Childrens Sermon Service

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.



* * *

Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) I have something to show you today. (Show the gate.) Does anyone have an idea what this might be? (Let them respond.) It is something very special, and today’s story will tell you just how special it is.

Did you know that in Jesus’ day, most shepherds didn’t own any sheep? (Let them respond.) That’s right. Most shepherds didn’t own any sheep. Instead, the shepherds went around town to people who owned sheep, and the owners of the sheep would pay the shepherds to take some of their sheep out of town to the hills where they could eat fresh grass and have fresh water. Shepherds would get sheep from several people who would trust them to take care of their sheep and bring them back big and strong. Sometimes the shepherds would be gone with the sheep for many weeks or even months, and they had to be careful and take care of them the entire time they were there.

Night time was the hardest time to take care of the sheep because it was harder for the shepherds to see what was going on. Sometimes a sheep might wander away and get lost or sometimes a wild animal might sneak up and try to grab a sheep. So, the shepherds came up with a way to help the sheep be safer at night. Does anyone know how the shepherds did that? (Let them respond.) They build a sheepfold for the sheep.

A sheepfold is just a place that has a wall around it to keep the sheep from wandering and to keep the wild animals from getting in. The wall around it was made out of rocks and was about three feet tall so the sheep couldn’t jump over it. And on top of the wall, the shepherd put stacks of thorn bushes so the wild animals couldn’t climb over them. The sheepfold was the most important place for the shepherd because it was a safe place for their sheep to spend the night. And do you know what the most important part of the sheepfold was? (Let them respond.) It wasn’t the rock wall. And it wasn’t the thorns. The most important part was the sheepfold’s gate. (Show the gate.) It might have looked something like the one here that I made. They didn’t look very special, but they were very important for two reasons.

First, it was how you got in and out of the sheepfold. There was no other easy way to get in. So, when the gate was closed, the sheep inside felt safe and got a good night’s sleep. (Show the gate.) The gate to the sheepfold protected them.

But the gate was important for another reason. Every night when the sheep were brought back to the sheepfold, the shepherd would sit down by the gate and meet each sheep as it came to the gate. The shepherd knew every sheep’s name and sat at the gate to meet each and every one of them. The shepherd would look at the sheep’s soft nose to see if it had gotten any scratches or cuts from sharp rocks or thorns. If it did, the shepherd put some cream on it so it would heal okay. Then the shepherd looked to see if the sheep had any thorns stuck in its feet or legs and removed them. And then the shepherd would pick up a little cup, dip it into the bucket of cool water they kept by the gate, and give each sheep a cool drink before letting them go in the sheepfold. The gate of the sheepfold was where the shepherd took care of the sheep and made sure they were safe. (Show the gate.) That’s why the gate of the sheepfold was the most important place of all for the shepherd and their sheep.

Jesus grew up in a small town in the country and knew all about shepherds and sheep, sheepfolds and sheepfold gates. And one day, some Pharisees were arguing with Jesus and said that they were more important than he was and that everyone should follow them instead of him. Jesus looked at them and said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture.” Jesus said that he was the gate to the sheepfold. (Show the gate.) Does anyone have an idea what he meant? (Let them respond.)

Remember the two very special things about the gate to the sheepfold. First, it was the place the shepherd took care of the sheep, wasn’t it? (Let them respond.) And second, it was the only way to get into the sheepfold, wasn’t it? (Let them respond.) The walls were too tall to jump over, and the thorns on top of the wall were too sharp to crawl over. If you wanted to go into the sheepfold, you had to go through the gate.

Jesus told the Pharisees that if they wanted to be with God, the way to do that was to follow him; he was the only gate. And who remembers what Jesus said we need to do if we want to follow him? (Let them respond.) He said that we need to do the things he asked us to do, didn’t he? He said we need to take care of each other just like the shepherd takes care of each of the sheep at the gate. (Show the gate.)

Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.

Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us, and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created, and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.