Day
5
Good
Shepherd
The
Jews gathered around Him, saying, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If
you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
Jesus
answered, I did tell you, but you do not
believe. The miracles I do in My Father’s name speak for Me, but you do not
believe because you are not My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice; I know them,
and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no
one can snatch them out of My hand.” John 10:24-28 NIV®
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“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred
sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the
hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell
you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine
that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing
that any of these little ones should be lost.” Matthew 18:12-14 NIV®
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Memory
Verse: “In the same way your Father in
heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.” Matthew
18:14 NIV®
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Discussion
Example:
Say,
“The Jews and other people in the area had heard of all the miracles Jesus had
done. He had just healed a blind man, but they doubted and wanted some proof
that He was Christ, the Savior, who had been promised to them in the Old
Testament.
“Jesus
who is also known as The Good Shepherd, tells them that the miracles are proof
enough, because He does them in the name of God, His Heavenly Father. They still don’t hear what He is saying. He was telling them they don’t listen, because they are not
His sheep which means His followers. Christ tells them that if they were His
sheep, they would follow Him, and He would know they were His followers and
would have eternal life in heaven with Him. Also, Jesus said that if they were
truly His followers, no one can snatch them away.
“The
other passage is a story or parable that Jesus told about a sheep owner that had
a hundred sheep but looked and looked for the one sheep that got lost. When he
found it, he was happier about finding that one lost sheep than all his other
sheep. Jesus was telling us that God the Father is happy too when one of His
followers returns, because He is not willing to lose any of His followers. He
wants them all to have eternal life with Him in Heaven someday.”
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Arts
and Crafts Example:
You
will need a piece of black paper, white poster paint or acrylic paint in a
container, cotton balls, a clothes pin, and a Q tip for each child.
Say,
“The cotton balls in this project and the cotton on the tip of the Q-tip are to
remind of being one of Christ’s sheep. We are going to put the cotton ball into
the clothes pin [demonstrate how] and dip it in the white paint. Rub the cotton ball against the inside of the
container, so you don’t dribble paint.
“You
will take your cotton ball and clothes pin to dab circles in groups on the
black paper to represent a sheep. When you have enough, take the Q-tip to dip
into the paint to paint the head and legs on your sheep.
“We
are all sinful human beings, but Jesus wants all of His sheep to have salvation
with Him someday in heaven.”
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Science
Example:
Each
group will need a piece of waxed paper and a bottle. Say, “Put the bottle on the waxed paper. What
is happening to the bottle?” They will most likely say, “Nothing, because the
bottle isn’t moving.” Explain that the bottle isn’t moving because of Inertia.
Ask,
“What is you Hypothesis about what will happen to the bottle if you pull the
waxed paper?” Listen to all of their Hypotheses. After they do the experiment
have them share all their findings.
Explain,
“That when you pulled the wax paper, you created a force. It takes a force to
overcome inertia. In that same way, if we are making poor choices and never
make any changes, we might continue to make poor choices. When we love Christ,
He is that powerful force that makes positive changes in our lives. Of course,
we sometimes slip back into old patterns, but we are His sheep and He doesn’t
want us to stray. If we pray and ask Jesus to forgive us, He surely will.”
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Game
Example:
You
need a squishy ball like a Nerf ball or a partially deflated ball. Have the
kids bunched together in what will later be a circle. We are going to play: Come
Join My Flock. Say, “You are sheep wandering around in the middle, but
don’t know where your Shepherd is. Whoever has the ball will be the Shepherd
and will throw it at the sheep in the middle saying, “Come Join My Flock.”
When someone gets tapped by the ball, they bring the ball back and they will be
the next Shepherd. I will be the first Shepherd and we will continue until all
the sheep are part of the flock, because God doesn’t want any of His sheep
lost.
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