4th Sunday of Easter, Year C

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

"Jesus said:
'The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;"

(From the Gospel)

(Read the quote, then each line slowly, with pauses to allow the children (and us!) to reflect on the questions.)

Do you remember the story of the Good Shepherd? Who is the Good Shepherd?

Jesus says, "The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me."

The sheep that the Good Shepherd cares for know His voice. They know who He is, and they trust and love Him. They know that He will always look after them. They know that He knows each one of them and loves them. Because they know and trust Him, they follow Him.

Can you think who follows the Good Shepherd? Who knows who He is? Who trusts and loves Him? Who knows that the Good Shepherd will always look after them? Who does the Good Shepherd know, each one by name, and love?

How wonderful to be a sheep of the Good Shepherd.

Thank you, Jesus the Good Shepherd, for caring for Your sheep so well. Thank you for knowing each one by name, and loving each one, and calling each one to follow You. Amen.

(Allow any spontaneous prayers, perhaps leading by example. 3-6 year olds relate most naturally to God through prayers of praise and thanksgiving; 6+ will have started thinking about their needs and the needs of those around them in prayers of intercession. Some children may also just want quiet time to speak with God in their hearts.)

(Sing a simple hymn or chant if your children like singing. Or even if they don't ;) This can also be done at the beginning. )

"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." 

(Note to parents: Apologies if your children have already figured out that they are the sheep - mine haven't, somehow, so I'm giving them as many opportunities to figure it out as possible! Though really, one can never overstress the unconditional love of the Good Shepherd! Also apologies for not having notes in the reflections anymore, in case those were useful. The boys seem to engage a lot better if they read it themselves, so needed to simplify it.)