Childrens Sermon Service

Good morning, boys and girls. Have you ever heard the saying, "sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me"? Is that true? (let them answer) When people call you names, does it make you feel really bad? (let them answer) Do you ever say things that you hope will hurt someone else? (let them answer) Tell me some words that really hurt. (let them answer)

I never have liked the word hate. Hate is an awful word and sometimes I hear people say, "I hate you!" Usually the person to whom that is said will say something like, "I hate you, too!" Then the fight begins. Someone always ends up hurt.

If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, where is the credit in that? But if you endure, when you do right and suffer for it, you have God's approval. (v. 20)

Good morning, boys and girls. I am going to write some things on this board and see if any of the things I write down has ever happened to you.

For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. (v. 25)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you today? (allow answers) How many of you have ever been outside in a rainstorm? (allow answers) What was it like? (allow answers) Did you have an umbrella? (show umbrella; allow answers)

They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers. (v. 5)

Good morning, boys and girls! How are you this morning? (allow answers) How many of you have learned to stay away from strangers? (allow answers) What do your parents and teachers tell you about strangers? (allow answers)

When we are kids, we get a lot of warnings about strangers. We aren't supposed to get into cars with strangers. We aren't supposed to take candy from strangers. We aren't even supposed to talk to strangers!

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME
AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME


Materials:
Ball (tennis ball or larger, age-appropriate)


Directions:
1. Have children stand in a circle. This game is intended as a "get-to-know-you" game, but for smaller children especially it will still be effective. For older, more coordinated children, have them choose a "stranger name" to create more of a challenge.

• First Thoughts
• Teaching On Your Own
• Teaching As A Team
• Closing Prayer
• Follow-Up Lesson

Today I would like you to think of a time when you saw a little toddler crying -- sort of like my picture, but you picture it in your own mind. Why might this child be all upset and crying? Sometimes toddlers don't want anyone else to hold their hand or pick them up except their mom or dad. If you try to do so, be ready for a screaming/crying response. Everyone except their mommy or daddy is a stranger to them and they want nothing to do with them.

Object: A sheepfold gate. The picture shows one I created out of sticks I picked up in the yard, but you can use pieces of wood or anything else you might tie together. You can make a small one if you prefer, but I made mine about two feet by two feet to make it more realistic and visually interesting.



* * *

Good morning! Do you like stories? (get responses) Jesus told stories like this a lot. Sometimes when he wanted to teach people about things that were complicated, he would tell them a story about something they already knew about. Talking about something familiar to them helped them understand something unfamiliar.

When he has brought out all of his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (v. 4)

Good morning, boys and girls. Jesus thought of himself as a shepherd. Do you know what a shepherd does? (let them answer) That's right, a shepherd watches and protects sheep. Jesus must have known a lot about shepherds because he taught us that sheep trust the shepherd with their lives. When a shepherd speaks, the sheep listen. The sheep know the shepherd's voice and follow him to safety.

Sheep will not follow a stranger. When a stranger speaks the sheep run away and hide from the stranger. It sounds to me like the sheep are pretty smart.

SHARING THIS WEEK'S GOSPEL THEME AT SUNDAY SCHOOL AND AT HOME

Materials:
Paper plates
Cotton balls
Ribbon
White or pink felt
Wiggle eyes
Glue
Scissors
Yarn
Small pink pom-pom
Ribbon

Directions:
1. Give each of the children a paper plate and a handful of cotton balls.

2. Direct the children to glue the cotton balls on the plates so that no part of the plate is showing.

3. Help the children glue on the wiggle eyes.

4. Have the children cut two teardrop-shaped ears from the felt and glue them on the edges of the plate.

5. Have the children use the yarn to make a mouth (shaped like a W).

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you like to put puzzles together? (let them answer) Very good! I think it is fun, too.

I brought with me parts of a puzzle. First, I want to hand each one of you a piece because it is an important part of our story. I will keep the frame. It is hard to figure out the picture from the small piece that you have, but I will show you the picture at the end of our story.

How many of you love Jesus? (let them answer) That's wonderful! And how many of you think Jesus loves you? (let them answer) That is also wonderful, because it is true.

Good morning, boys and girls. I'm wearing a bandage on my finger this morning. I cut my finger earlier this week and it is now healing. When I cut it, it really hurt. How many of you have had bad cuts or scrapes lately? (Let them answer.) Have any of you ever had broken bones? (Let them answer.) That really hurts, too, doesn't it?

Good morning, boys and girls. How many of you have played "Simon Says?" (Let them answer.) In case some of you don't know how to play, I've asked (name the students) to show us.

(Have the students stand. Give them one "Simon Says" statement like: "Simon says, 'scratch your head.' " Then give them a statement like: "Scratch your head." Explain that by following the wrong voice, a player is out of the game. The object is to follow the right voice.)

Good morning! Today I brought with me a shepherd's staff. We don't have many shepherds today and they keep sheep differently than they did when Jesus lived in Israel. When Jesus lived in the land of Israel, the shepherds had a pole they called a "staff." The shepherd's staff was for the protection of the sheep. The shepherd could fight off enemies of the sheep with his staff. Many staffs had a crook on the end -- like a hook -- so that a sheep could be rescued if it got caught on a rocky ledge or something. Many times the shepherd's staff can be seen in churches.

Good morning! Jesus is our Good Shepherd. Jesus takes care of us and gives us so much! It's like this: if I were thirsty, I would want a glass of water. (Pour the glass full of water.) Jesus also gives me everything I need. What are some things we all need? (Let them answer.) I have life. I have enough to eat and enough to drink. I have clothing to wear and a place to sleep. I have air to breathe. I have people who love me. I have enough of everything.

Good morning! Here is a clipping from the newspaper which
tells us about a person who was found guilty of committing a
crime and has been sentenced to prison. In our system of
government everyone is entitled to a fair trial, but if they are
found to be guilty of a crime, they must pay the penalty. Do you
think that's fair? (Let them answer.)

Now what would you think if this article said that this
person had been found guilty of a crime, so they sentenced his
brother to prison? Would you think that was fair? (Let them
answer.) No, I think we would all agree that that wouldn't be
fair, and it certainly wouldn't be legal under our system of

Good morning! Have you ever listened to your own voice on a
tape? (Let them answer.) I brought a tape recorder this morning,
and I'm going to turn it on while we talk. (Turn on the
recorder.) Now, as we talk I want everyone to say something, so
I'll ask you some questions, and please speak clearly so the
recorder will pick you up. (Have a conversation with the children
about today's Gospel and get them all to speak.)

Okay, now let's play the tape back and you tell me who is
speaking. (Play the recording and let them identify the
speakers.) You see, every person has a distinct voice, and when
we hear that voice, we know who is speaking. Even if someone

Hi, boys and girls! (show your tennis equipment) What do I have today? Tennis stuff! Who can tell me how to play the game? (let the children tell you) People stand on opposite sides of a net and hit a tennis ball back and forth with rackets like this. If somebody hits the ball to you, you are supposed to hit it right back, right? That's the game. You try to hit the ball back and forth to each other.

Materials:
Puzzle pieces (large handful per child, this is a great use for those puzzles missing pieces)
Glue
Poster board
Paint
Photo of each child
Small tag from poster board
Magnets or pop tabs (optional)

Directions:

Have each child glue puzzle pieces together to make a frame with an opening slightly smaller their his/her photo. Allow the children to paint their frames and decorate as they wish. While the frames dry (this may take a while), have the children make a tag that says, "I am God's sheep." Also, have each child attach his/her photo to a piece of poster board the same size as the outside of his/her frame.

Teachers: Make a game from today's text. Tell your students that you are the shepherd and they are the sheep. The sheep have been in the pasture all day. Now it is time for the shepherd to lead the sheep safely home for the evening. In single file lead the sheep around the room. As you lead, you will cross streams, hills, valleys and pass near other landforms. When you arrive safely at home turn and hold both hands of the student behind you. You and the first student have formed the gate that the sheep will pass through to safety. Then, one by one, call the name of each of your students. Hold your hands in the air to allow each student to pass through and enter your circle. As each new student enters have that student join your hands.

Teachers or Parents: Teach the children the bedtime prayer used in the 1 Peter object lesson:

Now I lay me down to sleep.
I pray, Thee, Lord, my soul to keep.
Guard me, Jesus, through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.

This Sunday is frequently called "Good Shepherd Sunday" because of shepherd image references in the texts and Psalm.

Teachers or Parents: Jesus is the Good Shepherd and we are
his flock. We need to build trust for Jesus in the hearts of our
children. They need to look to him and listen to his directions
for life. These directions are found only in God's word, the
Bible.

*Put up a large road map of the United States. Mark your
city with a pin or draw an X on it and then mark a distant city
as a destination. Ask someone to come up and show what roads to
take from your city to the destination. When they are done ask
why they chose that route and why they didn't choose another.
When it is clear to everyone that only one route would get us to
the right destination, point out that the same is true in life.

Many times Jesus told stories to illustrate a point. If he was explaining something difficult to understand, Jesus frequently used situations and examples that were familiar to his listeners. He would tell a story and then connect it to the lesson he was teaching. Sometimes he interpreted the story for his listeners, but many times Jesus left the interpretation up to the listeners. This was confusing sometimes because the listeners did not always agree on the point he was trying to make.

To find out how different interpretations can be, you and your children could act like investigative reporters. Approach several people during the week and read John 10:1-5 to them. Ask them the following questions:

What is the sheepfold?