PSALM 23
Lesson 12: “surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”
List of the items needed to do the lessons as written.
This list does not include the items needed for the review games.
Lesson 12
- (optional) picture of your “pet”….
- 3 sheep puppets
- main shepherd puppet
- new character …old father figure shepherd puppet
- (optional)video or videos (old movies or TV shows like Lassie or Animal Planet clips) of animal(s) be mistreated by their owner (to show what animals learn from their care)
- (optional)video etc of animal(s) being treated right…if you use the other video.
- Costumes for drama team actors….or just for impromptu actors from your Kid’s church audience that morning
- “Mary had a little lamb” Mary
- Noah
- Samuel
- David
- Mary mother of Jesus as a teen girl
- Paul
- offering lesson: kid’s toy bingo machine or some other kid’s toy gaming thing
Note: Because of the poetry of Psalm 23 in the King James Version, the scriptures used will be in the KJV.
Lesson 12
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life”
Objective…How do I respond?
Lesson 12
>WELCOME
Good morning everyone! Can we start this morning by saying together Psalm 23. (Put on overhead)
(Read/say it) Now turn to a few around you and welcome your fellow sheep to our flock this morning.
[Allow 1-2 minutes then restore place to some type of order]
We sure had an exciting lesson last week! Do you remember? All this week I’ve been thanking the Lord and showing Him my love for all He does. What about you, did you think about your Shepherd, Jesus, and what He has provided for you? I feel like we need a change today…so let’s do our review first…
>REVIEW
(6-8 girls)1. Why did the shepherd last week put some goop all over the sheep’s heads?
{To stop pests}
(6-8 boys)2. Psalm 23 verse 5 speaks of three things that God makes available to us.
Name just one? {Table, anoints our heads, overflows our cup}
(9-12 girls)3. We have ‘pests’ in our lives (no not your brother!), the Bible calls them the
enemies of your life? Name 1 of the 3 mentioned last week?
{Satan, the world, our evil hearts}
(9-12 boys)4. Name one of the 3 things Jesus said makes it hard for people to believe in
Him? {Hard heart, no eyes, no ears}
>REVIEW GAME ‘BOWL OF CEREAL’
[Items needed: 4 large clear bowls, 4 boxes of the same type cereal BOTH of these can be purchased at Dollar Stores…and 4 half gallons cartons of milk. I also like to put bibs on the players. (Plastic bibs are also at the Dollar Store)]
Game: Very large clear bowls, box of cereal for each team, half of gallon milk for each team. (Bowls have to be large enough to have kids put full faces down in them). Put a box of cereal and a carton of milk in each bowl. On “go” players plunge in those faces and consumed as much as possible in “x” amount of minutes-most consumed wins! (Since all are same size just measure from side of bowls.)
AWARD prizes...how about a box of cereal!
>BRING UP WORSHIP LEADERS
>PRAYER
I thank you Lord for what we learned last week. That even in the presence of our enemies, you are there and you are providing for us. This morning when I got up I thought how blessed I was to see a beautiful sunrise (even if it’s raining…any sunrise is beautiful!).
I thank you for today and what will be shared through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Cause Your Word to make us like David, a sheep in love with his shepherd! Amen
>WORSHIP
>TALENT TIME
>OFFERING
[A kid’s bingo machine or some other toy gaming device/thing]
Show the “toy”…
Some people like to gamble. They like to take their money or their time or their talents or their energy and place a ‘bet’ to try to win more.
More money
More time to do what you want, not what others want from you
More talent or recognition of your talent
More energy to get more done…etc, etc.
They place their money, time, talents, etc on a wheel or on a chance that when they 'give' they will get a return.
Many Christians today also think that way! Whoa, that is an interesting thought. You may have heard one time or another talk about sowing and reaping. So…you could get the idea just like them. That if I give (sow), I’m going to win back from the Lord (reap). (OR another thought) I’m going to place my ‘bet’ (sow) and take my ‘chance’ (reap) that God will bless me back. They think, if I give my money to the church then God will give me more money back for myself.
Could this be a good ‘bet’?
Maybe
Giving money, time, talents, etc to God is investing! Not gambling or taking a chance that, God will bless me. The Bible says He will, when I invest in Him and His work, bless the investment.
(Repeating; it is investing in a heavenly bank account!)
The great thing about this bank account is who the banker is! It’s God!
He knows all, everything. He uses that knowledge to my best interest!
When I really need money, time, talents, etc and God sees I need them…He releases those blessings, that interest into me…at the right time, in the right amount, for the right reasons.
Now a person could really like that bank. With God as a financial adviser and helper, we with King David can say, "I shall not want" (Psalm 23:1, KJV). Can we say 'amen' (YES!) to that?
This morning as we collect our tithes and offerings just know that your investing in your own future. In your heavenly bank account!
Not gambling with your life!
Collect offerings and pray over them
>ANNOUNCEMENTS
[Have your puppeteers get ready]
>LESSON
Sheep know their shepherd! Just like my cat knows me (personal story)[use picture of cat]
One time we went on vacation and asked some people to stop by everyday to feed our cat and to give her some attention. She didn’t have anything to do with them. When they would come in the house, she would hide, waiting for them to leave. Then she would go eat. But the minute we drove into the driveway and she heard our car, she was right there at the door to greet us…meowing loudly and rubbing up against our legs. I had the feeling she was chewing us out for leaving her but also showing her love and happiness that we were back. That we hadn’t left forever. [Use this example or provide one from your personal experience] See animals like my ______(cat) respond to care and love! It can be either way you know. Good care and love OR bad care and no love, the animal will respond.
Let’s see what the sheep are up to this morning…
>PUPPETS
Sheep enter…
Sheep #2 (starring dreamy eyed off in the distance…in actual…starting at the shepherd)
Sheep #3 (Speaking to #2) “You sure have been acting strange lately. You can’t seem to get
Your eyes off our shepherd.”
Sheep #1 “Yeah, your acting just like a puppy dog who just can’t get enough of his master. Next
Thing you know you’ll be over there licking his hand and jumping up and down on
His leg….(laughs).”
Sheep #2 “I’m not going to apologize for the way I’m acting. I just feel so privileged, so special,
So lucky to be in (say the word “his” very dreamy) his care!”
Sheep #3 “Hey look…doesn’t that look like our shepherd’s dad coming?”
Sheep #1 “It is! I like him!”
Sheep #2 “Let’s get closer to them so we can hear what they are talking about….”
All exit
Shepherd and older shepherd enter
Dad shepherd “Son it’s good to see you! I thought I would come up and see how things are going
Now that you have the flock in the high pastures”
Shepherd “It’s good to see you too, father. The pastures are really in great shape this summer! I
Think the sheep will do very well here.”
Dad “The way it looks to me is that the sheep are doing very well right now! You seem to
Have a heart for this kind of work. And it shows! Why look at those three sheep coming close. It’s almost like they want to be right next to you.”
Shepherd “Yeah…it’s funny but that one (points) right there seems to always want to be where
Ever I’m at. But I don’t mind. They are precious to me and I do love this
Work. I love being a shepherd!”
Dad“And the sheep know it! They are responding to your care…to your mercy and
Goodness. They know how much you love them, they’re not as dumb as
People think.
Shepherd “Well dad, I have some food cooking on the fire…are you hungry?”
2 shepherds exit
WOW! See what I mean? What do you guys think? (No noise yet) Can an animal (like a sheep) respond to the care that we give them? (Now allow noise)
Remember the very first lesson…I started with a nursery rhyme. (Allow noise) Yes…’Mary had a little lamb.’ (If you want, have a volunteer say the rhyme.) Why do you think the lamb followed Mary everywhere she went? (Allow answers)
>OBJECT CHOICES…
Option #1 (can do this now, or later or not at all)
[Obtain videos or video segments of people caring for an animal(s)…both good and bad care…maybe off the Animal Channel on TV]
Show the clips and discuss what’s happening and how the animal is responding…
OR (if you didn’t do option 1 start here…)
How many of you have a pet that you care for? Not your family cares for but you do it. (Allow hands)
Do you think you do a good job? (Allow noise) How do you know? (Allow answers) Of course, by the way your pet treats you!
OR (If you decided not do the options from above, just start here…)
The lamb liked Mary! It probably was cared for extremely well by Mary. Love, kindness, compassion, mercy, and good food everything the lamb needed. All the things we have been talking about, the sheep in our skits have also recognized a loving and good shepherd. Have you recognized your shepherd? (Goodnessand mercy) Maybe you think that your shepherd only wants what he or she can get from you. (I’m nottalking about your mom or dad!)
- I’m talking about ‘who’ we will choose to follow!
- To live our life or pattern our lives after…
>SCRIPTURE VERSE (On overhead)
“surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” Psalm 23:6a KJV
Let’s read this together a couple of times (Stop and highlight different words that you may feel led to add to, define more in depth.)
> [if time] Have one or two boys and girls try to say this verse without help. (Try to pick someone who
isn’t always picked for memory verses AND maybe award a treat for correctly saying it)
POINT: [here’s the objective of today’s lesson]
If an animal (cat, dog, sheep, etc) can feel and respond to care, mercy, and goodness…
CAN I, DO I, DO YOU FEEL THIS WAY ABOUT CHRIST. How do I respond to my Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ? Do I respond the way my pet responds to my care?
We have been talking for the last 3months about …a shepherd and his sheep. By now we should all know that ______(God) is my shepherd and His sheep are ______(us) [“us” should mean we are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus identified himself to everyone that He is “the Good Shepherd.” John 10:11,14]
How do I/you respond to the Good Shepherd? The Bible is full of people who responded to God’s care…let’s look at some…
>Drama examples
[Here’s the choices…If you have a ‘drama team’ you could give them scripts in advance to prepare OR you could bring scripts to Kid’s church and select impromptu actors from your Kid’s Church! Have costumes available, it is important. The impromptu can put costumes on then start the drama’s. Or you could just talk about each person and go from there…be creative!]
Here are a few examples…you need to prepare the scripts or have the ‘drama’ actors prepare their own from your leading. Directions (ideas)
Give each a scripture that speaks of responding to God. Have them speak about obeying God, about being satisfied with God’s care, not mans. Speak about the consequences of listening to and obeying God. Any things that would bring out our lessons objective…that God’s care is awesome and that our lives show in response His care.
Noah
Genesis 6:9 NLT “Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God’s will and enjoyed a close relationship with him.”
Did you hear that? Let me say the last line again…”He consistently followed God’s will and
enjoyed a close relationship with him.”
Like Mary’s lamb…like sheep #2 in our skits…like David, a man after God’s heart.
Samuel
Samuel was known by all that he was God’s prophet. Here’s what the Bible says…
1 Samuel 2:18 NLT “Now Samuel, though only a boy, was the Lord’s helper.”
Even boys and girls who know God can respond and become like Samuel…A HELPER OF GOD’S!
David
We have been talking a lot about David.
But here is what the Word says…
Acts 13:22 NLT ‘David son of Jesse is a man after my own heart, for he will do
everything I want him to.”
Meaning-he only wanted to do, to be what delighted and pleased God. (I wish I could say that)
Daniel
The Book of Daniel in the Bible has the stories almost all church kids can repeat.
He showed his response by obeying God, by being satisfied with God’s care, not man’s so much
that even going into the Lions den was not a problem…it probably would be for _____(us
Mary
Mother of our Lord, a young woman who was pure and right before God.
Here’s what the Bible says about her…
Luke 1:28 NLT “Greetings favored woman! The Lord is with you!”
Luke 1:30 NLT “for God has decided to bless you!”
How did she become favored by God, one of God’s favorites? By living her life in response to knowing God’s love, care, goodness and mercy.
How do I respond to my shepherd?
Paul
I’ve talked about Paul a lot also. God found a man who lived his life completely in response to
what his Shepherd did for him. When Paul got “saved” he was already a believer in Jehovah (God of Israel) but he didn’t understand that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah, the Shepherd for the lost sheep. Paul was so thankful, for what Jesus did for him that his response (for all God’s care) was to “pour out” his life. That’s the way the Bible describes how Paul was going to live his life. In such a way that all would know who his shepherd was and what his shepherd had done for him.
Listen to what the Bible says..
Paul was put in prison for telling everyone he could about Jesus…he counted it a blessing. He knew he was about to be sentenced to die for Jesus. He wrote a final letter to his friend Timothy. Listen…
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God…I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race and I have remained faithful.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7 NLT)
Here’s how The Message says it…
“I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running.” (2 Timothy 4:7 TM)
There it is!
How did Paul respond to…”surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life” ?
- By running the race!
- By living in God’s favor!
- By being a helper of Gods!
- By following God’s will and enjoying a close relationship with him!
- By obeying God not man!
- By being a boy or girl after God’s heart!
- By following God where ever He goes!
>CLOSING
How are you going to respond?
How you live your life in front of others and how you live when you’re only in front of God. That’s how you will know! AND you will know! So will God know!
A couple of quick questions before I close in prayer…
- Wherever I’m at, do I bring peace or turmoil?
- Do I forgive people who wrong me or do I fight/yell/call them names?
- Do I delight God in the way I act or the enemy?
- Do I leave behind love or hate?
How do you respond to Our Good Shepherd?
[Options: close with a response to God being their shepherd…salvation. Or for the requests to be “in the race”, or “in God’s favored status” or “a helper of God’s”, or etc, etc]
>PRAYER/ALTAR TIME
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life
Psalm 23:6a
Psalm 23
Lesson: 12