Slides and Printables.zip

Slides and Printables

Program Videos.zip

Program Videos

7 Min Countdown

03 sec Countdown

2 Min Countdown

H&R Big Do Slide

4 Minute Timer

Big Story Video

60 sec Countdown

Herman and Rusty Act 2

Herman and Rusty Title

Herman and Rusty Act 1

H&R BIG REVIEW Bumper

Herman and Rusty Act 3

H&R 5 Min Countdown with Rules

Alex gets a part in a local TV commercial, and Skip isn't sheepish about leading him down the wrong path. Can Dr. Herman and Hannah help guide him back to the true shepherd? 


Large Group Full Program

⦁	Question of the Day: Who in your family never gets lost? Who always gets lost?



Countdown / Rules

**Host** and **Co-host** enter. This Welcome uses foam stepping stones of different colors to create a pattern on stage that the kids must follow. Prior to service, place the stones in a pattern on top of the lava-themed table runner. It’s also an option to substitute colored pieces of posterboard for the stepping stones. Decide on the exact pattern the kids must follow to make it across the lava safely.



**Host**

I think we should begin today with a fun game. Have you ever played “The Floor is Lava” at home?

**Co-Host**

I have. We’d use the couch cushions and pretend the carpet was lava. The one thing we know about this game is that you don’t want to fall into the lava.



The **Co-Host** or **Host** will walk from stone to stone following the predetermined color pattern. Allow the kids to observe.

Choose four to six kids to play the game.







**Host**

Instead of couch cushions, we have colored stepping stones spread over this bed of lava. Here’s the challenge: not all the stones are secure. If you step on the wrong one, it won’t “hold” you, and you will fall into the lava.



**Co-Host**

Never fear! I am here to guide you on the right path. I will show you the exact pattern to follow to make it successfully across the lava. Watch closely.



**Host**

Now it’s your turn to follow the guide and avoid the lava. Let’s see who can survive and make it safely across.





Optional, play suspenseful music. Play the game. Use suspenseful music as the kids cross. If a kid missteps, emphasize dramatically how they fell into the lava, and have them return to the start and try again.





**Co-Host**

Great job to you for making it across safely. It’s easier to succeed when you have someone showing you the way. 



**Host**

It would have been so much harder to win the game if you had to guess the right path. Today, we’ll learn about the guide who helps us find the right way.



**Co-Host**

It’s going to be great, but now it’s time to check in on our friends at the lab. As we do, tell someone nearby if you’ve ever been the line leader at school.





Welcome

Worship

**Host**

Does anyone think that Skip’s advice is going to be helpful?



**Co-Host**

Nope, I certainly don’t. Skip makes a lot of unwise choices. I doubt he’s going to point someone in the right direction.



**Host**

But we do have someone who can do that for us. Let’s check out our Big Point and see who that is.





**Host** and **Co-Host** choose a kid to volunteer.





**Co-Host**

After we count down from three, we need you to read the Big Point. Then we can read it together.









**Co-Host**

Let’s all say it together, **The Lord Is My Shepherd!** We learn that truth in a famous song, Psalm 23.



**Host**

The Book of Psalms is like a songbook used to worship God. Psalm 23 tells us about many ways God helps us.



**Co-Host**

We may not be as familiar with shepherds as they were when this Psalm was first written, so let’s talk about some ways that shepherds helped.





**Host**

I have an idea. Let’s show them with a game. Shepherds were responsible for getting their sheep to safety. Many times it meant guiding them back to their sheep pen at night. In this game, these four “shepherds” will use their staffs to guide as many white balloons, representing our sheep, into their pen (Point to the cones) as they can. You can’t use your hands or feet, just the staff. Ready? Go!



Optional, play game music. Choose four kids to be in the game. Play the game. At the end, count the number of balloons in each pen.







**Co-Host**

We have a winner! Well done. You have won the official title of “Chief Shepherd.” Congratulations! Shepherds were guides for their flock of sheep. That meant they had to lead them to good things and lead them away from danger.



**Host**

That’s exactly what Jesus does for us. He guides us to helpful things and warns us to stay far away from the stuff that will hurt us. It’s always wise to listen to Jesus. Let’s see if we can steer everyone away from Skip.



Engage 1

**Co-Host**

Let’s repeat the Big Point, 

**Co-Host**

**The Lord Is My Shepherd!**



**Host**

You’d be a lot more ready to follow a person who is wise and honest, right? I wouldn’t use either of those words to describe Skip McDougall. Thankfully, those are the exact right word to describe Jesus.



**Co-Host**

When we listen to and obey Jesus, we can be sure He will guide us in the right direction. Let’s choose an assistant to help us reveal the Big Verse. It comes from Psalm 23.





**Host**

After we count down from three, you can read the verse. 





**Co-Host**

Psalm 23:1 (NIrV), “The Lord is my Shepherd…He guides me in the right paths.” Just like a shepherd guides the sheep anywhere they need to go, God guides us. He will never lead us to the wrong places.



**Host**

God never gets lost. Even when we don’t understand why something is happening, we can still trust God. Here’s a helpful way to remember that God leads us. Hold up five fingers. Just for fun, give someone nearby a high-five.





The **Host** and **Co-Host** use the large foam hands to give each other high-fives. It’s not necessary to use a giant foam hand, but it can be helpful in a large auditorium.





**Co-Host**

Each finger represents a different word. Hold up your thumb. That stands for “The.” “The” reminds us that we’re talking about the one and only God. No one else can do what He does.



**Host**

Your pointer finger stands for “Lord.” Hold up your one pointer finger. Jesus should always be number one in your life. You show this by following Him.



**Co-Host**

Your middle finger represents “is.” Jesus is your Shepherd, not was or used to be. Jesus is alive and helping us.



**Host**

Your ring finger stands for “my.” Jesus is your personal friend and leader. 



**Co-Host**

Your pinkie reminds us that He is your “Shepherd.” Jesus is our Leader who guides us toward what is right.



**Host**

Let’s point to each finger as we say it. The Lord is my Shepherd. Let’s take a moment to worship God.





Engage 2

The Bible tells us that hiding God’s Word in our hearts can help us. We do that by memorizing Bible verses so that we always have them in our hearts and minds. Psalm 23 is a great chapter to memorize. It’s only six verses, and it’s full of incredible, helpful truth. I’d like to challenge you all to memorize Psalm 23 this month. Before you start thinking that’s too hard, we’re all going to work on it together. 



Let’s start right now. We will say this verse a few times, and before you know it, you’ll have it memorized. Let’s all close our eyes so we can focus. Repeat after me, “The Lord is my Shepherd. (The Lord is my Shepherd) He guides me in the right paths. (He guides me in the right paths),” Psalm 23:1,3 (NIrV). Repeat both phrases. Great! Now let’s put it together, “The Lord is my Shepherd. He guides me in the right paths,” Psalm 23:1,3 (NIrV). Repeat one or two more times. Great job! You can keep your eyes closed while I pray for you.



Big Story

**Host**

The Israelites followed God’s lead. Even though it seemed like following God to the edge of the sea was a disaster in the making, that’s not how it turned out.



**Co-Host**

The Red Sea became their big victory over the most powerful army in the world. Listening to our Big Point was a good idea for them and for us, 

**Co-Host**

**The Lord Is My Shepherd!**

**Host**

Let’s check out this week’s Big Do to learn how to talk with our family about the Big Point! 





**Co-Host**

Today’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. 



**Host**

When the Bible talks about Jesus being our Shepherd, it says that Jesus’ sheep know His voice. That’s how we know we’re not following the wrong guide.



**Co-Host**

Let’s play a game to see how well you can listen and guess just by someone’s voice. This game is called Soundiculous. These two adult volunteers will take turns making sounds, and you have to guess what they are trying to sound like. 









Optional, play game music. Play the game. You can split the room in two or do boys versus girls. If you don’t have the card game, you can look up ideas online.







**Host**

Great job listening. Let’s gather in our Small Groups and discuss today’s lesson.

Engage 3

Gather the kids into Small Groups and discuss the following. 









 - Why is Skip not a good leader to follow? 

 - How does a shepherd help the sheep? **Leads them away from danger, helps them find food, protects them from wild animals.**

 - How does God act like a Shepherd to us? **He guides us away from bad things. He leads us toward things that will help us. He warns us of danger. He is our leader.**

 - What is this week’s Big Do? **Make an obstacle course. Blindfold a family member and guide them through the obstacle course using your voice.**



Small Group 

Choose two kids from the audience to come on stage and answer the question. 

- Our Big Point says, The Lord Is My ______!

    - **Shepherd**

    - Sheep

- Which Psalm in the Bible did we learn about today?

    - **Psalm 23**

    - Psalm 14

- From which country did God rescue the Israelites from slavery?

    - Greece

    - **Egypt**

- Psalm 23:1 (NIrV), “The Lord is my Shepherd. He guides me in the _____ paths.”

    - **Right**

    - Wrong

- What happened when the Israelites reached the edge of the Red Sea?

- Pharaoh’s army sped through the sea and captured Moses.

    - True

    - **False**

- Name a way that Jesus helps us like a shepherd.

- Who was a poor leader at the lab today?

    - Herman

    - **Skip**

- Why should we follow and obey Jesus?

- What is this week’s Big Do?

**Make an obstacle course. Blindfold a family member and guide them through the obstacle course using your voice**

Big Review

Large Group Abbreviated

**Host**

I have a question for you all. Have you ever gone through an obstacle course? 





**Co-Host**

I got to do one too! It was really difficult but my friend had done it before and showed me how to get through it. It’s easier to succeed when you have someone showing you the way.

**Host**

It can be so much harder if you have to guess the right path. Today, we’ll learn about the guide who helps us find the right way.

**Co-Host**

It’s going to be great, but now it’s time to check in on our friends at the lab. As we do, tell someone nearby if you’ve ever been the line leader at school.

**Co-Host**

Let’s all say it together, **The Lord Is My Shepherd!** We learn that truth in a famous song, Psalm 23.

**Host**

The Book of Psalms is like a songbook used to worship God. Psalm 23 tells us about many ways God helps us.

**Co-Host**

We may not be as familiar with shepherds as they were when this Psalm was first written, so let’s talk about some ways that shepherds helped.

**Host**

Shepherds were responsible for getting their sheep to safety. Many times it meant guiding them back to their sheep pen at night. 

**Co-Host**

That's right. Shepherds were guides for their flock of sheep. That meant they had to lead them to good things and lead them away from danger.

**Host**

That’s exactly what Jesus does for us. He guides us to helpful things and warns us to stay far away from the stuff that will hurt us. It’s always wise to listen to Jesus. Let’s see if we can steer everyone away from Skip.

**Co-Host**

Today’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.

**Host**

When the Bible talks about Jesus being our Shepherd, it says that Jesus’ sheep know His voice. That’s how we know we’re not following the wrong guide.

**Co-Host**

That's right!

**Host**

Let’s gather in our Small Groups and discuss today’s lesson.

Midweek/Classroom

Countdown / Rules / Split Into Groups

Welcome to the Lab! We are so glad you are here! Today we begin a brand new series about a famous Psalm in the Bible that was written by King David. The Book of Psalms is like a songbook used to worship God. This song tells us about the many ways God helps us. Let’s all turn to our Small Group Leaders now to talk about the Question of the Day. 





Small Group Leader,

Use this time to introduce yourself to your kids, review the rules, and discuss the Question of the Day. Use the ball to signify whose turn it is to talk. If someone wants to answer the question, have that kid raise their hand. Then the Small Group Leader throws that kid the ball. When the kid finishes talking, they throw the ball back to the Small Group Leader, who then chooses the next person to answer.



**Question of the Day: What is one of your favorite songs?**

Lab Wars Prep: Prior to service, place Velcro shapes around the room. Each team will only be allowed to step on one kind of shape, so make sure you have plenty of those shapes. Then separate the shapes along the path using the other shapes in between and making it more difficult for teams, as they now have to jump over and skip.



Does anybody’s mom or dad use the GPS in the car when they are driving? Has anybody’s mom or dad ever gotten lost when they didn’t use it? It’s so helpful to have a map or a guide to show you where to go. Do you know we have a guide to help us find our way in life? We will learn more about this in a bit, but first, let’s play a game. Who’s ready for Lab Wars? Small Group Leaders, send up one representative from each group.



There are shapes on the floor all around the room. You will follow your leader along the path, but you can only step on the shapes that belong to your team. Girls, you are stars. Boys, you are circles. The first team to get around the path, only stepping on their pattern, wins! Ready? Go!







Optional, play game music. Play the game. 





Congratulations to our winning team! You did a great job following your leader, and that led you to success! Following the right leader is important, and I’m thankful we have one who always leads us to good places. Let’s check in at the Lab to see what our friends are up to this week.



Lab Wars

Does anyone think Skip’s advice is helpful? I certainly don’t. Skip makes a lot of unwise choices. I doubt he would point someone in the right direction. But we do have Someone who can do that for us. Let’s check out our Big Point and see who that is. I need a Small Group to help me count down from three to reveal the Big Point. 

**The Lord Is My Shepherd!** We learn this truth from Psalm 23. One of the ways the Lord helps us is by being our Shepherd. Does anybody know what a shepherd does? It’s not a job we see very often anymore. A shepherd has two parts to their job. They guide their sheep to places the sheep need to go, and they also defend and protect their sheep from evil predators. That’s exactly what Jesus does for us. He guides us to helpful things and warns us to stay far away from the stuff that would hurt us. You will play a fun game in your Small Groups. Your job is to listen and follow your leader. Turn to your Small Group Leader now to get started. 







Small Group Leader,

The game is called Boom Snap Clap. Kids pair up with a partner and sit facing them. Place a small object (cup, Lego, ball, etc.) in the middle of each pair of kids. Call out these words (Boom, Snap, Clap) in any order, and when you do, the kids must do a specific motion. For “boom,” kids hit both hands on the floor. For “snap,” kids snap their fingers. For “clap,” kids clap both hands together. Call out any order of these words, and then say, “Snatch.” The first kid to grab the object is the winner. You can restart and play as time allows.



When the timer is down to 1 minute, the Leader gives a one-minute warning.





Raise your hand if you won a round of Boom Snap Clap. Was it super important to listen closely to your Small Group Leader to hear the commands? Right! In the same way we need to listen closely to the Lord as He leads us and guides us. Because, when we do, He always leads us to good places. Let’s see if we can steer everyone away from Skip.



Skip is definitely not the right person to listen to. Thankfully we follow Jesus, who is the right person to follow! When we listen to and obey Jesus, we can be sure He will guide us in the right direction. That’s why our Big Point says, 

The Lord Is My Shepherd! Let’s see what the Bible says about our Big Point in our Big Verse. I need a Small Group to help me count it down and reveal what it says. 

Psalm 23:1 (NIrV), “The Lord is my Shepherd…He guides me in the right paths.” Just like a shepherd guides the sheep anywhere they need to go, God guides us. God never gets lost. We can trust that He will always lead us to the right places. 

Let’s turn to our Small Groups to talk about this together. 





Small Group Leader,

This can be done as a group, using the poster-sized activity or individually, using the 8.5x11 sized activity. The Activity Sheet has an outline of a hand. Each finger on the hand stands for one word of our Big Point – The, Lord, Is, My, Shepherd. Write those words on each finger, beginning with the thumb, and then everyone can help decorate it with words and pictures that show how God leads us in the right paths. As you decorate, talk about these discussion questions, which could also help give ideas on what to write/draw.





**Small Group Leader**

⦁	What sorts of things does God lead us to? **Being kind to our siblings, respecting our parents, unexpected blessings, being a leader at school**

⦁	What sorts of things does God lead us away from? **Wrong kind of friends, inappropriate movies or songs, dangerous situations**

(Optional discussion questions for 4th and 5th grade:)

⦁	Have you ever been in a situation where you were not on the right path? (Allow some kids to share.)

⦁	When we find ourselves on the wrong path, how can we fix it? **Pray and ask God to help you, listen to where God is leading you, read the Bible to find what is true, talk to a trustworthy adult, etc.**

When the timer is down to 1 minute, the Leader gives a warning to start wrapping up the discussion and cleaning up the materials.







**Leader**

I’m thankful the Lord is our Shepherd! Let’s check out a true story from the Bible about when God guided the Israelites to a good place.

The Bible tells us that hiding God’s Word in our hearts can help guide us. We do that by memorizing Bible verses, so that we always have them in our hearts and minds. Psalm 23 is a great chapter to memorize. It’s only six verses, and it’s full of incredible, helpful truth. I’d like to challenge all of you to memorize Psalm 23 this month. Before you start thinking that’s too hard, we’re all going to work on it together. 



Let’s start right now. We will say this verse a few times, and before you know it, you’ll have it memorized. Let’s all close our eyes, so we can focus. Repeat after me, “The Lord is my Shepherd. (The Lord is my Shepherd) He guides me in the right paths. (He guides me in the right paths),” Psalm 23:1,3 (NIrV). Let’s say that whole thing again. (Repeat the phrases) Great! Now let’s put it together, “The Lord is my Shepherd. He guides me in the right paths,” Psalm 23:1,3 (NIrV). (Repeat one or two more times) Great job! You can keep your eyes closed while I pray for you. (Pray)



Say this verse this week and see how it helps to remind you that...

**The Lord Is My Shepherd!** Let’s see if our friends in the Lab have learned not to listen to Skip.



I’m glad they were able to learn our Big Point, 



**The Lord Is My Shepherd!** You can share our Big Point when you do this week’s Big Do. 

Make an obstacle course in your living room or backyard. Blindfold a family member and guide them through the obstacle course using your voice. Let’s turn to our Small Groups to wrap up today’s service. 





Small Group Leader,

Wrap up your Small Group by passing out positive reinforcement, praying for your group, and doing a team cheer.

The Lord Is My Shepherd

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Large Group Full Program Instructions

The Lord Is My Shepherd Instructions