Children's Liturgy Guide

4th Sunday of Easter

Year B · Easter

The Good Shepherd Knows Us

Reading: John 10:11-18

Leader Prep

Don't worry about doing this perfectly. If the children hear one good idea about God, Jesus, prayer, kindness, forgiveness, or the Gospel, this time has been worthwhile.

Summary

Jesus tells us He is the Good Shepherd who knows each of His sheep by name and loves them so much He would give His life for them. Just like a shepherd takes care of every single sheep, Jesus takes care of each one of us because we belong to Him.

Key Points

  • Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd who truly cares for His sheep
  • The Good Shepherd knows each sheep personally, by name
  • Jesus loves us so much He laid down His life for us
  • Jesus wants to bring all people together as one flock
  • We are safe and loved because we belong to Jesus

Background

In this passage, Jesus contrasts Himself with a hired hand who abandons the sheep when danger comes. The Good Shepherd image draws on Old Testament imagery where God is portrayed as Israel's shepherd (Psalm 23, Ezekiel 34). Jesus' claim to 'lay down my life' points forward to His sacrificial death on the cross, and His authority to 'take it up again' foreshadows the Resurrection. The 'other sheep' refers to Gentiles being brought into the one flock of the Church. For children, emphasize that Jesus knows them personally by name and watches over them with love, like the best caretaker they can imagine. Set aside the hired-hand contrast and the theological complexity of Jesus' authority over His own death.

Session Flow

Opening Prayer

Invite the children to pray with you, then read the opening prayer below. If many don't know the sign of the cross, teach the whole group.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Dear Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd who knows us and loves us. Help us to listen to Your voice and follow You always. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Warm-up

Ask the warm-up question before the reading. There are no wrong answers; this is just to help the children connect today's reading to their own lives.

Has anyone ever taken care of you when you were sick or scared? What did they do to help you feel safe?

Example: When I had a bad dream, my mom came to my room and stayed with me and rubbed my back until I felt better and could fall asleep again.

Bridge to the reading: It feels so good when someone takes care of us and makes us feel safe. In today's reading, Jesus tells us that He is like a shepherd who takes care of His sheep. He knows every single one of them by name and keeps them safe because He loves them so much.

Read the Scripture

Read the day's selected passage aloud. The full Scripture text is not included here. Use a Children's Lectionary if your parish has one available. A children's Bible may also be helpful for younger children. Otherwise, read from a standard lectionary, Bible, or USCCB.org. Read slowly, with short pauses.

Reading Questions

Ask the questions conversationally. You do not need to use every question if time is short. The example answers are for leader preparation, not scripts or required answers.

  1. What does Jesus call Himself in this reading?

    Example: Jesus calls Himself the Good Shepherd, which means He is like a really good person who takes care of sheep.

  2. What does Jesus say He does for His sheep?

    Example: Jesus says He knows His sheep and He lays down His life for them because He loves them so much.

  3. What did Jesus say about other sheep that are not in this fold?

    Example: Jesus said He has other sheep too and He wants to bring them all together so there will be one flock with one shepherd.

  4. Why do you think Jesus wanted us to know that He is like a Good Shepherd?

    Example: I think Jesus wanted us to know that He really cares about us and will always watch over us and keep us safe like a shepherd does.

Application Questions

Use these questions to help the children connect the reading to their own lives this week. Simple, concrete answers are best.

  1. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus knows your name and watches over you?

    Example: It makes me feel happy and safe because Jesus knows who I am and He is always taking care of me even when I cannot see Him.

  2. Who are some people in your life who take care of you like a good shepherd takes care of sheep?

    Example: My parents take care of me and my teacher at school helps me learn and my grandma makes sure I eat good food when I visit her.

  3. This week, how can you be like a good shepherd to someone younger or smaller than you?

    Example: I could help my little brother when he needs help with something or play with a kid at recess who looks lonely and sad.

Recap

Today we heard that Jesus is the Good Shepherd who knows each of us by name and loves us so much that He gave His life for us. Just like a shepherd watches over every single sheep, Jesus watches over each one of us because we belong to Him and He will never leave us.

Prayer of the Faithful

Before returning to the assembly, invite the children to share their own prayer intentions. Their prayers may be serious, simple, funny, or very specific. After each child's prayer, the group may respond: "Lord, hear our prayer." Lastly, include the suggested prayer below.

For children who feel alone or forgotten, that they may come to know the love of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who knows them by name, we pray to the Lord.

Mass Connection

If time allows, point out this connection just before returning to Mass. This helps children see that Children's Liturgy is still part of the Mass.

When we pray the Lamb of God before Communion, we call Jesus the 'Lamb of God.' This connects to today's reading because a lamb is part of the shepherd's flock, and Jesus is both our Shepherd who cares for us and the Lamb who gave His life for us.

Closing Prayer

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Thank You, Jesus, for being our Good Shepherd. Help us to hear Your voice and follow You every day. Keep us safe in Your love and help us to care for others the way You care for us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

ChildrensLiturgy.org

The Good Shepherd Knows Us

John 10:11-18

Word Search

Optional activity: use the word search after the discussion if you have time, or send it home with the children. The words relate to today's Children's Liturgy Scripture passage.

E Y L Z U X X E B E L O N G Q
H F L O C K R P P X T X H A J
C M F J F A P J G P U Q C Q C
L Z R H C A C P L N W Q Z A X
O E E I W R Y W E V R N Y N Q
V O W B P Q G G M E E J H K S
E S N Q U C Y X Y W H L H F V
X H U E O T N Y D M Q S B B Q
O E B L T U Q T F H W N D G S
J P C S P S Y S O O E Y X N W
E H X Z R D I N L V C O Y X Q
S E W Y N S W L L K I T E T V
U R J X A O A T O W O E X T N
S D X G M F X F W L V Z Z K A
F P O K E C D N E H Z K C O K

Words to find

  • shepherd
  • sheep
  • flock
  • Jesus
  • voice
  • love
  • safe
  • name
  • care
  • follow
  • listen
  • belong

ChildrensLiturgy.org