Carol Movrich Gedde 310 Shore Dr. Mukwonago, WI 53149 cgedde@.wi.rr.com Table of Contents & sample story from each Little Lambs Set. Little Lambs's Lessons From Luke (Table of Contents) The Lost Little Lambs "Rejoice with me for I have found my sheep which was lost." Luke 15:6,7 Three little lambs get lost when they disobey the rules about where to play. The Good Shepherd lovingly carries them home. Hannah's Treasure "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.." Luke 12:34 Hannah, the youngest lamb, finds a beautiful stone. She starts to treasure it more than her brothers. Andrew Wants to Help "He who is very faithful in a little thing is faithful also in much." Luke 16:10 Andrew wants to be a helper to the Good Shepherd. But first he must prove he can be trusted with a smaller task. The Naughty Little Lamb "I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins." Luke 5:32 Matthew is proud of being a lamb of God. But why is the Good Shepherd nice to Tim, the naughty lamb? No Time For the Shepherd "How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it." Luke 13:34 Matthew and Andrew find a new friend and become too busy to spend time with the Shepherd, which leaves an empty feeling in their souls. The Lamb Who Would Be King "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled. Luke 14:11 Andrew becomes the Good Shepherd's helper and finally gets to watch the little lambs. But the power & pride go to his head. Hannah Learns Forgiveness "If you will forgive others, you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37 Hannah won't forgive Andrew when he hurts her. When she gets even and hurts him badly, she learns that to be forgiven she must forgive. Matthew's Secret "But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed." Luke 12:2 Matthew does something bad in secret. He thinks he gets away with it. But the Shepherd sees all things. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Matthew's Secret But there is nothing covered up that will not be revealed. Luke 12:2 Living in the Shepherd's care Is the best place one can be. The little lambs played all day long Feeling safe and worry free. Sometimes they'd play together Near the stream or by a tree. Other times they'd wander off In groups of two or three. One day Hannah and two friends Were playing on their own. Hannah said, "Let's build a fort That's ours and ours alone." So they went to find some sticks And lugged them up a hill. They piled them in a little square With patience and with skill. It wasn't very fancy, And was only two feet tall But to them it was a palace. They were quite pleased over all. They were happy as can be Playing in their fort, until Hannah saw her brothers Come walking up the hill. Hey Hannah! Matthew shouted out, "Can we come and play with you? That's a really nifty fort, And we have nothing else to do." "I'm sorry, you can't play here. We worked on this all day. And anyway this is for girls No boy's allowed to play!" Andrew shrugged his shoulders And walked off to find a friend. But Matthew begged, "Please let me play" He begged until day's end. When darkness fell around them The Shepherd called, "Come home. It's getting late and very dark. Soon the wolves will roam." Matthew grumbled as he walked, "You should have let me play. Can I play there tomorrow?" But all three said, "No way!" The Shepherd hugged them each good night. And soon they fell asleep. Everyone but Matthew, Who snuck off without a peep. Matt climbed the hill and found the fort. "Ha, Hannah, I'll show you!" He kicked it down and stamped away, Gleeful through and through. He crept back to the sleeping lambs And settled down carefree. "No one saw me sneak away. They won't know that it was me." Matt slept later than the rest, And woke to shouts and cries. "Someone wrecked our fort last night!" Hannah wailed with tearful eyes. The Shepherd went to comfort them, And gently held all three. He helped rebuild their fort and said, "Now share! Do it for Me." He found Matthew and softly said, "Now tell me what you've done." "I was just sleeping," Matthew lied, "Just go ask anyone." "Matt, there's nothing covered up That will not be made known. I see everything that's hidden. You are never all alone." Matthew bowed his head in shame. "I wrecked their fort," he cried. "Cause they wouldn't let me play with them. But worst of all I lied." The Shepherd took Matt in His arms, And said, "I forgive you. I'm watching over you with love, No matter what you do." -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Little Lambs Ponder the Proverbs (Table of Contents) Matthew's Stories "Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words." Proverbs 4:24 Matthew's stories are fun, until he passes one off as the truth to make himself look like a hero. Andrew and the Treats "What you get by dishonesty you may enjoy like the finest food, but sooner or later it will be like a mouth full of sand." Proverbs 20:7 Andrew loves the special treats the Shepherd gives... a little too much. He lies to get an extra one. Hannah's Temper "If you stay calm you are wise. If you have a hot temper, you only show how foolish you are." Proverbs 14:29 Hannah's sweet disposition is spoiled by a bad temper, which grows as she gives in to it. When Words Hurt "A gossip can never keep a secret. Stay away from people who talk too much." Proverbs 20:19 Hannah and her friends love to talk. But when they start to gossip and tease, others get hurt. The Know-It-All "Foolish people always thing they're right. Wise people listen to advice." Proverbs 12:15 Being the oldest lamb makes Andrew think he is the smartest. When he refuses to take advice from little Matthew, he gets them all in trouble. The Joker ""Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword." Proverbs 12:18 A new and very funny lamb joins the group. But when his jokes start to have a sting to them, feelings are hurt. Matthew Makes a Promise "Those who promise things that they never give are like clouds that bring no rain." Proverbs 25:14 Matthew keeps promising he will teach Hannah how to kick a ball. But he doesn't do it until the Shepherd reminds him to keep his promise. Hannah's Good Deed "Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it." Proverbs 3:27 When Hannah helps a blind lamb, she is the one who is blessed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Joker "Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal." Proverbs 12:18 Andrew, at five, was oldest In the Shepherd's fold, When a new lamb came to visit, Who was almost eight years old. The new lamb's name was Stephen, And he was really fun. He kept the others laughing. He joked with everyone. He and Andrew became friends; They played most every day. Andrew laughed at everything That Stephen had to say. Matthew followed them around So he could listen too. Stephen was the funniest Lamb he ever knew. Stephen liked an audience, And it wasn't long until The entire flock of little lambs Trailed him from hill to hill. He joked about the silly things That little lambs might do, Like tripping over someone's hoof When they walked two by two. The little lambs would laugh so hard They'd fall right to the ground. Sometimes they'd roll on down the hill, Laughing with joyous sound. The Shepherd often laughed out loud When He would pass their way. Nothing pleased the Shepherd more Than laughing lambs at play. But Stephen soon ran out of jokes Of silly common things. So sometimes he would make them laugh With jokes that came with stings. He sometimes hurt the feelings Of others with his words; Like saying Hannah was so red, She scared the little birds. The other lambs all laughed with glee, But Hannah blushed with shame. Although it hurt her feelings, she Tried laughing just the same. But one day in his joking, His stinging words went deep, When he joked about how Matthew Sucks his hooves when he's asleep. Matthew hung his head in shame And slowly walked away. The laughter of the other lambs Hurt more than he could say. He crawled right in the Shepherd's arms While tears ran down his face. He needed words of comfort To get over this disgrace. The Shepherd spoke with heavy heart How He too had borne shame. But God's grace was a comfort And His healing always came. Soon Matthew felt much better, So they both walked up the hill Where Stephen and the others Were gathered, laughing still. When Stephen saw them coming He knew what would be said. The others sobered up real quick. They all were filled with dread. One look at Matthew's tear stained face Showed pain that words can bring. They all felt bad for laughing At a joke with such a sting. The Shepherd told how Proverbs says How deeply words can wound. Thoughtless words are like a sword, And friendships can be ruined. They promised: No more hurtful words. Then said they loved Matthew. Then all of them raced off to play, Feeling good as new. Written by Carol Movrich Gedde ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Little Lambs Sing the Psalms (table of contents) "The New Baby Lamb" At first the lambs are thrilled to welcome a new baby lamb... until he interferes with their play. Then they wish he had never come. "You saw me before I was born. The days allotted to me had all been recorded in your book before any of them began." Psalm 139:16 "Daniel and the Gooney Bird" A know-it-all gooney bird tries to convince Daniel that the world just happened. Matt and Andrew argue that it took someone really smart to make the world. "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'." Psalm 14:1 "The Lord is My Shepherd" Grumbling Jane is never happy. The little lambs show her the wonder of the world, and the loving care of the Shepherd. "The Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything that I need..." Psalm 23:1 "A New Song" Grumbling Jane now sings praises to the Lord and teaches the others that they can sing too, no matter what style or talent they have. "He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God." Psalm 40:3 "Daniel Gets Lost" Daniel doesn't want to sit and listen to the Shepherds instructions. He gets into trouble without the Shepherd's words to guide him. "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105 "The Thankful Little Lamb" The Shepherd tells the little lambs the story of Ethan, who is always thankful, no matter what his circumstances are. "Oh give thanks to the Lord for He is good." Psalms 107:1 "A New Heart For Andrew" Andrew finds a new friend who leads him into trouble. With the Shepherd's help he repents and is forgiven. "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right spirit within me....Restore to me the joy of your salvation." Psalm 51:10,12 "Little Lambs Lose a Friend" The little lambs make friends with an elderly sheep and are crushed when he dies, until the Shepherd comforts them and explains heaven. "He will be our guide even unto death." Psalm 48:14 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Daniel and the Gooney Bird "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God'." Psalm 14:1 Daniel, the Lamb, was curious About everything he found. The world seemed such an awesome place. The sight, the feel, the sound. The river was his favorite place, For there he'd often see A frog, a turtle, a little fish, Or hear a buzzing bee. He loved the pussy willows That blossomed every Spring. He looked around, wide eyed and felt Delight in every thing. He asked so many questions, Of everyone he knew, Concerning plants and animals; The what, where, when and who. He'd question Matt and Andrew About how trees got tall. They'd shake their heads and say, "Who Knows? Come on, let's go play ball." Hannah tried her best to help, Explaining things she knew, But today she shook her head and said, "I just don't have a clue!" "The Shepherd is the one to ask. I'm sure He will help you. I'm leaving now to find my friends And see what they're up to." But when Daniel had started back, He heard a flapping sound. A big white bird came swooping down And crashed upon the ground. "Are you all right?" Daniel inquired, And helped the bird to stand. "I'm quite all right!" the bird replied, "That's just the way I land." "I heard you asking questions and Thought I could help you out. Just ask Old Gus, cause I know all You want to know about." Daniel took a breath and started A question free-for-all, Ending with the most important: The world, who made it all? Gus shook his head and laughed at him, "Why, no one made it all. It started with a great big bang, Then life began real small." "Slowly, through a million years, Life began to change. With time, it grew more complex, With new creatures great and strange." "Each thing slowly developed And evolved as time went by. Things weren't made. They just happened. The world, and you and I." Daniel's mouth hung open wide, "But how can all that be? The world's so cool and wonderful And fits together perfectly." Just then, he heard his brothers laugh From behind a big old tree. "Hey Daniel, don't believe that bird!" Andrew bellowed mockingly." "The Shepherd said we're made by God. Everything you see Was created in just six short days. He made you and He made me." Gus laughed a gooney laugh out loud, "I'm too smart to deceive. No one could make the world that fast. That's all just make believe." "No it's not!" Mart stamped his hoof. "I believe with all my heart. To create all that is on the earth, Takes Someone really smart. My eyes, my brain, my nose and ears Work together perfectly. I wasn't born by accident. I was fashioned lovingly." "Come on, Daniel," Andrew advised, "Don't listen to these lies. Let's go and find the Shepherd, And learn from Someone wise." "You go and hear more fairy tales. I'm too smart for you three." Gus laughed so hard as he took off, He flew into a tree. The Shepherd watched them coming. He knew each troubled heart. He hugged them close and waited For their questioning to start. Daniel looked Him in the eye, And said, "Please, Shepherd Dear, I wonder how the world was made. Can you make it all clear?" The Shepherd said, "Andrew was right. God did create it all. He made all things with loving hands, From the biggest to the small." "But why won't Gus believe us?" Matt cried with heavy heart. "He said it's all a fairy tale, Not for someone smart." "The fool has said, 'There is no God', It says in Psalm fourteen. Thinking they're wise, they're fools who can't Believe in what's not seen." "Gus is a silly gooney bird, Who'd rather choose his way, Than to believe in a Creator that He knows he must obey." "I hope you all are wiser, With eyes that truly see: That everything in this whole world Was made by God's decree." "Oh we all know God made the world," A grinning Matt answered, "Cause we don't believe in fairy tales, Like that silly gooney bird."