Display for lesson: on a table set up a field (green fabric) with rocks, shepherd and sheep. Put a couple together and one far away looking lost & trapped in rock and shrubs. Click here to download poster. Preview: We have talked about parables the last couple of weeks. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning that Jesus taught. There were 3 main jobs for men during the time of Jesus. They were shepherding, fishermen and farming. So Jesus is going to use a lesson that they will understand. Click here to download poster. Jesus told the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the Prodigal son at the same time to these people wanting to listen. We did the Prodigal Son last week and we are going to talk about the lost sheep and the lost coin today. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Great Shepherd. Jesus, like shepherds, is always watching over us. Shepherds protect their sheep, and always want to make sure they return home safe. Scripture: Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:1-7; John 10:1-18 One of the parables Jesus told was about a lost sheep. Jesus wanted to show that God loves everyone and is happy when anyone repents. God wants everyone to go to Heaven. There were people in the time of Jesus who thought they were better than every else. We have people like that now. When they all came to see Jesus, the Pharisees and the scribes started complaining that Jesus welcomes sinners…He even eats with them! So Jesus told a parable about a shepherd. He said that if any man had 100 sheep and he lost one of them, wouldn’t he leave the 99 in the wilderness to go find the one that is lost until he finds it? So, if we quit coming to worship and start doing things that God doesn’t like, then we are lost. When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, wouldn’t he lay it on his shoulders and celebrate that he found it? When he gets home, he would call together his friends and neighbors saying to them “Celebrate with me because I have found my lost sheep!” Jesus said just like the found sheep, when a sinner repents, there is more joy in heaven than over the 99 who do not need to repent. Who is the Shepherd? Jesus is the GREAT Shepherd Who is watching over us? Jesus Who is the lost sheep? the ones who are not faithful to Jesus I found this Shepherd's Hook at a Halloween store. (This is in pieces, and you screw the plastic pieces together to make it the 68".) The sheep would usually graze all day, then be kept in caves or pens at night. They usually had one opening, and if it didn’t have a door to block, the shepherd would lay in front of the opening to sleep at night to protect the sheep. Several flocks of sheep could be kept together, and in the morning if a shepherd called for his sheep, they recognized his voice. Jesus said that He is the gate for the sheep. He protects from thieves and robbers. He takes care of His people like a shepherd and would check the sheep at night when they came in for injuries and fix with oil if needed. In the New Testament book of John, Jesus told the people about a shepherd and his sheep. Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” {Today’s Bible verse} Which Jesus gave His life for us by dying on the cross. This can printed in color or black and white to use as a picture to color. You can print them here: Color B/W I walked around the room with a broom and a candle 'looking' for my lost coin. Parable of the lost coin: Open your Bibles to Luke 15:8-10. We are going to read this parable. This parable is only 3 verses, but very important. There was a woman that had ten silver coins. But she lost one of the coins! She lit a lamp, swept the entire house, corners and all, to search carefully for the lost coin. She looked and looked for the lost coin... She didn't stop looking until she found that lost coin! Update information: I set up a display for this lesson. Even the older students would appreciate seeing some hands-on visuals! For the Lost Coin, I have these lamps on the table. I give each student a bag with 9 silver coins and have them count them. Oh, no! They have lost a silver coin! They look until they find the lost silver coin which I hid before class. I have a small broom from Dollar Tree and use the lamp to search around the room for the lost coin that I 'find' while I tell the lesson. Put clay oil lamp in the search bar where you like to purchase items to look for the oil lamps. These are from Amazon to help you get started. first lamp middle lamp last lamp The lamps are palm size, so don't be surprised by their size when you see them in person. For the Lost Sheep, I have a sheep 'hiding' on top of the cabinet. I use a shepherd's crook to walk around looking for the lost sheep and explain what the hook on the end was used for. I 'find' the lost sheep and bring it down and lay it on my shoulders and talk about how happy I am to find the lost sheep. Then the students find a lost sheep I have hidden before class. I find the stuffed lambs here and they don't always have the same ones in stock. Put in stuffed lambs in the search bar. When she finally found it, she called her friends together to celebrate that she had found the coin that was lost. Even though she had 9 other coins, she looked carefully until she found the lost coin. Jesus wanted the people to understand that for those that are lost, Jesus will welcome you back and rejoices when you return. Please note: Due to a comment, I redid the Lost Coin posts. In my original notes, I have about the woman’s coins probably would have been kept on her headband, but when I put the lessons online, that was not stated. At least, not clearly. All the probably and maybes that were the habits during the time Jesus told the parable. One of my main points of this Bible blog is keeping the lesson to what the Bible says. So, I corrected the lesson, worksheets, etc. and kept it to the facts in the Bible. Please leave a comment on the post if I missed something. For hands on fun, I made 1 ½ inch round circles on grey cardstock (Cricut machine, George, shadow blackout O). I hid extra ‘coins’ around the room and let them seek & find. They had so much fun looking for the coins! You can print this worksheet here. Bible Verse: John 10:11 There are 2 lapbook printables for today's lesson. You can print them here: Lost Shepherd This is the printable for today's lesson. The students will cut out the shepherd and glue him to the worksheet. You can print it here. You can find all the download links for the Life of Jesus lapbooks and the lapbook worksheets here. I also made these super cute scratch offs for the kids. They are really easy, and they are a lot of fun! Here is the original link with the free printables. Lost Coin visuals found here. and are the copyright of FreeBibleimages.org. (Used with permission) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.