Lesson Overview
1
Get Them Curious
Prepare kids for an exciting
learning journey.
Sardines
Play a game of Sardines to get kids ready for the lesson on The Lost Sheep.
2
Screen Time
Show kids a video on the
Bible story.
The Lost Sheep
God’s Story: One Lost Sheep, by Crossroads Kids’ Club
3
Make it Stick
Help kids remember the
Bible story.
A Short Skit by Kids
Using simple props, have kids perform a skit of The Lost Sheep.
4
Dig Deeper
Help kids grasp
the big idea.
Guess the Price
Play Guess the Price to teach kids that Jesus greatly values each one of us!
5
Walk the Talk
Help kids live out
the big idea.
A-Mazing Shepherd
Help the shepherd find the sheep lost in a maze!
6
Take it Home
Send kids home with a concrete action plan and fun midweek activities.
Lost and Found
Play a game of Baa Baa Lost Sheep at home. Free printables provided!
Big Idea
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He seeks out each lost sinner and rejoices over every sinner who decides to follow Him.
Key Verse
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost. Luke 19:10
Live it Out
We should follow Jesus and tell others about Him.
This Sunday School Lesson requires some advance preparation. For a consolidated summary of preparation, supplies and free printables required, please scroll to the bottom of this lesson.
1. Get Them Curious – Sardines
Sardines is “Hide and Seek” played backwards, beginning with only 1 player hiding.
You will need a large play area with lots of possible hiding spots. If you can dim the lights, it will make the game even more fun!
Before you begin, ensure that everyone knows the boundaries within which they must remain.
Choose 1 volunteer to go and hide. Everyone else will close their eyes and count to 50 (or 100 if you are playing in a huge area that requires more time to hide). They then split up to search for the hidden player.
Whoever finds the hidden player must quietly join them in the same hiding spot. Everyone will soon become packed like sardines by the time the last player finds them!
The last person to find the hidden person will be the first player to go and hide in the next round. Play for as long as you like.
Discuss: Can anyone guess the title of today’s Bible story?
Say: Let’s watch a video on The Lost Sheep.
Pray: Dear God, thank you for our game of Sardines! Please help us learn what Sardines has to do with today’s lesson, and teach each us how you want us to live out the lesson! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
2. Screen Time – The Lost Sheep
This is our favorite YouTube video on The Lost Sheep: https://youtu.be/smvcsgMv6Dw
Before you begin, tell the children to pay attention to the various characters in the story.
3. Make it Stick – A Short Skit by Kids
Discuss: What Bible story did we just watch?
Show Slide 1 (Sunday School Lesson Title & Bible Reference):
For older kids, you may like to have them open their Bibles to today’s passage.
Discuss: Who are the characters in this story?
Say: We are going perform a skit together. One (or 2) of us will be the narrator(s) who must retell the story that we have just watched. The rest of us will act as various characters in the story.
Appoint or ask for volunteers for these key roles:
- 1 or 2 narrator(s)
- Jesus
- 1 shepherd
- 1 lost sheep
Discuss: Can anyone tell me what you know about Pharisees?
Say: Pharisees were religious leaders who were very strict about obeying the Law.
Ask the remaining kids who wants to play the part of the Pharisees (limit to about ¼ of the remaining kids).
Say: During the skit later, the Pharisees must look very proud and say this together: “We are the Pharisees! We know everything about the law! And we strictly obey the law!” The Pharisees must act religious by reading the Bible and praying. They must also point at everyone else and shake their heads in disapproval.
Have the Pharisees repeat their lines several times.
Discuss: Pharisees thought it was wrong for Jesus to spend time with certain kinds of people. Who were these people?
Say: Pharisees thought it was wrong for Jesus to spend time with tax collectors and sinners.
Ask the remaining kids who wants to play the part of tax collectors and sinners (limit to about 1/3 of the remaining kids who have not yet been assigned any roles).
Give each tax collector and sinner a bag of coins.
Say: During the skit later, the tax collectors and sinners must shake their bags of coins and say this together: “We are tax collectors and sinners.” Then they must look shy and ashamed as they say this: “The Pharisees think Jesus should not be spending time with us.” The tax collectors and sinners must also pretend to be collecting taxes, quarrelling or fighting with each other.
Have the tax collectors and sinners repeat their lines several times.
Discuss: After the shepherd found his lost sheep, what did he do?
Say: After the shepherd found his lost sheep, he carried it home. And he called his friends and neighbors to celebrate with him.
Ask the remaining kids who wants to play the part of the shepherd’s friends and neighbors (limit to about 1/2 of the remaining kids).
Give each of them a party blower / noise-maker.
Say: During the skit later, the shepherd’s friends and neighbors must make lots of noise, dance and celebrate!
Discuss: Who is the last group in our story?
Say: The last group is the 99 sheep.
Tell all the remaining kids to act as these 99 sheep.
Say: During the skit later, the sheep must say “baa” every time the narrator says the word “sheep”.
Have the narrator(s) say “sheep” and all the sheep say “baa” together.
(The 1 lost sheep can join in the baa-ing, too!)
Give the shepherd a stick/staff.
Pass the time to the narrator(s), who must introduce each character/group before telling the story.
Allow the narrator(s) to refer to their Bibles as they tell the story.
Everyone must play their parts according to the narration. Encourage everyone to exaggerate their actions and have fun!
After the kids have finished performing the skit, thank everyone for their participation.
4. Dig Deeper – Guess the Price
In this game, kids must try to guess the price of various items you have prepared.
Keep the items you’ve prepared hidden from view. (One easy way is to use an opaque trash bag to store the items.)
Divide into teams. Each team can have 3-5 players. (Teams can be larger, but smaller teams allow everyone to be involved.)
Give each team some writing paper and a pen.
Show everyone the first item.
(To make it more like a game show, you may want to read out an elaborate description of the item.)
Give everyone 1 minute to discuss within their teams how much they think that item costs.
(They are not allowed to go online to check the price!)
Have all the teams write their answers on the paper provided.
When all the teams are ready, have them reveal their answers at the same time.
Disclose the actual price of the item.
The team with the closest answer wins that round and is awarded 100 points.
In the event of a tie, award 100 points to each winning team.
Play the next round with the next item.
You can play as many rounds as you like.
Tips
1. To make the game more fun, include a good mix of common items and not-so-common items.
Including several quirky items will also get you some laughs.
2. Instead of showing the actual items, you can use pictures of items instead.
3. To add variety to the game, for some rounds, instead of showing just 1 item, show everyone 5 items and have the teams arrange them from lowest to highest values.
Discuss:
- Was it easy to estimate the price of the items?
- Which was the most expensive item?
- What is the most valuable item that you own?
- If you lose your most valuable possession, how would you feel?
- What would you do?
- How would you feel if you eventually find it?
- Would you feel the same way if you lose a penny? Why or why not?
Read Luke15:1-7
Discuss:
- Why did the Pharisees think that Jesus should not spend time with the tax collectors and sinners?
- Why did the shepherd leave the 99 sheep?
- What did the shepherd do after he found the 1 lost sheep?
- What does this tell us about the value of the lost sheep to the shepherd?
- Who does the shepherd represent?
- Who does the lost sheep represent?
- What is the point of Jesus’ story?
Say:
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He seeks out each lost sinner and rejoices over every sinner who decides to follow Him.
Show Slide 2 (Big Idea):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say:
- The shepherd went to search for the 1 lost sheep because it was very valuable to him. And he rejoiced when he found it!
- The shepherd in this story represents Jesus! He seeks out each lost sinner because we are all very, very valuable to Him!
5. Walk the Talk – A-Mazing Shepherd
Show kids a sample of the A-Mazing Shepherd maze that you have made.
Tell kids they will each be making their own A-Mazing Shepherd maze.
Give each child a pizza box, some play dough, and 2 ping pong balls.
Tell them that one of the ping bong balls represents the lost sheep, and the other represents the Good Shepherd.
They must make a maze for the sheep and help the Good Shepherd find the lost sheep.
Roll the play dough to form “snakes” and press them firmly on the inside of the pizza tray to form a maze.
(You may also use jumbo straws and wooden tongue depressors together with the play dough.)
Ensure that the “snakes” are tall enough to prevent ping pong balls from rolling over them, and that the paths between “snakes” are wide enough for the ping pong balls to roll through.
After completing the maze, play a game:
Place 2 ping pong balls at opposite corners of the maze.
Gently tilt the pizza tray to move the 2 ping pong balls until they meet.
Discuss:
- Was it easy to get the 2 ping pong balls to meet?
- In what way does this game remind us about the story of The Lost Sheep?
Say:
- The 2 ping pong balls are like the shepherd and the lost sheep. At first they were separated, but the shepherd eventually found the lost sheep.
- The 2 ping pong balls are also like Jesus and the lost sinner. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks out each lost sinner!
Show Slide 3 (Key Verse): 
Have everyone read the slide.
Discuss:
- Who is the Son of Man?
- Who are the lost?
- What did Jesus do? Why?
Say:
- Jesus is God’s Son. He came to die on the cross, and on the third day, He became alive again!
- Jesus died on the cross for our sins because we are all very, very valuable to Him!
- Because of what Jesus did, all our sins can be forgiven, and we can have a relationship with God.
- Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He seeks out each lost sinner and rejoices over every sinner who decides to follow Him.
Show Slide 4 (Live it Out): 
Have everyone read the slide.
Discuss: Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross to take the punishment for our sins?
Say:
- Sins are things that we do that make God unhappy. We have all done things that are wrong. Telling lies, fighting and stealing are examples of sins.
- We are all sinners and we cannot be with God because of our sins. But God loves us very, very much, and He wants to be with us forever! That is why God sent his Son, Jesus, to come to earth to die on the cross so that all of our sins can be forgiven. And on the third day, Jesus became alive again!
- Everyone who believes in Jesus can be with God forever and ever!
Discuss: Have you decided to follow Jesus?
Invite those who want to start following Jesus to say this prayer with you:
Dear Jesus, I know that I have sinned. I believe that you died on the cross to take the punishment for my sins. Please forgive all of my sins. Please come into my life and help me turn away from doing wrong. Thank you that because you took the punishment for my sins, I can have a relationship with you now and will one day be with you in heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
Say:
- If you have just said this prayer, there’s a celebration in heaven over you right now!
- You now have a special relationship with Jesus and you can one day be with Jesus in heaven!
- It is important that you grow in your relationship with Jesus. You can do this by:
> Talking to Jesus (this is called praying),
> Reading the Bible, and
> Obeying Jesus
6. Take it Home – Lost and Found
Say: Let’s recall all that we have learned today. Can you remember the title of today’s Bible Story?
Show Slide 1 again (Sunday School Lesson Title & Bible Reference):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say: Can you remember today’s big idea?
Show Slide 2 again (Big Idea):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say: Can you remember today’s key verse?
Show Slide 3 again (Key Verse):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say: How can we live out today’s lesson?
Show Slide 4 again (Live it Out):
Have everyone read the slide.
Say: You have each made an A-mazing Shepherd maze. And I will be giving you a Gospel tract that you can read more about following Jesus.
Discuss: How can we put today’s lesson into practice with these 2 items?
Say:
- I have an assignment for you this week.
- For those of you who have already decided to follow Jesus, I hope you can use your A-mazing Shepherd maze and Gospel tract to tell your friends about Jesus.
- For those of you who have not yet decided to follow Jesus, I hope you can read the Gospel tract and think about whether you want to follow Jesus. You can ask me any questions that you have.
Give each child a copy of The Lost Sheep Take it Home Handout and a Gospel tract.
Say: Let’s fill in the Live it Out section on the first page. The other pages are for you to do at home. Tell me next week about what you did at home!
Give everyone some time to write down their Live it Out action plan before ending the lesson with this closing prayer:
Pray: Dear Jesus, thank you for today’s Bible lesson on The Lost Sheep. Thank you that you are the Good Shepherd who seeks out each lost sinner. Thank you for rejoicing over every sinner who decides to follow you. For those of us who have already decided to follow you, please help us tell others about you. For those who have not yet decided to follow you, please help them know that you are seeking them and help them to decide to follow you. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Lesson Preparation and Supplies
Here’s a summary of all the preparation, supplies and free printables required for this lesson.1
Get Them Curious
Prepare kids for an exciting
learning journey.
Sardines
Play a game of Sardines to get kids ready for the lesson on The Lost Sheep.
No preparation or supplies needed.
2
Screen Time
Show kids a video on the
Bible story.
The Lost Sheep
God’s Story: One Lost Sheep, by Crossroads Kids’ Club
Ensure that you can play this YouTube video:
God’s Story: One Lost Sheep, by Crossroads Kids’ Club
(Video URL: https://youtu.be/smvcsgMv6Dw)
3
Make it Stick
Help kids remember the
Bible story.
A Short Skit by Kids
Using simple props, have kids perform a skit of The Lost Sheep.
Download Slide 1 (Sunday School Lesson Title & Bible Reference):
You will need these props for the skit:
- The Good Shepherd needs a stick/staff.
- Each Pharisee needs a Bible
- Each Tax Collector/Sinner needs a bag of coins
- Each Friend/Neighbor of the Shepherd needs a party blower/noisemaker
4
Dig Deeper
Help kids grasp
the big idea.
Guess the Price
Play Guess the Price to teach kids that Jesus greatly values each one of us!
You will need:
- A variety of items for players to guess the price of
- A large black trash bag to hide all the items until you are ready to show them to the class
- Paper and Pen for each group of kids
Download Slide 2 (Big Idea):
5
Walk the Talk
Help kids live out
the big idea.
A-Mazing Shepherd
Help the shepherd find the sheep lost in a maze!
Make 1 A-Mazing Shepherd maze in advance.
(Follow the instructions in “Walk the Talk” section above.)
You will need to show your A-Mazing Shepherd maze to the children as a sample.
You will need for each child:
- A large pizza box (we suggest 18inch by 18inch), or any large tray or box cover.
- Play dough
- 2 ping pong balls
- Optional: Jumbo straws and Wooden tongue depressors
Download Slide 3 (Key Verse):
Download Slide 4 (Live it Out):
6
Take it Home
Send kids home with a concrete action plan and fun midweek activities.
Lost and Found
Play a game of Baa Baa Lost Sheep at home. Free printables provided!
Download The Lost Sheep Take it Home Handout.
For each child, you will need:
- 1 copy of The Lost Sheep Take it Home Handout.
- 1 Children’s Gospel Tract.
(We recommend Where’s Everybody Going? Animated Tract, which has mesmerizing animations that engage youths and children with the gospel story of how God loves each and every one of us.)
It would be good to tell parents about the Take it Home Handout. Encourage them to do the suggested family activity with their child.
