§ Kingdom Series • Part 4

The Good Shepherd and the Lost Sheep

Speaker Kurt Bates · Oct 25, 2026

RSS Apple Spotify

Children gathered for a Bible lesson on the Good Shepherd

§ About This Lesson

In this lesson, kids meet a shepherd who counts his flock and notices the very moment one little sheep goes missing. Instead of shrugging and settling for ninety-nine, he goes looking — and doesn't stop until that one lost sheep is safely home on his shoulders. It's the same tender care David sings about in Psalm 23.

Jesus told this story in Luke 15:4 to help everyone — including the youngest among us — understand how God feels about each person. We are not a number to Him. He knows us by name, He notices when we wander, and He searches for us with joy, not anger. For a child, that is one of the most freeing truths they can carry: no matter how far they feel, they are never beyond the reach of a God who loves to bring His children home.

As you watch together, listen for the moment the shepherd lifts the sheep onto his shoulders. It's a picture of how gently God carries us — and a great place to pause and ask your child what it feels like to be found and loved like that.

§ Luke 15:4–7

"Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn't he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home… I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."

Key Points for Kids

God knows every single one of us by name — we are never just a face in the crowd.
When we wander, God comes looking. He doesn't give up on us.
Heaven celebrates when even one person comes home to God.
A good shepherd protects, carries, and rejoices over his sheep — that's how Jesus cares for us.

Chapters

0:00Welcome & opening prayer
2:15The story of the lost sheep
6:40What this tells us about God
9:30Talk-about-it questions for home
12:05Closing prayer

§ Transcript

Read Along

A full text version of the lesson — handy for following along, studying, or sharing. This is sample transcript text for demonstration.

Mr. Kurt: Hey friends, good morning! Before we start, let's all take a big deep breath together — in through the nose, and slowly out. Wonderful. Today I brought something with me. Can anybody guess what a shepherd does? That's right — a shepherd takes care of sheep.

Now, imagine you have one hundred sheep. That's a lot of sheep! You'd count them every night: one, two, three… all the way to one hundred. But one evening you count, and you only reach ninety-nine. One little sheep is missing. What would you do?

Some people might say, "Well, I still have ninety-nine — that's plenty." But not this shepherd. He leaves the ninety-nine safe in the field, grabs his lantern, and goes out into the dark to look for the one that's lost. He searches behind the rocks and through the bushes until — there it is! The little lost sheep.

And here's my favorite part: he doesn't scold it. He doesn't say, "Bad sheep, why did you wander off?" No — he lifts it gently onto his shoulders, carries it all the way home, and calls his friends to celebrate. "Be happy with me," he says, "I found my sheep!"

Mr. Kurt: Jesus told this story so we'd know exactly how God feels about each one of us. We are never just a number to Him. When we wander, He comes looking — with joy, not anger. So this week, remember: you are the sheep the Shepherd loves to carry home. Let's pray together. [End of sample transcript.]

§ Kingdom Series