This prayer idea comes from the first chapter of The Lord’s Prayer Unplugged. In this chapter, on ‘Our Father in heaven’, you’ll also find a retelling of the parable of the Lost Son (based around a sausage??!!).
Get set
You’ll need a Bible or children’s version of the parable of the Lost Son (Luke 15)
Go!
Remind the children of the parable of the Lost Son.
Ask them to imagine that they are the boy who has come home to his dad, and it’s the moment in the story when the dad gives him a big hug and welcomes him back home.
Ask them to imagine the father turning to smile at them and asking, ‘What did you miss most about being with me?’
Ask the children what they might say. Turn any suitable answers into a prayer thanking God for these wonderful things that we enjoy about being with him.
For example:
Thank you Father God for the way I can talk to you about anything and everything.
Thank you Father God for the way you give me a big family to look after me.
Thank you for giving me clothes to wear and food to eat that’s NOT pigswill!
Etc.
You could follow this up by singing Father God I wonder (MP 128)