2026-10-18 Jesus Seeks for Lost Sinners

Introduction

In this lesson, children will learn that Jesus seeks for lost sinners. Through Jesus' story of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7), children will see that people are like helpless, wandering sheep, and Jesus is the Good Shepherd who goes looking for them. The grumblers in the story complained that Jesus welcomed sinners and ate with them. So Jesus told a story to show them why: a good shepherd does not shrug and say, "Oh well, I still have ninety-nine." He goes out, searches until he finds the one lost sheep, carries it home on his shoulders, and throws a party. Before any sinner ever comes looking for Jesus, Jesus has already come looking for them. Jesus does not seek sinners because He needs anything from them. He seeks them because He is loving and good, and He is happy to save them.

Main Ideas:

Praise and Worship (15 mins)

Parents: The parent and child scheduled for this week will lead us in singing on Sunday. Please take time to practice the songs together at home, helping your child feel confident and joyful as they prepare to lead.

Prayer and Offering (5 mins)

Parents: Please encourage your children to bring an offering to church. You may help your child prepare by setting aside a coin for them to bring on Sunday. This is a great opportunity to teach them about giving to God with a thankful heart and trusting Him to provide.

What is Offering?

Offering is when we give something to God to show our love and thankfulness. In church, we often give money as an offering, but we can also give our time, talents, and kindness to God and others.

Why Do We Make an Offering?

To Thank God – Everything we have comes from God! Giving back is a way to say, “Thank You, God!”
To Trust God – When we give, we show that we trust God to take care of us.
To Help Others – Offerings help the church teach about Jesus, help people in need, and share God’s love.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:7,
"God loves a cheerful giver!" That means God is happy when we give with a joyful heart!
Prayer for Offering
Dear God, thank You for giving us everything we need. We want to give back to You with joyful hearts. Please use our offering to help others and share Your love. Help us to always trust You. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

Review Verse from Last Week

Matthew 11:28

[Jesus said,] "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Bible Story (10 min)

Introduction (2 min)

Props Needed:

 

(Hand each child their sheep card as they sit down. Put on the robe and pick up the staff.)

Teacher: "Look at me! Who do you think I am dressed up as today? I have a long robe and a big stick. Here's a clue: Baaaa!"

Interaction: "Everyone, say it with me: 'Baaaa!'"

Teacher: "I am a SHEPHERD! A shepherd is a person who takes care of sheep. And guess what? You are all my sheep today. Hold up your sheep card. Every sheep has a name on it. A good shepherd knows every one of his sheep by name."

(Walk around and read a few names aloud: "Here is [name]. Here is [name].")

Teacher: "Today I am going to tell you a story about sheep. So I need you to be very quiet sheep. Can quiet sheep sit on their knees and listen?"

Story Telling: Jesus Seeks for Lost Sinners (8 min)

Props / Visuals Suggested:

 

Part 1: Sheep Need a Shepherd (2 mins)

Teacher: "Sheep are soft and fluffy and cute. But sheep have some BIG problems. Problem number one: sheep are slow. If a big hungry lion came, could a sheep run away fast?"

Interaction: "Shake your head, 'No!' Now show me your slowest sheep walk, on hands and knees, very slowwwly."

Teacher: "Problem number two: sheep are not very smart. They just follow their noses to the next bite of grass, and the next, and the next... and before they know it, they are lost! They might fall off a big rock or into a river. And a lost sheep can't find its own way home."

Interaction: "Put your hand over your eyes and look around. Where am I? I'm lost! Baaa!"

Teacher: "So sheep need a SHEPHERD. The shepherd leads them to green grass, keeps them safe from lions, and loves every single one. A good shepherd knows exactly how many sheep he has. Let's count my sheep!"

(Count the children out loud, and have them shout the total number with you. Then say: "Let's go eat some grass!" and let the children crawl around slowly like sheep for a few seconds. While they are crawling, give the secret signal. The arranged child and adult quietly slip out of sight.)

 

Part 2: One Sheep Is Missing! (2 mins)

Teacher: "It's getting dark! Time to go home, sheep. Everyone come back and sit down. Now the shepherd must count his sheep again."

(Count the children slowly. Say the new number, one fewer.)

Teacher: "Oh no! One is missing! Before we had [number]. Now we have [number minus one]. One of my sheep is LOST!"

Interaction: "Everyone, gasp with me! Hands on cheeks: 'Oh no!'"

Teacher: "What should a shepherd do? Should I say, 'Oh well, I still have lots of other sheep. That one doesn't matter'?"

Interaction: "Thumbs up or thumbs down?" (Wait for thumbs down.)

Teacher: "NO! A good shepherd loves that one little lost sheep. So I will leave all of you safe right here, and I will go and find my lost sheep. Stay here, sheep!"

(Walk out of the room or behind the barrier. Come back holding the hand of the missing child, walking gently.)

Teacher: "I FOUND my lost sheep! I didn't yell at [child's name]. I didn't drag them. I brought them home gently, because I love my sheep. I'm so happy! Everyone, celebrate with me!"

Interaction: "Jump up and cheer: 'Hooray! The lost sheep is found!'"

 

Part 3: Jesus Told This Story (2 mins)

(Take off the robe. Open the Bible to Luke 15. Hold up the Jesus the Shepherd picture.)

Teacher: "Guess what? The story we just acted out is in the Bible! Jesus told this story. Some grumpy leaders were complaining. They said, 'Jesus spends time with bad people. He eats with sinners!' So Jesus told them a story."

Teacher: "Jesus said a shepherd had one hundred sheep. One hundred! And ONE got lost. So the shepherd went out and looked and looked 'until he finds it.' Listen to what the Bible says he did next: 'And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.'"

Interaction: "Pretend to pick up a little lamb and put it gently across your shoulders. Is it snuggly? Now smile big, because the shepherd is SO happy!"

Teacher: "Then the shepherd called his friends and said, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' That's a party for ONE little sheep!"

 

Part 4: Jesus Seeks Lost Sinners (2 mins)

Teacher: "Now think hard. Did Jesus tell this story because He really cared about lost animals out on the hills? Is Jesus in the sheep-rescuing business?"

(Wait for kids to answer.)

Teacher: "No! Jesus was talking about PEOPLE. Who did Jesus come to save?"

Interaction: "Everyone shout it: 'SINNERS!'"

(Hold up the Darkened Heart.)

Teacher: "We are like lost sheep. With our darkened, sinful hearts, we wander away from God. We want our own way. And just like a lost sheep, we can't find our own way back. We don't even want to! So Jesus, the Good Shepherd, comes looking for us. He knows each of His sheep by name."

Interaction: "Hold your sheep card up high. Jesus knows sheep by NAME!"

Teacher: "And here's something amazing: when I went looking for [child's name], I knew where to look. Sometimes people lose a pet and never find it. But Jesus is God. Jesus ALWAYS finds the lost sinners He goes looking for. Nothing can stop Him."

(Switch the Darkened Heart for the Red Heart.)

Teacher: "When Jesus finds a lost sinner, He doesn't grab them angrily. He carries them home gently, on His shoulders. He washes their dark heart clean through His blood on the cross. And Jesus said there is JOY in heaven over one sinner who turns back to God. Jesus is HAPPY to save sinners."

Interaction: "Say it with me: 'Jesus came to seek and to save the lost!'"

 

Review with Actions

Teacher: "Let's remember it with actions!"

  • Teacher: "Sheep are slow and wander away." (Crawl slowly in place, then look around lost.)
  • Teacher: "We are like lost sheep." (Hand over eyes: "Baaa! I'm lost!")
  • Teacher: "Jesus is the Good Shepherd." (Hold an invisible staff.)
  • Teacher: "Jesus goes looking for lost sinners." (Hand shading eyes, turn side to side, searching.)
  • Teacher: "Jesus always finds them!" (Point: "Found you!")
  • Teacher: "He carries them home gently." (Lamb across shoulders.)
  • Teacher: "Heaven has a party!" (Jump and cheer.)

Teacher: "Now faster!"

  • "Lost!" (Hand over eyes.)
  • "Shepherd!" (Staff.)
  • "Seek!" (Search.)
  • "Found!" (Point.)
  • "Carry!" (Shoulders.)
  • "Party!" (Cheer.)

Wrap-up & Discussion (4 min)

 

(Gather children close for reflection.)

Discussion Questions:

Teacher: "Let's think about what we learned today."

Question: "Why do sheep need a shepherd?"

Teacher Key: Sheep are slow, helpless, and wander away. They cannot keep themselves safe or find their way home. They need a shepherd to lead and protect them.

Question: "How are we like lost sheep?"

Teacher Key: Our sinful hearts wander away from God. We want our own way instead of God's way. We cannot find our way back to God by ourselves.

Question: "Have you ever lost a toy, or had a pet run away? How did you feel? Did you go looking?"

Teacher Key: Let a few children share. Lost sinners matter much more to Jesus than a lost pet or toy matters to us. And unlike us, Jesus never fails to find the ones He seeks, because He is God.

Question: "Was the shepherd angry at the lost sheep? How did he bring it home?"

Teacher Key: No. He gently carried it home on his shoulders, rejoicing. Jesus is kind and loving when He rescues sinners, even though we don't deserve it.

Question: "Why does Jesus go looking for lost sinners? Does He need something from us?"

Teacher Key: No. Jesus is God, and He doesn't need anything. He seeks and saves sinners because He is loving and good, and it makes Him happy to show how great and kind He is.

Question: "Is there someone you know who doesn't know Jesus yet?"

Teacher Key: Let children name a friend or family member. We can pray this week that Jesus, the Good Shepherd, would seek and save them.

Teacher: "Before anyone ever looks for Jesus, Jesus is already looking for them. The Good Shepherd goes after His lost sheep."

Closing Thought & Prayer

 

Teacher: "We are like lost sheep: slow, silly, and wandering away. We could never find our own way back to God. But Jesus came looking. He knows His sheep by name, He always finds the ones He seeks, and He carries them home on His shoulders, rejoicing. What a Savior!"

(Fold hands and bow heads.)

Prayer: "Dear Jesus, thank You that You are the Good Shepherd. We are like lost sheep, and we cannot find our way to You by ourselves. Thank You for coming to seek and to save the lost. Please find and rescue the people we love who don't know You yet. Help us trust You and follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Memorizing Verse: Luke 19:10

 

Luke 19:10

[Jesus said,] "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

Hand Gestures:

  • "For the Son of Man": Point upward, then bring both hands down to point at the floor (Jesus came from heaven down to earth).
  • "came": Walk fingers along your arm, or take two steps in place.
  • "to seek": Hand shading eyes, turn head side to side, searching.
  • "and to save": Scoop both arms up as if picking up a lamb and hugging it to your chest.
  • "the lost.": Cover eyes with hands and say "baa," then peek out.

Teacher Tip: Explain that "Son of Man" is a special name Jesus used for Himself, a bit like a nickname. The three big words are SEEK, SAVE, and LOST. Try a "missing word" round: say the verse and stop before one of the three words, and let the children shout it with the action.

Craft & Game (10 mins)

Game: Hidden Sheep

Adapted from the source lesson's Hidden Sheep Game. One child hides a sheep card while everyone else searches for it. The last round, the teacher hides it somewhere tricky, and the children discover that only the Shepherd knew where it was.

⏰ Time: 5 minutes

👧 Age Group: 4-6 years

🧩 Lesson Connection: Reinforces that Jesus seeks lost sinners, and unlike us, He always finds the ones He is looking for.

🪜 Setup & Materials Needed:

🎲 How to Play:

Step 1: Children sit in a circle with the sheep in the middle and close their eyes.

Step 2: The teacher taps one child on the head. That child opens their eyes and hides the sheep somewhere in the room, then comes back and sits down.

Step 3: Everyone opens their eyes and searches. When someone finds it, the whole group shouts: "Rejoice with me! I found my lost sheep!"

Step 4: Play two or three rounds with different hiders.

Step 5: Final round: the teacher hides the sheep somewhere the children won't find it (in a pocket, under a book on a high shelf). After they give up, the teacher pulls it out and says: "Sometimes we can't find what's lost. But Jesus ALWAYS finds the lost sinners He goes looking for, because He is God." Say the memory verse together with actions.

Craft: "Found by the Shepherd" Sheep

Children make a fluffy sheep with their own name on it and place it in a sheep pen on the wall. This builds on the source lesson's Sheep and Shepherd Display.

Materials: Sheep cards from the lesson (or sheep shapes cut from cardstock), cotton balls, glue sticks, crayons or markers, a large poster board or paper made into a "sheep pen" with a "Jesus the Good Shepherd" sign, Luke 19:10 printed on the poster, tape.

The Activity:

Parents: Please save your child's sheep card. Later lessons may use it again.

Response Song

Closing Prayer & Snack Time (10 mins)

"Dear Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd. Thank You that You know each of us by name and that You came looking for lost sinners. Thank You that You carry Your sheep home gently and that heaven rejoices when one sinner comes back to God. Help us follow You. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Now, let us thank You for the snack we’re about to enjoy.
We fold our hands.
We bow our heads.
We thank You, God,
for this daily bread.
Amen.

Free Time & Children Pickup (15 mins)

Revision #2
Created 2026-09-26 18:42:12 UTC by Thian-Peng Ter
Updated 2026-10-01 16:26:12 UTC by Shelley Lai