Worship Tools
Worship Outline
Additional Scriptures
John 10:11-18; Acts 4:5-12; 1 John 3:16-24
Worship Setting
Display or project several images associated with sheep and shepherds as people gather and during the Prelude.
Preparation
If possible, for the Focus Moment obtain a copy of The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children ISBN: 978-0547215679.
Prelude
Welcome, Joys, Concerns
Welcome on what sometimes is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, acquiring its name from our focus scripture, Psalm 23, as well as the first verse of today’s gospel reading from John 10 in which Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”
Ask participants to share their joys and concerns.
Prayer for Joys and Concerns
Call to Worship: Psalm 23
Invite a youth and an older person to read Psalm 23. The two readers will alternate reading verse by verse. One reads Verse 1 from the New Revised Standard Version and the other reads Verse 1 from The Message. They continue in this manner through all six verses. Ask the participants to listen for how the two readings are different. Did they interpret the meaning in different ways? Did the comparison shed a new light on a familiar text? Invite participants to respond to these questions in small groups or to the group as a whole or to silently reflect on their answers. Close the Call to Worship by having everyone read the scripture a second time (in the version most familiar to your group) in unison. Print or project the words for all to see.
Hymn of Assurance
“The Lord’s My Shepherd” CCS 259
OR “O Lord, My Shepherd” CCS 264
OR “The King of Love My Shepherd Is” CCS 262
Invocation
Response
Community Responsive Reading
Leader: I am the good shepherd
People: The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
Leader: I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,
People: Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.
Leader: There are other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also.
People: So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
Leader: The Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
People: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again.
ALL: I have received this command from my Father.
—Based on John 10:11-18
Prayer for Peace
Light the peace candle
Statement
Each day in Community of Christ a prayer for peace is available on the church’s website. We pray for a different country every day. The power of our collective prayers increases when we pray together. So today as we offer a prayer for peace, visualize the multitudes praying together for one country. Visualize the power of the prayers of all of us directed toward the people of one country. Let us offer this prayer together.
Prayer
O Great God, Our Friend, Our Protector,
We come before you today, joined as a community to hold up our world as we pray for its peace. We offer our love in solidarity and support for our brothers and sisters and the struggles in which they are engaged. The world that we inhabit has suffered from illness, war, famine, and unnecessary death. We pray, God, that you will look upon us and see our weakness and lift up each of us.
We ask that you guide our meditations so that we may uplift those without a faith community. Help us, O God, to be your arms and legs. Let us move the way you would have us move that we can offer hope to those without it. Bring us together in community. Bring us together as family. Hold us in your heavenly arms that we may feel the love. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to share our spirits. Thank you for letting us share our strength. We pray in Jesus’ holy name. Amen.
Hymn of Peace
“O Day of Peace” CCS 380
OR “Restless Weaver” CCS 145
OR “Put Peace into Each Other’s Hands” stanzas 1, 2, and 5 CCS 309
Focus Moment
Story
Share The Quiet Book by Deborah Underwood, Houghton Mifflin Books for Children ISBN: 978-0547215679 which thoughtfully explores the countless kinds of quiet that we experience in a variety of situations such as fear, awe, sorrow, and hope or just waking up in the morning.
Discuss in small groups the many ways that we each feel fear, peace, awe, sorrow, and hope in our own lives, and how God comforts us, celebrates with us, and gives us hope. The shepherd of the psalm, God, is described as someone who can not only lead us through the scariest of places, all the while casting aside our fear but also comfort us, filling our cups, not just until there is enough, but until they overflow with so much goodness that we can’t help but share it.
Project Psalm 23 or write the verses on large sheets of paper. Match the feelings discussed with the verses from Psalm 23. Participants might wish to share experiences like those depicted in The Quiet Book.
OR Signing the Psalm
Invite someone proficient in American Sign Language (ASL) to interpret Psalm 23 while it is slowly read. Consider teaching a few phrases of ASL to participants and read it again with everyone participating in the signing as they are able.
Hymn of the Shepherd
“My Shepherd Will Supply My Need” CCS 247
OR “You, Lord, Are Both Lamb and Shepherd” CCS 22
Spoken Word
Based on Psalm 23
Disciples’ Generous Response
Statement: God’s unconditional love
No expression of grace and generosity is as complete as the life of Jesus, God’s son freely given to all. As Jesus’s life and ministry showed, God’s grace and love are equally available to everyone. God’s love is unwavering and not dependent on our good behavior or good works.
The gift of God’s son shows God’s grace and love. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16–17). Grace expresses God’s gift of eternal life and commitment to save the world.
God’s astonishing generosity in the life of Jesus is the ultimate example of generosity. God loved us and we love in response to being loved. We become whole when we receive God’s gift of Jesus Christ realizing that all we are and have is from God who gives freely with no strings attached.
Principle 1—Receive God’s Gifts,
Choose Generosity: Discovering Whole-Life Stewardship, page 24.
Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes
Hymn of Sending Forth
“Redeemer of Israel” CCS 388
Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.
OR “Peace Be with You” CCS 662
Sing once, then hum the hymn a second time.
OR “God Be with You Till We Meet Again” CCS 664
Sending Forth
I am the good Shepherd…those who build upon this rock will not fall. …The day comes when you shall hear my voice and see me, and know that I am. Watch that you may be ready.
—Doctrine and Covenants 50:8g, adapted
Go in peace.
Postlude
Sacred Space: Small-Group Worship Outline
Gathering
Welcome
Today is the fourth Sunday of the Easter season. The Easter season continues for 50 days and concludes with the Day of Pentecost.
Prayer for Peace
Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.
Our loving and compassionate God, we listen again to the good news of Jesus’ resurrection. Through his life and death, hope re-entered our world. But we know that many today live in such environments that hope is difficult and often not felt.
Each day you continue to reveal yourself in the world around us. Renew our commitment to finding ways to bring hope to the hopeless. Give us new eyes to see the ways you are already working in our homes, communities, schools, businesses, and internationally. Move our hands and feet to become involved in those efforts that bring sustainable changes for good–that bring hope.
Help us be disciples like Mary who run to others to share the good news. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Dwelling in the Word
I will read a scripture aloud. As you hear the scripture allow words, images, or phrases to come to mind. Try not to focus on them. Let them rest with you.
After a moment of silence, I will read the scripture a send time. As you hear the scripture again listen for how God’s spirit is nudging you or catching your attention.
Read the scripture passage: John 10:11-18 NRSV
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Pause
Read scripture a second time:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Invite group members to share responses to these questions:
- As you listened to this scripture passage what words, phrases or images came to mind?
- What is God’s spirit revealing to you through the hearing of these words?
Sharing Around the Table
Psalm 23 NRSVue
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord
my whole life long.
—Psalm 23 NRSVue
This psalm often is used for funerals and spiritual practices because the setting is a journey faced with darkness and potential death. The psalmist tells of experiences and the relationship between God and the writer.
In the first verses God is described as a shepherd who provides for the needs and protection of the psalmist. God enriches life by taking the writer to beautiful green fields and along still waters to renew the body and fill the soul. And God, as a shepherd, leads the psalmist in paths of right or healthy relationship with God.
Then the psalmist offers a prayer to God. In these verses, God transitions from shepherd to host. Because of God’s protecting rod and staff, there is no fear of evil. God provides comfort despite potential distress and fear. God as host, prepares a table, anoints the head with oil, and fills a cup to overflowing.
All this occurs in the presence of enemies who denied the psalmist a place at the table. God as shepherd and host has filled the body with food and drink. The soul is enriched through the hospitality of scented oil lovingly touched to the head. And finally, the psalmist experiences restoration and wholeness through relationship with a loving and caring God who walks as companion throughout life.
Doctrine and Covenants 163:10 assures us:
Collectively and individually, you are loved with an everlasting love that delights in each faithful step taken. God yearns to draw you close so that wounds may be healed, emptiness filled, and hope strengthened.
Do not turn away in pride, fear, or guilt from the One who seeks only the best for you and your loved ones. Come before your Eternal Creator with open minds and hearts and discover the blessings of the gospel anew. Be vulnerable to divine grace.
Questions
- How have you experienced God’s divine presence shepherding you?
- In what ways have you experienced God as a host at a table or feast?
- What dark valleys have you journeyed, and how has God walked with you?
Sending
Generosity Statement
Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.
—Doctrine and Covenants 163:9
The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing small-group ministries as part of your generous response.
The offering prayer is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:
God of Rejoicing, we share our gifts joyfully and with thanksgiving in response to the generous gifts you have given us. May the offerings we share bring joy, hope, love, and peace into the lives of others that they might experience your mercy and grace. Amen
Invitation to Next Meeting
Closing Hymn
CCS 256, “Tenderly, Tenderly, Lead Thou Me On”
Closing Prayer
Optional Additions Depending on Group
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Choose one scripture to read from this selection: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39.
Invitation to Communion
All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.
We share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community. In preparation let’s sing from Community of Christ Sings (select one):
515, “In These Moments We Remember”
516, “Coming Together for Wine and for Bread”
521, “Let Us Break Bread Together”
525, “Small Is the Table”
528, “Eat This Bread”
Blessing and serving of the bread and wine.
Thoughts for Children
The Lord is My Shepherd
Ask: How many of you have a pet? What kind (dog, cat, turtle, bird, hamster)? What are some of the responsibilities of caring for a pet? What do you do to take care of your pet (feed, water, bath, take to vet, exercise, spend time with)?
Say: Having a pet is kind of like being a shepherd. A shepherd has several sheep, a whole flock. And the shepherd cares for the sheep. Takes them to find green grass, clean water, protects them from wolves, tends to them if they are sick or wounded.
In today’s scripture passage, the author says, “The Lord is my shepherd”. This is because God cares for us like a shepherd cares for sheep, or like you care for your pet.
God loves each person and wants us to have enough to eat, and a safe place to live. Some people don’t have those things. Fortunately, we can help by trying to be good shepherds like God. We can share our money with organizations that provide food for hungry people. We can offer our time to visit people who are lonely.
Ask: What are some things you can do to help others?
Make a list of children’s ideas. Ask them to share their ideas with their parents when they go back to their seats.
—Adapted from Year B: Fourth Sunday after Easter Thoughts for Children.
Sermon Helps
Exploring the Scripture
This well-known psalm is credited to David. The psalm often is used for funerals and spiritual practices because the setting is a journey faced with evil and potential death. The psalmist tells of experiences and the relationship between God and the writer. Images present God first as a shepherd and then as a host. The themes tell how God 1) provides and protects, 2) enriches and fills, and 3) restores and renews.
In verses 1–3, the writer describes God as “my shepherd” who offers three blessings. First (v. 1), God provides for cares and needs. The writer never wants. The psalmist is protected as a flock is protected by the shepherd. Second (v. 2), God enriches life by taking the writer to places in nature. Beautiful green fields by still waters renew the body and fill the soul. The psalmist connects to God’s creation through rich spiritual symbolism. The third (v. 3), God, as a shepherd, leads the psalmist in paths of right relationship with God.
In verses 4–6, the psalmist offers a prayer to God. In these verses, God transitions from shepherd to host. The themes repeat with a transition verse before God changes to serve as host. First (v. 4), the prayer describes walking through the darkness. Because of God’s protecting rod and staff, there is no fear of evil. God provides comfort despite potential distress and fear. Second (v. 5), the prayer tells how God serving as host, prepares a table, anoints the head with oil, and fills a cup to overflowing.
All this occurs in the presence of enemies who denied the psalmist a place at the table. The body is filled with food and drink. The soul is enriched through the hospitality of scented oil lovingly touched to the head. Third, the final verse (v. 6) affirms God’s restoring goodness and mercy that seeks us through all of life. The promise is wholeness in relationship with a loving and caring God who walks with us throughout life.
Doctrine and Covenants 163:10 assures us:
Collectively and individually, you are loved with an everlasting love that delights in each faithful step taken. God yearns to draw you close so that wounds may be healed, emptiness filled, and hope strengthened.
Do not turn away in pride, fear, or guilt from the One who seeks only the best for you and your loved ones. Come before your Eternal Creator with open minds and hearts and discover the blessings of the gospel anew. Be vulnerable to divine grace.
Psalm 23 invites us to journey with a God who provides and protects, enriches and fills, restores and renews. Doctrine and Covenants 163:10 assures us of God’s continuing journey with us. However, we also are cautioned to not turn away. Rather, remember the blessings of discovering the gospel anew. Above all, we can be vulnerable to divine grace.
Central Ideas
- God is like a shepherd who provides and protects, enriches and fills, and restores and renews.
- As host, God does these things even during one’s darkest times or in the presence of one’s enemies.
- God loves and cares for each person despite our circumstances.
Questions for the Speaker
- What is your life experience under God’s care and loving presence?
- What dark valleys have you journeyed, and how has God walked with you?
- Describe how you have been vulnerable to divine grace amid difficult times and how you realized God walked with you.
- How has or is your congregation planning to model Christ-like care and love with the most vulnerable in your community?
Lessons
Adult Lesson
Focus Scripture Passages
Psalm 23, John 10:11–18
Lesson Focus
A fresh look at a familiar scripture
Objectives
The learners will…
- understand the difference between Old and New Testament scriptures.
- explore the Trinity in our understanding of scripture.
- look at the scriptural content and call to action of Community of Christ Sings.
Supplies
- Bible
- Paper and pens
- Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
Notes to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Psalm 23, in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: Old Testament, pp. 71–73, and John 10:11–18 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament, pp. 71–72, available through Herald House.
Review the Psalm 23 referenced hymns in Community of Christ Sings (numbers 83, 247, 259, 262, 264). Look up the definition of metaphor and review the document “Scripture in Community of Christ” from Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 63–64.
Gather
Read together Psalm 23 as a prayer to begin the class.
Select one or two people to share a short testimony of this psalm’s effect on their lives.
Engage
Read affirmations 3 and 4 from “Scripture in Community of Christ” below:
Affirmation 3
Scripture is a library of books that speaks in many voices. These books were written in diverse times and places, and reflect the languages, cultures, and conditions under which they were written. God’s revelation through scripture does not come to us apart from the humanity of the writers, but in and through that humanity. In the earthen vessels of scripture we have been given the treasure of divine love and grace (2 Corinthians 4:7).
Affirmation 4
Scripture’s authority is derived from the model of Christ, who came to be a servant (Mark 10:45). Therefore, the authority of scripture is not the authority to oppress, control, or dominate. If Jesus came to serve, how much more should the books that point to him be treated as a servant of the saving purposes of God.
—Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 63–64
The psalms are part of the Old Testament. Old Testament refers to the old covenant made with God through the Mosaic Law. This law is found written in the Torah or Pentateuch of the Old Testament and it is interpreted by the rabbis and teachers of the church. It was given by God through Moses and the symbol of acceptance of this covenant is circumcision.
As Christians, we are children of the New Covenant. We know of this covenant through the New Testament. It is written on our hearts and interpreted by the Holy Spirit. The symbols of acceptance of this covenant are baptism and confirmation.
Because of these complicated understandings and perspectives on scripture, we, as Christians, read the Old Testament differently than the people to whom it was given. The peoples who received the Old Testament read the word “Lord” in Psalm 23 as “God.” The people of the New Testament read “Lord” as “Jesus.”
To help us understand this difference, read Psalm 23, replacing the word “Lord” or “He” wherever it appears with “God.”
- How does this reading of Psalm 23 change the scripture for you?
- How does it change your understanding of God?
- Is Psalm 23 still a valuable worship device for you with this change?
Now, read Psalm 23 again, but, this time, replace the word “Lord” with the name of “Jesus.”
- How does this reading of Psalm 23 change the scripture for you?
- Why is that?
Now, read the psalm again, but replace the word “Lord” with the name “Holy Spirit.”
- How does the scripture feel now?
- How is it different from the other two readings? Is it different?
Respond
The reason Psalm 23 has endured as a ministering scripture for so long is because it is a metaphor and metaphors can be interpreted on many levels by many generations.
- What is a metaphor?
- How can a metaphor be interpreted in different ways?
The original readers of this scripture would have understood Psalm 23 from three perspectives: shepherd, king, and religious leader. All of these were referred to as shepherds in the writings of the time, and they meant different things depending on which of the leaders was being addressed. These meanings are complicated and there is not time to go into them in this lesson.
Jesus gives us his understanding of shepherd in John 10:11–18. Read this scripture as a class.
- How does Jesus see the role of shepherd in this scripture passage in John?
- How is Jesus’ interpretation of shepherd different from that in Psalm 23? How is it the same?
Assign the five Psalm 23-based hymns (83, 247, 259, 262, 264) from Community of Christ Sings to different individuals or small groups. Have them read the hymns, answering the following questions:
- In what section of the hymnal is the hymn located? How does this affect your reading of this hymn?
- How closely does this hymn follow the scripture? How is it different? Could the difference come from a different interpretation of the hymn?
- Does the hymn call you to action? What is that action?
Share with the group anything you feel is new or doesn’t mesh with the original scripture passage. Do you agree with it or not?
Send
Go around the class and have each one share a word or phrase relating to the call they feel from Psalm 23.
Bless
Select one of the Psalm 23-based hymns to sing or read as your closing prayer.
Youth Lesson
Focus Scripture Passage
Psalm 23
Lesson Focus
The Lord is my shepherd.
Objectives
The learners will…
- reflect on Psalm 23.
- learn to trust their peers as a “shepherd” in various blindfolding exercises.
- understand that God nurtures and cares for us.
- explore how to care for God’s people today.
Supplies
- Blindfolds (enough for half your class)
- Obstacle items (chairs, tables, boxes, etc.)
- Handouts provided at the end of lesson (one for each student)
- Dwelling in the Word Reflections
- The Divine Shepherd—Psalm 23
- Pens or pencils
- Bible
- Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
- Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, Herald House, 2018
Notes to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Psalm 23 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: Old Testament, pp. 71–73, available through Herald House.
The activities for the “Gather” and “Respond” sections of today’s lesson require a larger physical space. If your classroom is small, the activities would be more effective in a larger space such as a fellowship hall, common area, or outside. If moving to a bigger space is not an option, a smaller classroom will be OK.
Gather
Pair each class member with a partner and invite them to get into a larger circle. Pass out a blindfold to each pair and have one of them put on the blindfold. The blindfolded partner is the “sheep” and the unblindfolded partner is the “shepherd.”
Next, have the blindfolded partner remove their shoes and have the other partner place one shoe a good distance apart from the other shoe. Once the shoes are in place, have everyone return to the circle and stand with their blindfolded partner.
Explain: When you say “go,” the shepherd must guide the sheep to retrieve one shoe at a time by only using their voice to give instructions. The sheep must find their shoe, bring it back to the shepherd, and then retrieve their second shoe. You may do this exercise again by having the shepherd and the sheep switch roles.
Engage
Today’s scripture comes from Psalm 23. Ask the youth if they are familiar with the verse “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Describing God and Jesus as the shepherd is a powerful description. In the times of ancient Israel, shepherds were essential for their communities to thrive. They kept watch of sheep, which were used to produce wool, milk, and meat. The shepherds brought safety, comfort, and love to their animals who were invaluable.
Explain that we will be participating in a spiritual practice known as Dwelling in the Word. Spiritual practices give us the opportunity to connect with God, ourselves, and sometimes our communities.
Invite them to get comfortable. They may sit in their seats or lay down comfortably, just ensure they can focus intentionally during this exercise.
Dwelling in the Word
Read the scripture passage.
Allow time for quiet reflection.
Pass out writing utensils and the handout to reveal just the scripture. This time invite them to underline or highlight words or phrase that speak to them as you read the scripture passage.
Read the scripture passage aloud.
Allow time for quiet reflection.
Invite them to consider the questions on the Dwelling in the Word handout.
Read the scripture passage aloud.
Allow time for quiet reflection.
Give the class an opportunity to reflect and share their experience. If one feels drawn to share a written question aloud with the class, allow space for sharing. Save the final two questions on the reflection sheet for later in the lesson.
Respond
Invite the class to get back with their partner from the opening activity. Ask the groups to decide who will once again be the shepherd. Then pass out a blindfold for each group having the sheep put on the blindfold. After every sheep is blindfold, begin setting up an obstacle course with tables, chairs, or other objects.
Round 1: Blindfolded sheep can only be guided by listening to the verbal instructions of the shepherd.
Round 2: The shepherd must guide blindfolded sheep without talking.
Round 3: The shepherd can guide sheep whatever way they think is best. (Notice this doesn’t specify “blindfolded” sheep.)
Give each student the opportunity to be the shepherd through a rotation while setting a different course each time.
- What was your experience as a sheep?
- What was your experience as a shepherd?
- Which round was easiest? Most challenging? Why do you think it was easiest or hardest for you?
Alternate Activity: If your class size consists of 12 students or more, you can separate them in groups of four. Have three of the group members be sheep with blindfolds. Please note that this activity would require more bandanas. The shepherd of the flock must guide all sheep through the obstacle course at the same time.
For each round of the activity, see above.
As mentioned above, encourage each student to have the opportunity to be the shepherd through a rotation and a different course each time.
After everyone has had the opportunity to be a shepherd, ask:
- How difficult was it leading more than one blindfolded sheep through the obstacle course?
- What was your experience as a sheep?
- What was your experience as a shepherd?
- Which round was easiest? Most challenging? Why do you think it was easiest or hardest for you?
Send
Ask each youth to share: When has God been a shepherd, or a host to you?
God and Jesus, as the shepherds, are here to guide, love, and protect us even in the darkest of times. Just as the shepherds of old had the strength and compassion to care for and nurture their flocks, so does God and Jesus for us.
Interestingly, in the commission story of John 21:15–19, Jesus asks of his disciples to “Feed my sheep.” Does that imply we, too, are called to be as a shepherd and care for God’s flock? Invite the class to reflect on that idea and offer suggestions for what that might look like today. Consider how the Mission Initiatives and Enduring Principles might show us how to fulfill this call. (See Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 22–24 and 27–32.)
After time for reflection, ask: Who can you be a shepherd to this week?
Bless
Offer a prayer asking for God to guide each youth and care for their needs as they journey until your class meets again.
Children’s Lesson
Focus Scripture Passage
Psalm 23
Lesson Focus
The Lord is my shepherd.
Objectives
The learners will…
- determine what it means to be a good shepherd.
- use the scripture passage to identify ways a shepherd tends to the needs of the flock.
- identify how God, the master shepherd, takes care of them in the same way.
- identify what it means to be a good and obedient member of their congregational “flock.”
- relate how this passage supports the Mission Initiative Pursue Peace on Earth and the Enduring Principle Sacredness of Creation.
Supplies
- Bible or Lectionary Story Bible, Year B, by Ralph Milton, illustrated by Margaret Kyle (Wood Lake Publishing, 2008, ISBN 9781551455648)
- Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
- Drawing paper or notecards
- Writing or drawing utensils such as crayons, pencils, or markers
- Optional: a shepherd’s cloak and staff
Note to Teacher
In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Psalm 23 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: Old Testament, pp. 71–73, available through Herald House.
Gather
Read “God Is Like a Shepherd” in the Lectionary Story Bible, Year B, p. 107 and invite children to draw an image or images that come to their minds as they listen.
Engage
Explain that a shepherd is someone who cares for the needs of the flock they tend. King David, the author of Psalm 23, was a shepherd as a youth, so he was familiar with each of the shepherding elements he includes in the passage.
Relate that God similarly takes care of our needs—just like a shepherd.
Read Psalm 23 or reread the story; explain each of the various shepherding tasks. Ask students to share their ideas about the phrases listed below. Encourage them to continue adding to their drawings any new insights they discover along the way.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
- Everything we need to be happy and content is supplied by God.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters.
- Food to eat and clean water to drink is provided for all living creatures.
- Food for our minds and hearts is also supplied through God’s words in the scriptures we study.
He restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
- If we become lost, God will look for us and bring us back to the fold. Forgiveness and restoration are given to all who ask.
- The right paths for living in God’s name include love, faithfulness, kindness, and more.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley; I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.
- When things grow dark or sad, God is always with us. The rod and staff are tools used by shepherds to guide their sheep, just as God leads and guides us back to happier times.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
- Shepherds place oil on the sheep’s heads to protect them from pests. This helps calm the sheep.
- In King David’s time, along with providing a table filled with food and protection from intruders, a gracious host also anointed the heads of the guests with oil, providing them an extra blessing. In this passage, the blessing extends to us as we share in the protective and fulfilling love of God.
Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
- Just as a shepherd is good and merciful with each of his sheep, so God is with us for all of our lives both here on earth and forever in heaven.
Respond
Choose one student to be a shepherd and another to be a narrator. Have remaining students pantomime each verse of the passage as it is read by the narrator. The children can decide if they will be sheep or humans before the role play begins. Allow time between verses to fully play out each scene.
At the conclusion, have them sing or read in unison the words to “The Lord’s My Shepherd” CCS 259.
Send
Have students share the images they drew during the gathering exercise. Ask if they want to add more detail based on what they learned today.
Discuss how the congregation is like a flock of sheep in this story.
- Can the students identify the shepherds of the congregation?
- How can the congregation promote peace and stewardship of the Earth within their community? Consider the elements of the Enduring Principles Sacredness of Creation and Pursuit of Peace (Shalom) listed below.
Sacredness of Creation
- In the beginning, God created and called it all good.
- Spirit and material, seen and unseen, are related.
- Creation’s power to create or destroy reminds us of our vulnerability in this life.
- God is still creating to fulfill divine purpose.
- We join with God as stewards of care and hope for all creation.
Pursuit of Peace (Shalom)
- God wants shalom (justice, reconciliation, well-being, wholeness, and peace) for all of creation.
- Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God’s shalom (peace), reveals the meaning of God’s peace in all aspects of life.
- The vision of Zion is to promote God’s reign on Earth, as proclaimed by Jesus Christ, through the leavening influence of just and peaceful communities.
- We courageously and generously share the peace of Jesus Christ with others.
- Led by the Holy Spirit, we work with God and others to restore peace (shalom) to creation.
- We celebrate God’s peace wherever it appears or is being pursued by people of good will. If we cannot achieve agreement, we commit to ongoing dialogue and lovingly uphold our common faith in Jesus Christ and the mission of the church.
- We confess that our lack of agreement on certain matters is hurtful to some of God’s beloved children and creation.
—Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 28–30
Discuss:
- How can being part of this congregation help bring you closer to God?
- What is the role of the students in the class for caring for other members of the congregation?
Bless
Read Psalm 23 as an echo prayer. The leader will read each verse or a portion of each verse. The students, in unison, will repeat or echo the leader.
