Opening Activity

Have one of the children dress up and pretend to be a sheep.
Teacher: Hi Sufu, why are you sleeping? It’s time for Sunday school. You look tired? Did you get enough rest?
Sufu: No. I stayed with Pamba’s flock last night.
Teacher: Oh that explains it. Pamba doesn’t have a good shepherd like you. Her shepherd lets her stay up all night long if she wants. The sheep in her flock are noisy, fighting and angry most of the time.
Sufu: Yes
Teacher: Her shepherd forgets about the sheep and doesn’t care that they are fighting and angry. Aren’t you glad you have a good shepherd?
Last week we talked about how David wrote a poem called the 23rd Psalm. It tells us that God is like a good shepherd who takes care of his sheep.
In the second and third verse it says “He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake.”

Bible Story

• Have your parents ever told you to go to bed when you didn’t want to? I bet most of you go to bed before you really want to. Are your parents being mean to you? No, they make you go to bed because they love you. They want you to get rest so you won’t be tired the next day. They know that if you don’t get enough rest, you can get sick a lot easier, you will not be able to concentrate in class and you will get into more fights because you are tired.

• A good shepherd makes his sheep lie down and rest, he knows that they need rest just like we do. He watches over them and keeps them safe so that they can be at peace and get a lot of rest.

• God is a lot like a good shepherd. Sometimes we want things that are not good for us or that God thinks we don’t need right now. Have you ever wondered why your prayers don’t seem to get answered sometimes? Sometimes we ask for things that he doesn’t want us to have right now. He may say no or wait.

• A good shepherd leads his sheep to places that are safe. He doesn’t just let them wander where they want. He shows them where it is safe to get a drink of water. He doesn’t take his sheep to fast moving rivers where they might fall and drown.

• God is our shepherd. He is a good shepherd. He knows what is good for his sheep. He leads us through his words in the bible. He gives us good advice about how to live. He also leads us through prayer and the Holy Spirit. He knows what is good for us.

• He may even let us go through some hard times because he wants us to learn to depend on him. But we can trust him that he makes everything work out for our good.

Questions

1. Why do our parents tell us to go to bed early? They want you to get rest so you won’t be tired the next day.
2. Why do some prayers go unanswered? (Sometimes we ask for things that he doesn’t want us to have right now. He may say no or wait.)
3. Does a good shepherd let his sheep lie down in bare, dry pastures? (No,
   he makes them lie down in green lush pastures.)
4. How can a drink of cool calm water restore your soul? (Jesus is the living water, and when we drink from Him our thirst for a spiritual life with God will be satisfied.)
5. What kind of paths should we travel to glorify Jesus? (Paths of righteousness.)
6.  If you were a little lamb in a big flock under the care of a good shepherd, how would you feel? Why? (Safe, loved, well fed, clean, happy, welcome.)