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© 2023 Copyright Strandz

4th Sunday of Easter
Te Rātapu Tuawhā o te Aranga

8 May 2022


Bible readings for today

  • Acts 9:36-43
  • Psalms 23:1-6
  • Revelation 7:9-17
  • John 10:22-30

Mother's Day is celebrated this Sunday
Across all the lectionary readings this week, shepherding or pastoral care is a pervasive theme!

Collect

Holy God,
throughout the generations
the prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah;
prepare us to receive him,
turn us from darkness to the glorious light that is your Son,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.

Mothers Day

As Mothers Day falls on this Sunday, it offers churches the opportunity to honour all the women in the church. However, we need to be mindful that motherhood is a difficult and delicate journey, and for some, this day can bring reminders of pain, hurt, emptiness, and grief - whether for new mums, old mums, single parents, grieving families, and those without children. This does not mean we shouldn't celebrate the wonderful mothers in our midst, but provides us with a day to bless of all the women in our church family. 
Mothers day ideas on our strandz website

My sheep listen to my voice (John 10:22-30)

In the gospel reading today, Jesus claims to be the Son of God. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me" John 10:28-29. As mentioned above, shepherding or pastoral care is a pervasive theme across all of our readings.

​It's helpful to know that this story comes right after Jesus has told the story of the Good Shepherd, where Jesus says "I am the good shepherd". If you are sharing this story with children, you might like to unpack this story further. 

Gospel Conversations

We take a step back in Jesus' story this week to an encounter at the feast of Hannukah. Who is this Jesus? How can we know? Bishop Kelvin, Tony Martin and Diana Abercrombie join Rev Michael Godfrey for a quiet and thoughtful discussion around encountering Jesus the Good Shepherd.

Activities

  • Gathering Sheep Balloon Game (Danielle's Place)
  • Story Telling Idea (Faith Sprouts)
  • Toilet Roll Sheep (Diary of a Newbie Mom)
  • Sheep Puppets (Kid's Craft Room)
  • Popcorn Sheep Bags (Glued to my Crafts)
  • Sheep Headband (Simple Everyday Mom)
  • Clothespeg Sheep (Prodigal Pieces)
  • Marshmallow and Pretzel Sheep (Who's the Farris)
  • Sheep Cupcake 

Visio Lectio

​A beautiful image from the Visio Lectio project, created by the Anglican Diocese of Auckland. © Sarah West. All Rights reserved, shared with permission. ​
​
Download
Terms of Use
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Quick Questions

  • Who is the Good Shepherd? 
  • Who are the sheep?
  • How do you recognise Jesus' voice?
  • What ideas can you think of for ways of learning to hear Jesus' voice more clearly?

Activity Sheets

  • Mazes: Help the shepherd find his sheep -- easy and difficult mazes for different age groups
  • Activity Sheet: Good Shepherd themed worksheet.

The Good Shepherd Media

Ever dreamt of country dancing a memory verse? Now's your chance. You're welcome. 

Parable of the Lost Sheep Media

Although this is a differen parable, this story may also be helpful in sharing how God is like a loving shepherd who protects and cares for his sheep. 

The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 23)

Storytelling

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  • Cecil and Psalm 23 (Lost Sheep). Download the storytelling toolkit for AUS$10, with images and a script.
  • Sculpting the Shepherd Psalm (BRF)

Resources

  • Sally Lloyd-Jones' story of Psalm 23
  • Sheep images on Unsplash
  • Preschool playdough mat (Flame Creative Kids)
  • Psalm 23 Bracelet (Pinterest)
  • Printable Mini Book and other Ideas (I Have No Greater Joy)
  • Preschool Activities (Almost Unschoolers)
  • Hanging Plates Craft (Christianity Cove)
  • Cup Sheep with Verse (Pinterest)
  • Still Waters Craft (Same Boat Music)
  • Lego Picture (Flickr)
  • DIY (Guided) Marble Maze (Raising Life Long Learners)
  • Psalm 23 Garden (Bible Society UK)
  • Psalm 23 Bingo (123 Homeschool)
  • Colouring in Doodle (From Victory Road)

Know my voice

What you need/Preparation
  • Record an audio clip of famous people’s voices. (eg. Jacinda Ardern, Peppa Pig, the vicar, yourself!)
  • Paper and pens for each group.

​What to do
​
Divide the children into two teams. Explain that you will play voices of famous people. As you do, the teams have to write down the name of the person that they think it is.
At the end, check the answers and see how they did!  could lead into a discussion about how we recognise people by their voices. Whose voices/ opinions do we listen to most? How do we listen to Jesus?

Psalm 23 Creative Prayer stations

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Download this file for instructions and a list of things required.

Let children absorb and engage with Psalm 23 as they make their way through different stations. As the children are moving around from station to station, you might like to stagger the start time, so they have time and space to enjoy each station.
Stations include

  1. Sheep
  2. Blanket
  3. Paddling pool
  4. Drink
  5. Labyrinth
  6. Tunnel
  7. Banquet
  8. God's house
 Let us know how you got on! 

Media

Worship songs

Psalm 23 Bible Study

Following her Psalm 23 tour last year, Bishop Eleanor Sanderson has compiled a four-week study guide around this theme. Designed for small group discipleship and mixing video, story, discussion and reflection, this guide is perfect for beginner and exploring Christians to go deeper in intimacy with Jesus.
​For more information, see the Movement Online website

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Bible Explore
Developed by Strandz for the Anglican Church of Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
© 2023 Copyright Strandz. All rights reserved.
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