Week 4
15 Minute Bible Study
Amy-Jill Levine, a Jewish scholar of the New Testament, has argued that this parable and its siblings before it (Luke 15.3-10) are about remembering to count. Read the three parables just before this one. The shepherd and the woman remember to count, and therefore remember to seek for what was lost. The prodigal father (look up prodigal in the dictionary to see why the adjective fits him too!) though forgets to count his oldest son and therefore risks losing him. When do we remember or forget to count? Who do we remember or forget to count?
Fun Stuff for Individuals
Get out your Lent Box
calendar. Move the
stone or object you are
using to mark your
journey. Trace your
finger along the path
starting with the outside
and moving inward. Pray
for the people you
interacted with today,
the people you talked to,
the people you saw on
the news or tv. Pray for
those who have impacted
you on your journey.
If you haven't done so already consider coloring in your calendar. Choose colors to suit the mood of your Lent thus far. Allow yourself to relax into God's love as your hands color!
Fun Stuff for Families and kids
Create a piece of cross art together. Use painter's tape to block off a cross shape. Together as a family scribble, draw or color in in the blank spaces. We rotated a small drum around the family. We drummed in different ways (fast, slow, scratching fingers over surface of the drum) and encouraged coloring to match the sound. You could also encourage mark making with the following prompts: big lines, small lines, fast lines, slow lines, sharp lines, soft lines. Peel off the tape at the end to reveal your cross. Older children may enjoy this art activity. Consider choosing particular stories from the newspaper to watercolor. Pray for the people involved in those stories as you paint. (Supply notes: for cross art: sturdy paper, painters tape, crayons or markers, a drum. For newspaper art: Newspaper, watercolors, brushes, heart template, watercolor postcards or paper, scissors, rubber cement.
Act out the story of the prodigal son as a family. Use props and/or make a video if you'd like!
