First Thoughts: The concept of shepherding is likely to be unfamiliar to many children who don't have regular exposure to farm life. (It's likely to be unfamiliar to many adults as well!) For this lesson we want to focus on how trustworthy Jesus is as our shepherd. Since Jesus' words come from God, we can be sure that Jesus' voice is always leading us in the direction of our greatest safety, health, and happiness. Therefore we know we are hearing and following Jesus' voice by the fruit we see in our lives. If we find that every day we become a little more peaceful, a little kinder, a little more joyful, it's clear that we're on the right path. Spend a few moments examining the trajectory of your own life. Are you able to see an increase in the fruits of the spirit? Are you aware of areas in your life where it seems difficult or even impossible to hear Jesus' voice? Carry your reflections with you in a time of prayer.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey everybody, see what I have here? I never leave home without this bag. It has all my essentials in it. (takes things out) See? I have my wallet so I can keep my money with me. That way if I get hungry I can buy some food. I have a soft fuzzy blanket. So if I get tired I have something warm to snuggle with. And... well... (digs around, reluctant to share) I have my teddy bear. My mom gave it to me when I was little. I like to keep it around in case I get scared. I've thought of everything, right? Hey, just like a shepherd. What do you know about shepherds? They take care of sheep, don't they? That's right. And a shepherd makes sure he has everything the sheep could possibly need to be healthy and safe.
In our passage today Jesus tells us that he is our shepherd. So if Jesus is our shepherd, what does that make us? Sheep! That means Jesus always has us on his mind and is always looking out for us and making sure we're all right. Hey, do you think a shepherd would make sure the sheep have enough to eat and a nice place to sleep? Do you think the shepherd would help the sheep feel better if the sheep was really scared? I think a shepherd would be particularly good at that. If Jesus is my shepherd, maybe I don't need this bag so much anymore. What do you think?
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 has the bag)
Leader 1: Hey (name), why do you have that bag with you?
Leader 2: It has all my essentials in it. I never leave home without it!
Leader 1: Oh yeah? Well, what do you have in there?
Leader 2: (digs around, brings out wallet) I have my wallet so I can keep my money with me. That way if I get hungry I can buy some food.
Leader 1: That makes sense.
Leader 2: And I have a soft fuzzy blanket. So if I get tired I have something warm to snuggle with.
Leader 1: Yeah. That's a good idea too.
Leader 2: And... well... (digs around, reluctant to share)
Leader 1: Yes?
Leader 2: I have my teddy bear.
Leader 1: A teddy bear? What does that do for you?
Leader 2: My mom gave it to me when I was little. I like to keep it around in case I get scared.
Leader 1: You've thought of everything, just like a shepherd.
Leader 2: A shepherd? What do you mean?
Leader 1: A shepherd takes care of sheep and makes sure he has everything the sheep could possibly need to be healthy and safe. You know, in our passage today Jesus tells us that he is our shepherd.
Leader 2: If Jesus is our shepherd, then that would make us sheep, right?
Leader 1: You've got it, which means that Jesus always has us on his mind and is always looking out for us and making sure we're all right.
Leader 2: (looks through things) Do you think a shepherd would make sure the sheep have enough to eat and a nice place to sleep?
Leader 1: Absolutely.
Leader 2: Do you think the shepherd would help the sheep feel better if the sheep was really scared?
Leader 1: Yes, I think a shepherd would be particularly good at that.
Leader 2: If Jesus is my shepherd, maybe I don't need this bag so much anymore.
Leader 1: Hey, you may be right!
Closing Prayer: Thank you, God, for being our shepherd, giving us what we need to live, giving us what we need to rest, and for being with us in the sunshine and in the darkness. We are your sheep and we trust in you. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: A great way to reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment it to spend more time thinking about what it means to be God's sheep. In the passage today Jesus says that the sheep trust the shepherd and that they recognize the shepherd's voice. Ask the children to share which voices they think they would be able to recognize. A parent's or grandparent's? A best friend's? A teacher's? Try playing a game in which one child tries to recognize the voice of his or her classmates. Have the guesser turn around while other children take turns disguising their voice. Recognizing someone's voice isn't just about the way a voice sounds, but also what the voice is saying. A voice might sound like a parent. But if the words are mean, we know it's not the real voice of our parent. Jesus tells us he is our shepherd and we will know his voice. So ask the children to think of the kind of things Jesus would say to us. Ask them also to think of things Jesus wouldn't say. If we tell the difference between what Jesus would and wouldn't say, then we can also know that anytime we hear words that hurt us they are not the voice of Jesus, and we don't need to listen to them.
For an activity, you might introduce the children to another lectionary passage for this Sunday, Acts 2:42-47. This passage gives us an idea of what it means to be part of Jesus' "flock." In the early church everybody knew they belonged to the same family as followers of Christ, so they didn't fight over things or hoard things for themselves. Instead they shared everything in common. If someone had more than they needed, they would offer it to someone else. If someone needed more than they had, they only had to ask for it. To illustrate this you can pass out sealed paper bags to each child. Some have three cookies in them, some have two, some have one, and some have none. Ask the children to open the bags. What are they going to do with these cookies? What would they do if one of them was a wolf, for example? (grab and eat all the cookies at once) But if we're God's sheep, and we're all part of the same flock, what do we do? Close your time in prayer.
