Author: Amanda McGarrigle

Year 1 Term 1—God
What do Christians believe God is like?
The Parable of the Lost Son

Background Information
Christians read the Bible as telling a story of the relationship between God the Creator and creation.
Christians use the stories of Jesus in various ways. Jesus’ parables have been a source of comfort, inspiration and challenge for centuries.
Jesus’ parables help people to understand big, difficult concepts by using metaphor. Therefore, they may be harder for pupils to understand fully than some other stories in the Bible.
In the parable, Jesus explains to his listeners what God is like, using a metaphor they would understand: a father who cares for his pupils.

The parable of the Lost Son can be found in
the gospel of Luke (15:11–32).

In this unit the children will…
What is a parable? (T)
What can we learn from the parable of the Lost Son (T)?
What do we know about God as a forgiving Father for Christians? (T)
How do Christians show that they believe that God is loving and forgiving? (I)
How do Christians show what they believe about God in worship? (I)
What can I learn about the parable of the Lost Son for myself? (C)

By the end of this unit….
All children can:
I know what a parable is. (T)
I can tell the story of the Lost Son from the Bible and talk about the idea that God is a forgiving Father for Christians. (T)
Most children will:
I can give some examples of a way in which Christians show that they believe that God is loving and forgiving. (I)
I can give an example of how Christians put their beliefs about God into practice in worship. (I)
Some children will:
I can think, talk and ask questions about whether I can learn anything from the story for myself, exploring different ideas. (C)

Look at art from The Lost Son. (see resources UE)
Tell the parable—reflect on forgiveness in their lives.
Explore the different perspectives in the parable.
Explore God as a loving parent—how do Christians respond to this?
How Christians use prayer to worship God?
How does it feel to forgive and be forgiven?

Key Vocabulary
Parable : a special story that Jesus told to teach his followers something new.
Pray : talking to God.
Forgive: accepting an apology and letting go of angry feelings.
(UE—Understanding Christianity RE Syllabus)