Melius Christiansen) SongsĪll the Way My Savior Leads Me (Tomlin) Worship Resources God Be With You ’Til We Meet Again (especially verses 1 and 3) Anthems How can we bring the words of these scriptures to life through music? Here are a few hymns, songs, and anthems to consider: HymnsĬome, Thou Fount of Every Blessing (especially verses 2 and 3)

Record children and youth reading Psalm 23 (or John 10:1-11) and create a slideshow or video to accompany it. Read Psalm 23 together as a congregation and use “The Good Shepherd” by Richard Proulx (in the United Methodist Hymnal, #754) or a more modern refrain, like the chorus of “Shepherd Me, O God” (Marty Haugen) throughout. Read a modern translation of Psalm 23. Make it responsive between the worship leader and congregation, or invite several people from the congregation (in advance) to read different verses. Here are some creative ideas for presenting the 'Good Shepherd' texts in worship: These stories throughout the Old and New Testaments remind us that God is our caregiver, our guide, our guardian. As we plan worship around these stories throughout the year, we invite people to experience this care, this tenderness, this sense of safety.

A “Good Shepherd,” guiding us, protecting us, gently leading us, and ultimately, laying down his life for us. This is the kind of shepherd Jesus was during his life on earth. Far from worry-free, the life and work of a shepherd is one of nearly constant vigilance.” - UMC Discipleship In reality, shepherds are tough-bodied and equally tough-minded people working a clear plan, coordinating the overall movement of a group of easily distracted herd animals, and ready to intervene at a moment’s notice to bring individuals going astray or into danger back into safety. shepherding is a fairly worry-free life shepherds are smiling and sweet, and all the sheep are cute, puffy clouds. In John 21:15-17, Jesus asked Peter if he loved him and told him, 'feed my lambs” and “take care of my sheep.'īut despite the idyllic scenes of rolling green pastures lazy, grazing sheep and long, carefree afternoons on the hillside, the work of a shepherd is not easy: 'Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.' (Psalm 100:3) 'Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.' (Psalm 95:6-7) 'But he brought his people out like a flock he led them like sheep through the wilderness.' (Psalm 78:52)

We hear about sheep and shepherds in the Parable of the Lost Sheep, where the shepherd went after the one sheep who had strayed from the fold and did not stop looking until he found it. We read about God as our shepherd in Psalm 23 and throughout the book of Psalms: Jesus described himself as 'the Good Shepherd” in John 10, one who “lays down his life for his sheep.' Moses was a shepherd for the Israelites, leading them through the wilderness for 40 years.ĭavid was a shepherd before he became King of Israel. Throughout the Bible, there are many analogies of sheep and their shepherds:

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