Sheep and Wolves

Central Truth
God wants us to help when we see others in trouble

Materials
1. Large open area...
2. Identifiers for participants as follows:
white armband - sheep
Black armband - wolf
Large Doggie bone on a string - Sheep Dog

Scripture
Read the 23rd psalm or have a participant quote it. Sometimes we call the 23rd Psalm "the Good Shepherd Psalm" because it teaches us that God is like a shepherd and we’re like sheep. We aren’t told if sheep dogs were used in Bible times, but today it’s very common for shepherds to have sheep dogs.

Teaching Activity
Play a game of tag with the following rules:

Setup
1. All sheep must wear a white armband. The only sound they can make is a "baa"
2. Wolves must wear a black armband - there should be two or more wolves depending on the size of the group. The only sounds they can make are a growl and snarl!
3. Sheepdogs wear a big bone around their neck. Get a large rawhide bone from your pet store or make a large bone from a piece of posterboard. There should be two or more sheep dogs depending on the size of the group. The only sounds they can make is to "bark" like a dog.
4. Designate an out of bounds area for those that are eliminated.

Game Play
1. Wolves may tag sheep. If tagged they are out of the game.
2. Only Sheep dogs may tag a wolf. If tagged they are out of the game.
3. If two or more wolves tag a sheepdog at the same time the sheep dog is out of the game.
3. If the wolves are eliminated the sheep win the game.
4. If the sheep are eliminated the wolves win the game.
5. Vary the number of sheepdogs and wolves to change the game play. 6. You might give sheepdogs some time to develop strategies to protect the sheep while the wolves develop their strategies to attack the sheep.

Debrief
1. What strategies did the wolves have to eliminate the sheep? How are these similar/ different from Satan's strategies? (See also Matthew 7:15, Matthew 10:16, Acts 20:29, 1 peter 5:8)

2. What does a shepherd do? How do sheepdogs help a shepherd? What function did the sheep dogs serve? How are sheep dogs similar/ different from spiritual leaders and mentors in the church?

Key Points
A. We’re all God’s sheep, and Jesus is our Good Shepherd. But sometimes God needs us to be sheep dogs.
B. Sometimes sheep wander away or are separated from the flock and become more vulnerable.
C. Shepherds and sheepdogs help keep the flock together and protect the sheep, but they can also be attacked.