1. Bishop Justus Church of England School
Morning Worship Liberation
Jesus the Good Shepherd
Easter Season
27th April 2015
In the Bible people are compared to sheep many times.  People are described as being like sheep because of our tendency to wander away from God at times, wanting to do things our own way.  Jesus explained to his followers that he was a Good Shepherd. He came to protect us by giving his life for us.  He did this so that we might enjoy life to its fullest and have the hope of living forever.  Jesus is our guide.  He is always ready to lead us back on the path of living right and doing the right things. 
Bishop Justus Church of England School

2. Gather The Lord be with you And also with you
In the Bible people are compared to sheep many times.  People are described as being like sheep because of our tendency to wander away from God at times, wanting to do things our own way.  Jesus explained to his followers that he was a Good Shepherd. He came to protect us by giving his life for us.  He did this so that we might enjoy life to its fullest and have the hope of living forever.  Jesus is our guide.  He is always ready to lead us back on the path of living right and doing the right things. 

3. I have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness. "I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep. When the hired man, who is not a shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees a wolf coming, he leaves the sheep and runs away; so the wolf snatches the sheep and scatters them. The hired man runs away because he is only a hired man and does not care about the sheep.
I am the good shepherd. As the Father knows me and I know the Father, in the same way I know my sheep and they know me. And I am willing to die for them. There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen. I must bring them, too; they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
John 10: 10-16
What is a Good Shepherd?
Receive

4. Engage
Reliability
Good Shepherds have to be reliable if they are to keep their sheep safe from wolves…
Explore the theme of reliability by playing ‘one truth two lies’ - give three pieces of information…
But make sure only one of them is true…
Discuss
Times when others have let you down
by breaking promises, lying, not being there when you needed them…
Reflect
How reliable are we?
Do we make good shepherds or do we let people down?
Other Ideas
What is a Good Shepherd?
Play a shepherding game—use a toy sheep or some sheep pictures…. Send a shepherd outside the room—Hide the sheep around the room—bring in the shepherd to find the sheep…. Other students may help with directions ‘hotter’ colder’ till the shepherd finds the sheep….
Watch one idea of Jesus the Good Shepherd
Discuss—why would a shepherd lose sheep?
How would a shepherd put sheep in danger?
Discuss what makes a Good Shepherd…?
Discuss words such as: attentive; strong; reliable; caring; brave; and other words you come up with…
You could tell the story of the boy who cried wolf… as an example of a bad shepherd…
Crooks—shepherding and caring for others
Shepherds use a crook to guide sheep—Bishops carry a crook to symbolise their role as a shepherd…
Discuss the ways in which we are guided—what / who are the ‘Crooks’ (in a shepherding sense) in our lives?
How can we be shepherds who care for others? Think of a few ideas about how we can care for others in school.

5. Help us to know that you are always there
Respond
Dear Lord,
Help us to know that you are always there
as our shepherd caring for us
like a Shepherd cares for the sheep.
Help us to follow your example of caring for,
and protecting others.
Amen
From a prayer by Nicholas Hutchinson FSC

6. Go
May the risen Christ grant us
the joys of eternal life
Amen