Based on Luke 15:1-2, 11-32

Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. Many of the religious leaders were complaining because Jesus was befriending these people—even eating with them! So one day Jesus told the religious leaders this story:

There was once a man who had two sons. One day the younger son asked his father, “Father, give me my share of your estate now before you die.” So his father agreed and gave him his share. A few days later the younger son packed his belongings and went to a distant land. He lived a wild life, and soon had spent all his money. About the same time, a horrible famine came to the land, and the son began to starve. He finally found a job feeding pigs, but he didn’t make enough money to feed himself. He became so hungry that even the pig food began to look good to him! One day, he came to his senses. He said to himself, “At home even the servants have enough to eat, and I’m here dying of hunger! I’ll go home to my father and beg his forgiveness. I’ll ask him to take me as a servant.”

So he returned home to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love, the father ran to his son and embraced him. His son said, “Father, I have sinned against both you and God, and I’m not worthy to be called your son.” But his father said to the servants, “Quick, bring the finest clothes to put on him. And let’s have a huge feast for him! It was like my son was dead, but now he’s alive. He was lost, but now he’s found!”

Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard the sounds of the feast in the house, and asked one of the servants what was happening. “Your brother is back,” the servant said, “and we’re celebrating!” The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out to beg him to join the celebration. But the older brother said, “I’ve been working for you all these years, and you never gave me a feast. Now this disloyal son of yours comes home, and you give him a feast!” The father said to his older son, “Son,

you have been with me, and everything I have has always been yours. But we have to celebrate because your brother was lost, but now he is found! It is like he has come back to life!”

Drawing Elements: Father, Son, Path, Sin, Embraced, Plenty Path – The son leaves and then returns Sin – Represents the son’s wild life, the area around sin is left blank to represent the famine and emptiness of life Embraced – Father and son together when son returns Plenty – Represents the fullness of life with father