. God's love is all around us. It's in the wind that blows, the trees that grow, the flowers that bloom, the sun that warms us. God's love is endless and all we need to do is look around.

When talking about God's love with your Sunday school class, be sure to talk about all the things God made because he loves us.

Ask the kids to name some things God made.

Wait for answers.

If no one says, "God made me!", be sure to talk about it. Go through the kids in your class and say each of their names (example: God loves Landon. God loves Summer. God loves Avery.)

You can then talk about God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die on the cross for our sins. He died so that one day we can go to heaven to live forever!

The Love of God Sunday School Coloring Page

You can use this as a plain coloring page or you can use it as a craft too. After the kids color the letters J-E-S-U-S, let them cut them out and glue them to construction paper. Have some confetti and tissue paper available for the kids to decorate the rest of the page.

When the kids are done, they can give it to someone special especially if it is on Valentine's Day.

Find more Sunday School Coloring Pages!

 

 

Bonus Craft Ideas!!

 

Great to give on Valentine's Day or hang in their bedroom!

 

 

"Jesus Loves Me" Picture Frame Magnet Craft Kit (makes 12)

Set of 6 JESUS Loves Me VELVET DIY Coloring POSTER 6" X 9", EACH with 6 Markers

 

 

 

Note: Letters used in coloring page was designed by coloringbuddymike.

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The Love of God Sunday School Activity - Great for Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is right around the corner. With the thoughts of love in the air, why not teach your kids about the love of God and what it means to them?

God's love is like no other love in the world.

In fact, God's love is so great he sent his only begotten son to die on the cross for our sins so that we could one day go to heaven to live with him forever.

Jesus loves us so much that he willingly died on the cross for our sins.

What an amazing kind of love!

And take a second to 'Like' this inspiring Facebook page! 

Bonus Idea: Gift for your Class

I also found these amazing little hearts you can hand out to your class and instead of throwing them away like they would paper Valentine cards, they can plant them. Give each child two or three of these little hears along with a small pot and a bit of potting soil in a baggie.

When the kids get home, they can plant the hearts and watch them grow!!

54 Plantable Teeny Heart Seed Shapes

The Love of God Sunday School Activity

Below are three different Sunday school activities. The first is for older kids, the second for elementary kids, and the bottom one is for small children.

If you'd like, print off the top one for the adults in your church and let them work it out!

Tip: Since you know the answer, you can always fill in the numbers before handing out the puzzles if you feel they are too hard.

Adult and Teen Puzzle

This one is pretty tough.

If needed, the bible verse is listed at the top of the printout.

John 15:13 KJV

The puzzle is titled: Love of a Lifetime

The answer is:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Elementary Puzzle

The puzzle answer is:



We love him, because he first loved us.

1 John 4:19 KJV

Young Children Puzzle

There is a question at the top of the puzzle.

It asks, "Who loves you?"

The kids must figure out the puzzle to see who loves them.

The answer:

Jesus loves me!

Kids can also color in the letters at the top.

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Palm Sunday Maze - Sunday School Activities

Palm Sunday
Photo Courtesy of Randi Hausken

Palm Sunday comes but once a year. While many children's favorite holiday is Christmas, Easter is my daughter's favorite and has been for years. Now, you are probably thinking she likes it because of the Easter Bunny.

That couldn't be further from the truth.

In fact, it is Easter as a whole. She loves the new life spring brings along with the promise of knowing that all the things that were either dormant or appearing to be 'dead' through the winter, will once again become alive again.

She associates this with the savior's death, burial, and his coming to life again!

After all, isn't that what Easter is about?

Our Savior dying for us and being ALIVE again!!

When teaching your class on Palm Sunday and it's mark on the Savior's trip to the cross, be sure to stress that although it was a sad time, the best is yet to come!!

Reassure your class that even though Jesus' ride into Jerusalem leads him to the cross, he doesn't stay there.

He arose from the dead and lives forever in heaven. This is a great time to talk about how they can live forever in heaven with him if only they ask him to be their savior.

While many young children won't fully understand, this will help plant a seed for their future. They will begin to ask questions and learn more about becoming a child of God.

Palm Sunday Maze

The first Palm Sunday maze is for older kids and the second one can be used for smaller children.

 

In this maze, the kids help the donkey get to Jesus who is

standing in the middle of the maze.

If kids prefer, they can start in the middle with Jesus and

make their way outward to the donkey.

 

This maze is for younger kids. They can help the donkey find Jesus in the middle or

help Jesus get to the donkey whichever they prefer.

 

Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

 

 

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Easter Coloring Pages - Sunday School Coloring Pages

Easter Coloring Pages
Photo courtesy of McKay Savage

Yes, I know that it is still January when this is being posted, but I can't stop thinking about Easter. For one, we have had zero degree weather and are expecting snow with more frigid temperatures.

I think not only am I looking forward to the warmer weather that Easter brings, I am also looking forward to that time in Sunday school where I get to share the good news - He isn't here. He is risen!!

Praise God!!! Hallelujah!!!!

As you'll see in the Easter coloring page below, Jesus isn't hanging on the cross.

Do you know why?

To put it simply - He isn't there.

How different would it have been if Jesus had remained on the cross?

I don't ever want to imagine that. Our heavenly Father above had a much better plan than that. What was it?

Jesus arose from the dead and lives today in heaven! For those who have asked Jesus to be their savior, they will also live forever in heaven!

I thank God that I am one of those who have asked Jesus to save me. I will never have to worry again what comes after death. I know - eternal life.

This Easter, spread the good news - He is Risen!!!

Free Easter Coloring Pages

In this first coloring page, kids can color the letters of the bible verse, then cut out the letters and glue them onto a piece of colored construction paper. Pastel colors work nice. You may also want to use glue sticks so the glue will dry faster.

 

For smaller children, let them cut out each word while older kids can cut out each letter. This makes for a great craft the kids can take home and talk to their family about.

 

It is hard to tell in the picture below, but the verse is Matthew 28:6 which says, He is not here; for he is risen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Easter Bulletin Board Ideas

Decorate an Easter Bulletin Board!!

 

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10 Commandments Word Search - Sunday School Activities

10 Commandments Activities
Photo courtesy of Ole Houen

The 10 Commandments Sunday school lesson is one of the most searched for lessons on our site.

It's because of this that we've decided to add an extra Sunday school activity to go along with it - a free word search puzzle!

The word search puzzle below can be printed off and used in your class to supplement the Sunday school lesson or you can use it as a review of the Ten Commandments before class starts.

In our Sunday school class, some kids come ten minutes early while some kids are five minutes late. This leaves time for the kids to either run around and get hyped up or to learn about God.

You only have your class a very short time each week. Use it to teach them as much about God as possible!

Sunday School Activity

Find more Sunday school activities!!

Here is a 10 Commandments Chart for your wall or door. It's great to have in your room so the kids can see it at all times. Be sure to go over each commandment from time to time so the kids don't forget them.

 

 

(Click the image)

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