The Lord Is My Shepherd
When Mia gets a part in the play as a sheep she starts making some baaaaaaaad choices. Conductor Carl and the gang find out she's following the wrong shepherd.
Start Lesson
Large Group Instructions
Countdown from 10
Rules
WelcomeMaterials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2)
Host and Co-Host enter.
Host
Welcome to the Train Station, Jr. Conductors! Are you ready for an exciting day at the Train Station? Do you think we’ll get to visit with Conductor Carl and his friends?
Co-Host
I hope so. I heard that Mia has been acting very strange today. I hope she’s making the right choices.
Host
Jr. Conductors, did you know that we have help making wise choices? We do! God gave us His Word, the Bible, to show us what we should do.
Co-Host
That’s why we always read and listen to the Bible here at the Train Station. Today we will learn from a song. Do you know that there are songs in the Bible?
Host
What are some of your favorite songs to sing? (Pause) Let’s sing some now.
Sing a few songs with the group that the kids likely know such as “The Wheels on the Bus,” “B-I-N-G-O,” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Co-Host
That was lots of fun, but the songs in the Bible are different than those. They’re all about God. The Bible teaches us so many wonderful things about Him. I can’t wait to share the song with you, but first, say, “Choo-choo!”
Engage 1Materials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2), Table, Bowl (3), Ball
Host and Co-Host enter.
Host
Does it seem like Mia is making a wise choice?
Co-Host
No, she is choosing hurtful actions. Who does it seem like she’s listening to?
Host
You think she’s listening to her friend? I think the Big Point would be better to listen to. Let’s stand and practice our Big Point,
Host
The Lord Is My Shepherd!
Co-Host
Jr. Conductors, do you know what a shepherd does? (Pause) Yes, a shepherd takes care of sheep and leads them. Can you make a sheep sound?
Host
A shepherd has an important job. The shepherd leads the sheep away from bad things and shows the sheep where to find food and water. Sheep aren’t good at finding that on their own.
Co-Host
That’s why sheep must listen to the right person. If a sheep doesn’t listen to the shepherd, they might get lost.
Host
I have an idea to help us understand the Big Point. I have three bowls turned upside down on this table. I will place a ball under one of them, mix them up, and then you can guess which one. I have a friend (adult volunteer) who will help you guess the right one, but only listen to him/her.
Move the bowls around to mix up the location of the ball. When it’s time to guess, have the Co-Host try to convince the kids to pick the wrong bowl.
Co-Host
It was confusing when I told everyone to pick the wrong one.
Host
Yes, it was. It’s important to make sure that we listen to our leader, Jesus. He is our Shepherd, and He helps us find good things and stay far away from bad ones. Let’s see if Mia will choose the right leader.
Engage 2Materials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2), Foam Stepping Stones, Trick Blindfold
Host and Co-Host enter. This Engage uses a trick blindfold that allows you to see, even though it appears that you are completely blindfolded. If you don’t have access to this, then you can use a bandana, but make sure that it’s placed high enough to allow the volunteer to see his/her feet.
Host
I can’t believe that Mia took a smoothie from Ms. Meagan’s truck. She was definitely not listening to the right leader. Mia should follow God as her leader. Let’s stand and practice the Big Point again,
Host
The Lord Is My Shepherd!
Co-Host
Conductor Carl shared an important Big Verse with Mia. It’s found in...
Co-Host
...Psalm 23:1,3 (NIrV). This Psalm is a song that King David wrote to praise God. It says, “The Lord is my Shepherd…He guides me in the right paths.”
Host
God is a good leader. He will never tell you to do the wrong thing. God leads us to only do the things that are part of His good plan for us.
Co-Host
Let’s think a little more about what this means. We have a friend (adult or teen volunteer) who will walk along this path of stepping stones. Stand up, and let’s pretend to balance on a tiny stone.
Pretend to precariously balance on a stone. Make it humorous and silly. Have the kids sit back down.
Host
He/She will be blindfolded. Do you think that will make it hard to walk from stone to stone without falling? (Pause) It probably will. Hmm, what if (Co-Host) and I help guide him/her?
Co-Host
That could work, and since we’re your friends, we will make sure that you don’t fall.
Help the volunteer walk across the stepping stones.
Host
He/She made it. Can you shout, “Hooray?” We helped our friend walk along the right path, so he/she didn’t fall.
Co-Host
The Lord is our Shepherd. That means He leads us and guides us to the right things. He will help us if we listen to Him.
Host
That’s what God did for some people who were trapped by a mean king. Before we hear their story, let’s stand and worship God!
Big Story
I’m so glad we have Jesus to lead us toward the right things. It’s a good idea to learn Psalm 23, so you can remember it when you need God’s help. Let’s practice saying part of it together. “The Lord is my Shepherd. (The Lord is my Shepherd) He guides me in the right paths. (He guides me in the right paths).” (Repeat 2x) Let’s pray and thank Jesus for being our Shepherd. “Dear Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd and always leading us towards the good things You want us to have. Amen.”
Engage 3Materials: Overalls (2), Train Hat (2), Handkerchief (2)
Host and Co-Host enter.
Host
I’m glad that Mia stopped listening to the wrong leader. Now, she’s making much better choices. The Israelites followed the right leader, too, when God led them away from that mean king to a safe place. Let’s practice our Big Point,
Host
The Lord Is My Shepherd!
Co-Host
We can practice the Big Point this week by doing the Big Do.
Host
This week’s Big Do is to make an obstacle course in your living room or backyard. Blindfold a family member and guide them through the obstacle course using your voice.
Co-Host
The Bible says that Jesus’ sheep, that means the people who follow Him, like you and me, would know His voice.
Host
When you’re playing on the playground, can you tell which voice is your mommy or daddy calling you? We usually can because we know them. That’s how well we want to know Jesus.
Co-Host
Let’s see if you can guess some animals just by their shape. When you know what the animal is I want to hear you make its sound.
Show the slides and have the kids guess the animal and make the sound.
Host
I’m so glad that we have a good leader to follow, and that we get to know Him. Let’s say our Big Point.
Host
The Lord Is My Shepherd!
Big Review
Did our Big Point say The Lord Is My Fisherman or The Lord Is My Shepherd?
Stand up and pretend to march. Look around and pretend to see things as we walk through Egypt, like the desert and the Nile River. (Have the kids list items they might see, like crocodiles, rivers, pyramids, sand, etc) Who rescued the Israelites from Egypt? God What was the name of the guy that God made their leader? Moses
I’m going to tell you something, and you guess if it’s right or wrong. (Say different true/false statements, like “The sky is blue.” “Fish fly in the sky.” “My name is _____.”) Psalm 23:1,3 (NIrV) says, “The Lord is my Shepherd…He guides me in the (wrong / right) paths.”
Let’s move our arms like waves. Make small, tiny waves. Now make big, giant waves. What happened when Moses and the Israelites stood near the sea? God split the water
What is today’s Big Do? Make an obstacle course. Then blindfold a family member and guide them through the obstacle course using your voice.
Clean Up
