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This topic is collectionr Art and/or Music Workshop ideas, lessons, and resources for teaching the Psalm 23 in Sunday School.

Shepherd, sheep, rest, pastures, still waters, valley, anoints, oil, enemies, cup.



Be sure to check out the Writing Team's Psalm 23 Lessons!

Psalm 23 lessons for Sunday School

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Last edited by Neil MacQueen
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Psalm 23

Art Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Paint (with watercolors) a visual image of Psalm 23.

Scripture Reference:

Psalm 23.

Workshop Objectives:

  • God takes care of us like a shepherd takes care of sheep.
  • God’s love and kindness are always with us.
  • (Older students) Learn where to find the 23rd Psalm and learn it by heart, in their own words.

Leader Preparation:

  • Read the scripture for this lesson.
  • Read and reflect on the overview material provided for this lesson.
  • Prepare an opening and/or closing prayer in case you need one.
  • Gather the materials

Supplies List:

  • Bibles; for younger students, a storybook Bible (optional).
  • Book or pictures that show the landscape of the Middle East.
  • Book(s) that show watercolor landscapes (optional).
  • Watercolor paper, watercolor paints, paintbrushes (various sizes), paint smocks. [Note: Use real watercolor paper – try 140 pound, cold press. Offer a variety of paint brushes – including flat, round, wash, and fan brushes.]
  • Cotton balls, paper towels, scrap paper, pencils
  • A milk jug of water (or a sink)
  • Cover (protection) for table
  • Shallow water containers of 2 different types – see “watercolor hints” at end of lesson.
  • Hair dryer 
  • Classroom poster of Psalm 23 
  • Extra activities: jigsaw puzzle; one copy per class of the learn-it-by heart strips.

Before Start of Class:

  • If your room does not have a sink, fill a milk jug with water.
  • Lay out table protection.


Presentation

Opening-Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet your students warmly, welcoming them to the art workshop. Introduce yourself and any other adults.

Say: We are learning (continuing to learn) about the 23rd Psalm. Today you’ll have a chance to create a watercolor picture of the 23rd Psalm.

Say: Let’s begin with prayer. Ask for any prayer requests. Ask if anyone would like to lead the group in prayer. Be prepared to say a prayer yourself, working in prayer requests. A suggestion: “Dear God, Thank you for being my Shepherd. Help us to learn how you take care of us like a shepherd takes care of his sheep. Your love and kindness make us feel safe and secure even when times are rough. Thank you. Amen”

Pass around a basket to collect any offering. 
[Note: The Shepherd will quietly take attendance, etc. while you are starting your lesson.]

Dig- Main Content and Reflection:

For 3rd grade and up:
Have everyone find Psalm 23 in his or her Bible. (Is it Old Testament or New? Remind them that opening their Bible in the middle gets them close to the Psalms.)
Ask: What are psalms? (poems and songs)
Say: Let’s read Psalm 23 out loud in what’s called a responsive reading.
Break the class into two groups. Half the class reads the odd verses, other half reads even.

Also add, for 5th and 6th grade:
Ask: Did that sound like a poem or a song? (accept all answers)
Say: This isn’t a poem that rhymes, but it’s a type of poem that uses lots of imagery (green pastures, still waters). Jewish poems repeat ideas instead of repeating or rhyming sounds.
Ask: What idea or image did we hear repeatedly in Psalm 23? (about a sheep being taken care of)

For 1st & 2nd grade:
Say: Listen while I read the 23rd Psalm. We find the book of Psalms in the Old Testament of our Bible.
Hold open a Bible to Psalm 23. Read the version of Psalm 23 as listed on page 1 of this lesson material. (The same version is on the handout available for kids to take home.)

For all students:
Say: When you hear the 23rd Psalm, what do you see in your mind? (accept all answers)
Discuss images used in the psalm. (You might need to reread verses 1-3.) Make sure everyone knows: what a “pasture” is, and that sheep in those days didn’t live in barns.

Say: King David wrote this psalm over 3000 years ago. This is the same David who fought Goliath. Before he was king, David was a shepherd. When David wrote this Psalm, sheep were common. People knew that sheep depended on their shepherd for food and protection. David wrote using word pictures or images, that people could understand. David is writing as though he was a sheep and God was his shepherd! “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. He’s saying: God loves me and takes care of all my needs!

Say: To help us remember this, let’s paint a picture of what you think Psalm 23 looks like. Paint how you think it might look for a sheep that feels loved and protected.

Pass out the art supplies. Have students write their name (first and last) on the back of their paper before they start painting. Pour water into the water containers. Offer paint smocks.

Say: We have two different kinds of water containers – the yogurt cups are for cleaning your brush. These other containers are for clean water – we’ll only dip clean paintbrushes into these cups. If you want, you may lightly sketch with pencil before you start painting. (Since watercolor paper is more expensive, encourage any rough draft sketches on scrap paper.)

Things to say to help get creative juices flowing:

  • Imagine a peaceful scene where a sheep would want to be – where the sheep feel that their needs are provided. What would that look like?
  • What would a “green pasture” sound like, taste like, and feel like to a sheep? What about “still waters”?
  • What’s your favorite part of Psalm 23 (or what part do you like best) – paint that.


[For watercolor hints see end of lesson.]

Discussion: (while the kids are working)

Ask: Do you think a shepherd had an easy job? (allow all answers)
Show pictures of the landscape in the Middle East where the psalmist David lived.
Ask: David wrote about green pastures and still waters, does this look like that? (no)
Say: Notice how it looks dry. Sheep need water every day so the shepherd must lead them to places where there is water. Sometimes a shepherd had to also work at growing grass for the sheep to eat. They had to clear away rocks, see the grains and weed it and tend it – that sounds like a lot of work to me!
Say: If you are like God’s sheep and he is your Shepherd, what sort of work does God do to take care of you? (allow all answers)

Ask: How does it feel to know that God takes good care of you? (allow all answers) 
Say: Psalm 23 can be very comforting in times of difficulty or stress. Thus it’s important to learn this Psalm by heart; to store it in our hearts (and mind) so it comes back to us easily when we need it, when we want to feel comforted.

Ask: What do you know about shepherds? (allow a few answers – but beware: after kids have been to the Storytelling workshop they are likely to know a lot about shepherds). Share some of the information about shepherds and sheep from the overview material – especially examples of shepherds taking care of sheep.

If students finish early: offer a jigsaw puzzle or the learn-it-by heart strips. (See “Resources and Supplies” at end of this set of lessons.)

Closing:
Give a five-minute warning before it’s time to clean up. 
Ask students to share something about their painting. What part of Psalm 23 corresponds to their picture? 

Say: We’ve learned something today about sheep. In order to be well fed and watered and safe, sheep really need their shepherd. We are just like sheep. God takes care of us like a shepherd takes care of his sheep. If we follow and obey God, God’s love and kindness are always with us.

Have kids help clean up. Wipe clean, and dry the inside lids of paint boxes. 

Dismissal:
Make sure everyone has received at least one copy of the 23rd Psalm handout. Tell students to continue working on learning the 23rd Psalm by heart. (They may learn it in their own words.)
Encourage everyone to come back next week for another workshop, and to invite friends to come too!



Watercolor hints (techniques):

  • Keep the use of the two different water containers separate – one to wash brushes (this water will get “muddy") and one to only be used to wet clean brushes.
  • To start, wet the watercolors. Drip clean water from a brush into a pan of color. Use the lid of the paint box as a palette to mixing colors. 
  • The more water added to the paint, the lighter the color.
  • It is best to start with lighter colors, then move on to darker colors.
  • Work from background to foreground, adding details as you go.
  • If students have done a light pencil sketch, avoid too much erasing. It damages the paper.
  • Encourage using a “light hand” with the brush – the color is supposed to be transparent. Avoid going back and brushing over an area. 
  • A “color wash” is useful for covering large areas with color. Color washing is a “wet-on-wet” technique: you use a wet brush on wet paper. Take a “wash brush” (it’s wide and flat) and paint clean water evenly across the area to be painted. The paper should be wet but not too wet. No puddles allowed! Using your wash brush and a chosen color, paint horizontally across the paper. Paint another band of color next to it. The colors bleed and blend together where they join, this makes it interesting.
  • Create clouds or sheep by first using a wash of color, then remove paint by touching the desired area with a cotton ball. This removes the color to expose the white paper.
  • For more control, such as in painting foreground details, paint with a wet brush onto drypaper – use a hairdryer set on low to dry the paper.

Using Ideas Referenced from Art Workshop:


A lesson written by Carol Hulbert from: First UMC
Ann Arbor, MI

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

Music Workshop Idea for Psalm 23

(1) Use instruments to represent different words or parts of the scripture passage, and sound them when reading those words.

What instruments would be good to use with the green pastures section? (chimes, bells)
Drums for the valley of death and evil section.
Sticks for the table section and all instruments together for the last section.

This is especially good with younger kids. They will have to listen for their section and make some connections between their instrument and that section. Ask them why that instrument is used for that section. What visual images are created?


(2)  United Methodists have a popular Ps 23 hymn in their hymnal which by Henry Williams Baker. Mr. Baker wrote a slightly different version of the 23rd Psalm that told of his faith walk and faith journey. His hymn is called “The King of Love my Shepherd Is”.

It can be viewed, heard and printed from http://www.hymnary.org/text/th..._love_my_shepherd_is

According to his online bio: The last audible words which lingered on his dying lips were the third stanza of his exquisite rendering of the 23rd Psalm, "The King of Love, my Shepherd is:"

Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His Shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me."

Last edited by CreativeCarol

Music Idea for Psalm 23

Use "Hills and Valleys" by Tauren Wells. It's a terrific contemporary Christian song for contemplating and discussing Psalm 23.

On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!


References to "Hills and Valleys" are found throughout the Bible. Hills are often the dwelling place of God or where people go to be near God. They are also a sight we "lift our eyes to" for strength. Valleys can be green pastures or dangerous trails. "Ups and Downs" is how we might say it today.

Here's the original version with lyrics...

A few discussion questions:

  • Why are there "hills and valleys" in life? Do they serve a purpose? What purpose?
  • What is the purpose of ups and downs? (They can teach us to turn to God in all circumstances.)
  • Why do people want to climb to the top of hills?
  • What so great (or dangerous) about being in a valley?
  • What are some of the "hills" (high places) and "valleys" (low places) in your life?
  • What do hills and valleys teach us?
  • How do you know you are "not alone"?
  • What are the signs of God with you?
  • How is God like a Shepherd to people? ..to you?

Here's the popular acoustic version of his song...

The lyrics:

I've walked among the shadows
You wiped my tears away
And I've felt the pain of heartbreak
And I've seen the brighter days
And I've prayed prayers to heaven from my lowest place
And I have held the blessings
God, you give and take away
No matter what I have, Your grace is enough
No matter where I am, I'm standing in Your love
On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own<
When I'm walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!
You're God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!
I've watched my dreams get broken
In you I hope again!
No matter what I know
Know I'm safe inside Your hand
On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!
You're God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!
Father, you give and take away
Every joy and every pain
Through it all you will remain
Over it all!
Father, you give and take away
Every joy and every pain
Through it all you will remain
Over it all!
On the mountains, I will bow my life
To the one who set me there (to the one who set me there)
In the valley, I will lift my eyes to the one who sees me there
When I'm standing on the mountain aft, didn't get there on my own
When I'm walking through the valley end, no I am not alone!
You're God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!
You're God of the hills and valleys!
Hills and Valleys!
God of the hills and valleys
And I am not alone!
And I will choose to say "Blessed be Your name, yeah, yeah"
And I am not alone.



Songwriters: Chuck Butler / Jonathan Lindley Smith / Tauren Wells
Hills and Valleys lyrics © Essential Music Publishing. (Posted to the public in Google. Copied here for the "fair use" purpose of commentary and teaching.)

Last edited by CreativeCarol

I wrote a song for a children's Christmas play we did at our church a couple of years ago. It is based on Psalm 23 and ties in the idea of Jesus being our Good Shepherd as well. You are welcome to use it.

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