Baa-Baa
Pastoral Resources
Gospel-Telling
The Art and Theology of Children's Sermons
Season: Any
Summary: God is a good shepherd who searches until she finds the one who is lost.
Props: A shepherd's crook; a flannel board and figures: a shepherd (male or female figure), a lamb and a flock of sheep, a sun, and a black piece of felt (or similar material) to represent the darkness. This is a story that can be told with flannel graph figures, or in the spirit of Jerome Berryman's style with felt underlay and cutout figures, or without props but with lots of dramatic action.
If you have ever seen a real lamb, which is soft and cuddly, you can't help but want to give it a big hug. Have you ever thought what it would be like to be a little lamb? If you were a lamb, you would need someone to watch over you, someone to keep you from getting lost - a shepherd. And a shepherd might carry a crook like this one, which a friend (supply the name) lent me. The crook is used by shepherds both to ward off any would--be attackers, like a wolf, and to pull back a lamb if it begins to wander away. (Illustrate its use.) Like most children I know, lambs have a way of wandering off and becoming lost. If the shepherd sees this happening, she will use her crook and gently pull or nudge the lamb back toward the flock.
My story this morning is about a lamb named Baa--Baa who gets lost, and about a good shepherd. (Arrange the figures on the flannel board.) I'm telling this story because Jesus told a similar story when he told us who God is.
Our story begins on a day in spring. The sun was brightly shining, the clouds were puffy and white, and Baa--Baa was as happy as she could be. It was a beautiful day, and the grass was green and especially sweet. She never imagined that something could go wrong.
Baa--Baa thought to herself how nice it was to have a good shepherd to watch over the flock. Today she was leading them to a new field. Baa--Baa had never been here before, but then she had never been much of any place before. She noticed that the sun was not as high in the sky as it had been, which meant that it would soon be getting dark, but it didn't seem to matter. Baa--Baa just kept on munching the sweet grass, not even noticing that she was moving farther and farther away from the rest of the flock. And in no time at all Baa--Baa was eating grass all by herself.
It was quite a long time before Baa--Baa realized what had happened. The flock had gone off without her, or she had gone off without the flock. Whatever had happened, it was time to start looking for the other sheep. She tried very hard to find them, because she didn't want to be scolded for getting lost, but the harder she tried, the more lost she became. Now it was getting dark, and Baa--Baa began thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to her. What if night came, and she was still lost? She might fall and break a leg, she would have nothing to drink, she would get cold, and the wolves - she didn't want to think about the wolves. It no longer mattered if the shepherd would scold her for getting lost; Baa--Baa just wanted to be found.
Then she thought, I wonder if the good shepherd is looking for me? Would she try to find me in the night? Would she leave the other sheep, safely in their pen, and come after me? Would she do that to find just one lamb?
Suddenly, the darkness came in all its blackness (illustrate), and Baa--Baa couldn't see anything. There was nothing she could do but wait, wait and find out if the good shepherd cared enough to come looking for just one forgetful lamb that had gotten lost.
Baa--Baa had no idea what time it was when she heard a noise. Her first thought was that the wolves had found her. But then she heard someone calling her name: "Baa--Baa. Baa--Baa." She started running, trying to find the voice that called to her. Before she could see the shepherd, she heard footsteps - fast footsteps. And when at last the figure in the dark became clear, the shepherd was not only calling her name, but was running toward her. When she reached Baa--Baa, she lifted her onto her shoulders.
They were on their way home - Baa--Baa was sure of that. She also knew how good it felt to be safe again in the arms of one who loved her very much. Then Baa--Baa noticed that the good shepherd wasn't carrying her crook. This time she didn't need her crook; she had come herself to find one lost and lonely lamb.
And that is the end of the story, although it isn't really my story. It is Jesus' story, the one he told when he wanted to explain to others what God is like. God is like the good shepherd who will not rest until she finds you.
Reflection Note: I didn't try to build into this story an analogy between being lost and being "lost" in sin. Certainly this is part of the biblical account, but the sermon is focused on the single experience of knowing a God who cares enough to leave the 99 in order to find the one that is lost. In order not to make this an analogical story, the word "like" is omitted (Jesus is like a shepherd). To make this story even more experiential, begin with a discussion of how it feels to be lost.
____________
*I have made the shepherd in this story female because the feminine side of God is overshadowed by male images. I would also note that in the following parable, that of the lost coin, it is the woman who seeks diligently "until she finds it."
Summary: God is a good shepherd who searches until she finds the one who is lost.
Props: A shepherd's crook; a flannel board and figures: a shepherd (male or female figure), a lamb and a flock of sheep, a sun, and a black piece of felt (or similar material) to represent the darkness. This is a story that can be told with flannel graph figures, or in the spirit of Jerome Berryman's style with felt underlay and cutout figures, or without props but with lots of dramatic action.
If you have ever seen a real lamb, which is soft and cuddly, you can't help but want to give it a big hug. Have you ever thought what it would be like to be a little lamb? If you were a lamb, you would need someone to watch over you, someone to keep you from getting lost - a shepherd. And a shepherd might carry a crook like this one, which a friend (supply the name) lent me. The crook is used by shepherds both to ward off any would--be attackers, like a wolf, and to pull back a lamb if it begins to wander away. (Illustrate its use.) Like most children I know, lambs have a way of wandering off and becoming lost. If the shepherd sees this happening, she will use her crook and gently pull or nudge the lamb back toward the flock.
My story this morning is about a lamb named Baa--Baa who gets lost, and about a good shepherd. (Arrange the figures on the flannel board.) I'm telling this story because Jesus told a similar story when he told us who God is.
Our story begins on a day in spring. The sun was brightly shining, the clouds were puffy and white, and Baa--Baa was as happy as she could be. It was a beautiful day, and the grass was green and especially sweet. She never imagined that something could go wrong.
Baa--Baa thought to herself how nice it was to have a good shepherd to watch over the flock. Today she was leading them to a new field. Baa--Baa had never been here before, but then she had never been much of any place before. She noticed that the sun was not as high in the sky as it had been, which meant that it would soon be getting dark, but it didn't seem to matter. Baa--Baa just kept on munching the sweet grass, not even noticing that she was moving farther and farther away from the rest of the flock. And in no time at all Baa--Baa was eating grass all by herself.
It was quite a long time before Baa--Baa realized what had happened. The flock had gone off without her, or she had gone off without the flock. Whatever had happened, it was time to start looking for the other sheep. She tried very hard to find them, because she didn't want to be scolded for getting lost, but the harder she tried, the more lost she became. Now it was getting dark, and Baa--Baa began thinking about all the terrible things that could happen to her. What if night came, and she was still lost? She might fall and break a leg, she would have nothing to drink, she would get cold, and the wolves - she didn't want to think about the wolves. It no longer mattered if the shepherd would scold her for getting lost; Baa--Baa just wanted to be found.
Then she thought, I wonder if the good shepherd is looking for me? Would she try to find me in the night? Would she leave the other sheep, safely in their pen, and come after me? Would she do that to find just one lamb?
Suddenly, the darkness came in all its blackness (illustrate), and Baa--Baa couldn't see anything. There was nothing she could do but wait, wait and find out if the good shepherd cared enough to come looking for just one forgetful lamb that had gotten lost.
Baa--Baa had no idea what time it was when she heard a noise. Her first thought was that the wolves had found her. But then she heard someone calling her name: "Baa--Baa. Baa--Baa." She started running, trying to find the voice that called to her. Before she could see the shepherd, she heard footsteps - fast footsteps. And when at last the figure in the dark became clear, the shepherd was not only calling her name, but was running toward her. When she reached Baa--Baa, she lifted her onto her shoulders.
They were on their way home - Baa--Baa was sure of that. She also knew how good it felt to be safe again in the arms of one who loved her very much. Then Baa--Baa noticed that the good shepherd wasn't carrying her crook. This time she didn't need her crook; she had come herself to find one lost and lonely lamb.
And that is the end of the story, although it isn't really my story. It is Jesus' story, the one he told when he wanted to explain to others what God is like. God is like the good shepherd who will not rest until she finds you.
Reflection Note: I didn't try to build into this story an analogy between being lost and being "lost" in sin. Certainly this is part of the biblical account, but the sermon is focused on the single experience of knowing a God who cares enough to leave the 99 in order to find the one that is lost. In order not to make this an analogical story, the word "like" is omitted (Jesus is like a shepherd). To make this story even more experiential, begin with a discussion of how it feels to be lost.
____________
*I have made the shepherd in this story female because the feminine side of God is overshadowed by male images. I would also note that in the following parable, that of the lost coin, it is the woman who seeks diligently "until she finds it."
