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Something to think about before teaching:

Shepherds were willing to lay down their lives for their sheep whether protecting them from predators, thieves or the elements. The sheep knew the shepherd and recognized the shepherd’s voice. The shepherd also knew each of his sheep.

Kids will learn that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for each one of them. He knows each of them by name and wants them to be able to recognize His voice. constructing: putting

together what God says about the name-Bible Story -Life Size App Challenge-Build that App

testing: applying the name-Game Invention Lab -Craft-Game-Bible Memory-Express Yourself -Snack-Trading Cards -Family Time

Each Lesson contains:

discovering: finding out about the name-Guess the Junk-Alex and the Junkyard Thief -Uncovering the Name-Discovering the Verse

Junkyard Appslesson One: Good Shepherd

Main Point: Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for us.

Bible Verse: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Bible Story: Good Shepherd; John 10:11-18

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discoveringguess the junkSupplies: box or old cratePreparation: Hide the box or crate in the junkyard.

Welcome to the Junkyard.

I am going to give you three clues about our junk find of the day. Let’s see if you can guess what it is. (Either show the box or indicate that the junk item is somewhere among the other junk items.)

Clue #1: People put things in this. Clue #2: It is made of cardboard (wood). Clue #3: It is in the shape of a cube.

Answer: Box (or crate)

alex and the junkyard thiefSupplies: Box or crate, sleeping bag, pillow, black mask or stocking cap

Preparation: The Junkyard Thief should wear black and have a mask or stocking cap pulled down over his face. Download The Pink Panther Theme from itunes and play whenever the Junkyard Thief appears.

This is it. The last night that this terrible Junkyard Thief is going to steal my box. Every single box, whether made out of cardboard or wood, has disappeared from the Imagination Factory Junkyard. My customers need these boxes, they ask for them all the time. I need these boxes, they are perfect to store small items in. Customers can go through the small items easier if they are contained in one place. But, no, I can’t put things in boxes anymore because my boxes are disappearing.

This box came in from the Gallery today (holds up box/crate.) I am going to guard it with my life. In fact, I am spending the night here to make sure that no one enters the Junk-yard and takes the box. (Pulls out his sleeping bag and places it on the ground. Puts a pillow down and lies down on it. Before long he is yawning and falls asleep.)

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The Junkyard Thief enters. Quietly he tip toes around the Junkyard looking around. Alex should turn over, snore loudly or talk in his sleep every once in awhile. When he does so, The Junkyard Thief stops in midair. Finally, he sees the box. He celebrates quietly but wildly- dancing in circles, raising his hands, jumping up and down. He takes the box and exits.

Alex wakes up and stretches.

Is it morning already? I slept great here. And I stopped that Junkyard Thief. I didn’t hear a thing all night.

Alex walks over to where the box was. He stops in shock and looks frantically around the area.

NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO! How could he have come in here? I was here all night. Lying right by the entrance. How could this have happened? I was guarding that box with my very life. I am going to catch this Junkyard Thief if it is the last thing I do.

Alex takes up his sleeping bag and pillow and leaves.

uncovering the nameSupplies: sign “Good Shepherd”, staff

Each week our name of Jesus is going to have a symbol to help us remember the meaning of the name. We will look at a picture that has part of the symbol up close. More of the symbol will be shown a little at a time. See if you can guess what the symbol is.

(This can be done by having the kids yell out answers, dividing into two teams with a captain or choosing two kids to play in front of everyone)

The symbol is a staff. Our name today is “Good Shepherd.” What do you think the symbol has to do with the name? (Give the kids an opportunity to guess.)

The staff is something that a shepherd uses to protect his sheep. He guides the sheep with it. He fights off predators with it. The shepherd will do whatever it takes to protect the sheep including laying down his life for the sheep.

We are like the sheep. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for us.Display: Place the staff in the display. Make sure to print out the name “Good Shepherd.”

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discovering the verseRead John 10:11 together:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Let’s say the verse again with some motions to help us remember it.

I am (Point to the sky.)The good shepherd. (Trace a circle with two hands signifying a sheepfold leaving an open space close to you. Bring your hands up to you as if embracing the sheep.)The good shepherd (Do same as above)Lays down (Place hand palm side up, lay other hand down on it.)His Life (Thump heart with fist a few times.)For the sheep. (Put hands on head with two fingers up on either side to look like sheep ears.)

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ConstructingBible StoryThe Good Shepherd; John 10:11-18

Supplies: White board and markers or chalkboard and chalk

A shepherd had to work hard to make sure that his sheep were not destroyed. There were many things that the shepherd had to do to make sure that the sheep were cared for.

Let’s see how many things you can think of that a shepherd would need to do:

(Have kids take turns brainstorming ways that a shepherd had to take care of his flock. Write these on the board.)

Make sure that the following are included on their list:1. Find food (Green pastures)2. Find water (Sheep liked to drink from still waters not flowing streams.)3. Safe place to rest (Place them in a sheep pen.)4. Safe from predators (Used staff to keep predators away from sheep.)5. Safe from getting lost (Shepherds would go and look for lost sheep.)6. Make sure they did not get lost in another flock. (Shepherd knew all his sheep and the sheep knew his name.)7. Make sure they were not stolen. (Would place his body across the opening into the sheep pen.)

Jesus said that He is the Good Shepherd. He loves His sheep so much that He lays down his life for them. If we are Jesus’ sheep, how did He lay down His life for us?

Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Romans 5:8 says “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

What is sin? It is doing something that we know is against what God wants for us. For instance, God does not want us to lie. Or cheat. Or steal. He does not want us to disobey our parents. He wants us to love Him and to love others.

Jesus told the following: “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.”

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Jesus is not like the hired hand. He is the Good Shepherd who will not leave His sheep to be snatched by the enemy.

Jesus also said, “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.”

Jesus knows each one of us who are in his flock. That means those who have accepted Him as their Savior. We also know Him.

Another thing that Jesus said was, “And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

Jesus was saying that it was not just going to be one type of people, like the Israelites, in his flock. That all who listen for his voice- who follow Him- will be welcomed into his flock.

And finally, Jesus lets us know that He laid down His life for us on His own. No one made Him do this. No one caught Him unaware. Jesus could have walked away from the cross. But He did not. He stayed. He knew this was what the Father had willed. And He loved us enough to give His life for us.

PrayerTake time to thank Jesus for being our Good Shepherd. Thank Him for specific things He does as the Good Shepherd ending with thanking Him for laying down His life for each child.

life size app challengeSupplies: Angry Bird application on a device (optional), large boxes, green balloons, red playground ball, permanent black marker

Preparation: Blow up the green balloons. Using the marker, make pig faces on the balloons. Make an angry bird face on the red ball with the marker. Set up an Angry Bird game using the boxes and the green pig faces. For ideas on set up: http://pinterest.com/riversec/imagination- factory-junkyard-apps/

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How many of you have ever played the game Angry Birds? What is fun about playing the game? What frustrates you about playing the game?Would you say that the game is about destroying something or is it more about building something for good?

(If possible show a portion of this application on a screen or for a smaller group, pass it around on a device.)

I will need a volunteer to play the Angry Birds life size game. You will need to throw this red ball at the structure trying to knock down the green pigs. (Have different kids come up and try until all of the green pigs have been knocked down.)

There are different versions of Angry Birds. What versions have you played? (Give the kids an opportunity to answer.)

The angry birds are out to destroy anything they need to destroy to get the green pigs. Do you think this is the way the Good Shepherd is?

The Good Shepherd is opposite of the angry birds. Instead of destroying things, He is building them up. Jesus builds a life for each one of us by sacrificing Himself for our own good. While the angry birds might be sacrificing themselves to get to the pigs, they do it not out of love. Jesus, on the other hand, sacrifices because He loves us.

Jesus loves us so much that He wants a relationship with us. Jesus knows the names of each one of his sheep. He knows us individually. He wants us to be able to recognize His voice. That does not mean a voice we hear out loud but rather recognize Him when He is speaking inside us.

Remember that Jesus is not out to destroy but to build up lives. Let’s say the Bible verse together to help us remember:

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Laying down a life for another is a selfless act. Jesus, The Good Shepherd, shows His love and His focus on caring for others.

We have a choice. We can live our lives caring only about ourselves like the angry birds who just want to destroy. Or we can live our lives like Jesus being selfless and loving others.

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build that appSupplies: bean bags or small balls, assortment of building supplies: plastic cups, shoeboxes, Legos, building blocks

Divide the kids into small groups. Give each group access to the supplies.

The groups should design and build an app that would illustrate the meaning of the name, Good Shepherd. After they build the app, they should play it.

Once everyone has built their app, they should show one another and explain how it illustrates the name, Good Shepherd.

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testingapp invention labSupplies: supplies from Build that App

Kids will build their own individual app. The app should be used to explain one thing that a shepherd does for his flock (example: protects them from predators). After they have built their app, have them show it to someone else and let them play it. They should explain the meaning behind the app.

craft: paint chip bookmarksSupplies: paint chips (from home improvement store- use one ones with four sections), alphabet stamps

On one side of the paint chip, have the kids write the words, one in each section, He Knows My Name. On the other side, stamp the letters to their name in abstract form. The letters can be overlapping, scrambled or partially off the page.

If alphabet stamps are not available, print out letters to glue on or use markers to write the letters.

Games: sheep and shepherdChoose one person to be the shepherd; the rest are sheep.

Tell the sheep that they are being naughty today and not listening to the shepherd so he is going to have to chase them down. When the shepherd catches the sheep, they join the fold holding hands. They run with the shepherd to catch the other sheep until all the sheep have been brought into the fold safely.

bible memory: picture verseI am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Supplies: paper, markers

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Make a picture of the verse. Either use pictures for the key words in place of the verse and write the words or draw a picture of the meaning of the verse writing the verse out below the picture.

express yourselfSupplies: Copy of questions for each small group

1. Describe the life of a shepherd.2. How is Jesus the Good Shepherd?3. What does it mean that Jesus laid down His life for His sheep?4. Why do we need Jesus to lay down his life for us? 5. Read Psalm 23. Compare this chapter to Jesus the Good Shepherd.

snackSupplies: Bread, candy cane cookie cutter, honey, butter, butter knife, plate

Preparation: Soften the butter in the microwave. Mix the honey and butter together.

Cut the bread with the cookie cutter to make a staff. Spread with the honey butter.

Review how the staff symbolizes the name, Good Shepherd.

trading cardsSupplies: printed card for each child, markers or crayons (optional)

Name: Good ShepherdSymbol: Staff

Verse: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Give each child the card. If using the coloring cards, use markers or cray-ons to decorate them. Go over the verse together and review the symbol.

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Supply List

guess the junk: ☐Box or old crate

alex and the junkyard thief: ☐Box or crate ☐Sleeping bag ☐Pillow ☐Black mask or stocking cap

uncovering the name: ☐sign “Good Shepherd” ☐Staff

bible story: ☐White board and markers or chalkboard and chalk

life size app challenge: ☐Angry Bird application on a device (optional) ☐Large boxes ☐Green balloons ☐Red playground ball ☐Permanent black marker

build that app: ☐Bean bags or small balls, assortment of building supplies: plastic cups, shoeboxes, Legos, building blocks

app invention lab: ☐Supplies from Build that App

craft: ☐Paint chips (from home improvement store- use one ones with four sections) ☐Alphabet stamps

bible memory: ☐Paper ☐Markers

express yourself: ☐Copy of questions for each small group

snack: ☐Bread ☐Candy cane cookie cutter ☐Honey ☐Butter ☐Butter knife ☐Plate

trading cards: ☐Printed card for each child ☐Markers or crayons (optional)

Junkyard Apps

family discussion:1. What does it mean that Jesus is the Good Shepherd?2. Why did Jesus lay down His life for us?3. How do you see Jesus taking care of your family like a shepherd cares for his flock?

family imaginative thinking:One person pretend to be a shepherd. Everyone else be the sheep. The shepherd should take care of the sheep: finding green pastures, still waters, protecting from predators, the elements and thieves.

family game:Gather blocks, plastic cups and small balls. Make an angry bird app to play. Use your creativity to construct different structures to knock down. How are the angry birds opposite from a shepherd?

Main Point: Jesus, the Good Shepherd, laid down his life for us.

Bible Verse: I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

Bible Story: Good Shepherd; John 10:11-18

express yourself

1. Describe the life of a shepherd.2. How is Jesus the Good Shepherd?3. What does it mean that Jesus laid down His life for His sheep?4. Why do we need Jesus to lay down his life for us? 5. Read Psalm 23. Compare this chapter to Jesus the Good Shepherd.