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Shepherds, Watchmen and Dry Bones

A sneak-past-the-watchman game, a friend who stopped coming, a valley of bones that stands up, and a real job description for deacons and Young Women

  • 🧭 Youth 12–13
  • Week 45
  • 📅 Sunday, November 8, 2026
🤔 Forehead Guess🏆 Showdown
💡 The big idea

The Lord seeks out every lost sheep and can bring anything back to life, and He trusts me to help Him as a watchman and a shepherd to the people around me.

I can notice who is missing or struggling in my quorum, class and friend group and do one real thing to bring them back.

Study it yourself firstRead Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 in Gospel LibraryCome, Follow Me manualOpen this week (Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47)
Know the chapters

Ezekiel was a priest carried away to Babylon with thousands of other captives from Judah. Instead of preaching from a distance, he went and “sat where they sat” among the exiles for seven days (Ezekiel 3:15). Then the Lord called him a watchman (3:17; 33:7): the guard on the city wall whose whole job is to see danger coming and warn people in time. A watchman who sees trouble and stays quiet is responsible for what happens (3:18–19). Deacons quorum and Young Women class presidencies are asked to watch over their members in a very similar way.

Ezekiel 34 is the Lord’s honest review of Israel’s leaders. They were shepherds who fed themselves and ignored the sick, the hurt and the lost (34:2–4). So the Lord says He will do it Himself: “I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out” (34:11). Verse 16 is basically a ministering job description: seek, bring back, bind up, strengthen. Jesus later called Himself the good shepherd who knows His sheep by name (John 10:11–16). In chapter 33 the Lord says plainly that He takes no pleasure when anyone is lost; He wants them to turn and live (33:11).

In Ezekiel 37, the Lord sets Ezekiel in a valley of very dry bones and asks, “Can these bones live?” The bones rattle together, get sinews and skin, and finally breath, and stand up as a huge army. The Lord explains the bones are Israel, who felt their hope was gone (37:11). The vision promises the gathering of Israel, a spiritual rebirth, and the literal Resurrection made possible by Jesus Christ. Next, the Lord has Ezekiel join two sticks into one: the stick of Judah and the stick of Joseph. Latter-day Saints understand these as the Bible and the Book of Mormon, two records that work together to gather people to Christ.

Chapter 36 promises a new heart and a new spirit in place of a heart of stone (36:26). In chapter 47, water flows from under the temple, gets deeper and deeper, and heals the Dead Sea until fish swarm where nothing could live. Many of your youth are doing baptisms for the dead for the first time this year. The temple is where that river still flows: it heals families, living and dead.

Only have 5 minutes?

Play one round of Watchman on the Wall. Then walk through “Where’s Nate?” in the Teach Mode scenes. Read each Ezekiel verse, and ask the question on each screen. Teach Ezekiel 34:16 with the four verbs, and ask two discussion questions. End with Ezekiel 47:9 and your testimony of the Good Shepherd. Brought nothing? Tap “I brought nothing” and read the verses from your own scriptures.

What to bring3 items

Tick what you have. Forgot something? Every step that needs a supply has a no-supplies version in the plan below.

Before class

  1. Read Nate’s six scenes out loud once, so you can tell them like a real week.
  2. Bookmark Ezekiel 3:15–17, 34:4, 34:16, 37:11–14 and 47:9.
  3. Think of someone who came looking for you when you drifted, or someone you helped come back. You’ll share it briefly at the end.

If your class is wild

  • Nate is made up. If the class starts naming real people who stopped coming, steer back to Nate. Say, “We’ll talk about real people with love, not as a case.”
  • Youth this age love the watchman game. Play two quick rounds, then sit down and start the case.
  • Let them disagree about what to do for Nate. There isn’t one right answer. Arguing it through is the point.
  • Point out that deacons passing the sacrament see every row. A class president knows who wasn’t there. That’s watchman work.
  • End quiet with the river from the temple. Wait for real stillness before you testify.

The 25-minute plan24 min + bonus

Bonus steps are for when you have extra time. Steps that mention Teach Mode, the Sound Board or other class games refer to the Gospel Sparks app; on the web you can play Forehead Guess and Scripture Showdown from this page.

1. Hook

Watchman on the Wall

3 min

A sneaking game makes the watchman’s job obvious before anyone explains it.

  1. SAY“One Watchman faces the wall. Everyone else is an army sneaking up. When the Watchman spins around, freeze. Caught moving? Back to start.”
  2. Play one fast round. In round 2, the Watchman keeps their eyes closed the whole time. The army wins in seconds.
  3. SAY“A watchman with his eyes shut is useless. The Lord told Ezekiel, ‘I have made thee a watchman.’ Today you get that job too.”
🔊 Sound Board (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 🏰 Watchman on the Wall: sneak past or get caught · Ezekiel 3:17

2. Story

The Case: Where’s Nate?

9 min

Working through a friend who has stopped coming shows what Ezekiel’s watchmen and shepherds actually do, and that nobody is too dried up for the Lord.

  1. SAY“This is Nate. Nate is made up, but you probably know someone like Nate. Let’s figure out what a watchman and a shepherd would do.”
  2. Show each scene in Teach Mode and read it aloud. Pause at each question and take two or three answers.
  3. At scenes 2–5, pairs look up the Ezekiel verse. One person reads it aloud.
  4. Keep it about Nate, not real classmates who have stopped coming.
🌪️ If answers get preachy, like “just tell Nate to come back,” ask, “Would that work on you?”

Class screen: 🪑 Nate’s chair has been empty for three Sundays. Now what? · Ezekiel 3 · 34 · 37

No supplies? Do this instead

Instead of: Scriptures for pairs: Bibles, a quad, or the Gospel Library app on phones

  1. SAY“This is Nate. Nate is made up, but you probably know someone like Nate. Let’s figure out what a watchman and a shepherd would do.”
  2. Show each scene in Teach Mode and read it aloud. Pause at each question and take two or three answers.
  3. At scenes 2–5, hand a youth your scriptures to read the Ezekiel verse aloud.
  4. Keep it about Nate, not real classmates who have stopped coming.
3. Scripture

Shepherd’s Job Description: Ezekiel 34:16

5 min

Turning the four verbs of Ezekiel 34:16 into real examples makes ministering something a 12-year-old can actually do this week.

  1. SAY“Ezekiel 34:4 was the bad review. Here’s the Lord’s own job description.”
  2. Show Ezekiel 34:16 and teach the motions. Say it twice together.
  3. Split into four groups, one verb each. Seek the lost. Bring back the driven away. Bind up the broken. Strengthen the sick.
  4. Give them 60 seconds to think of one real example from school, a team, a group chat or the ward. Each group shares it with its motion.

Class screen: 🐑 Seek. Bring back. Bind up. Strengthen. What does that look like? · Ezekiel 34:16

4. Talk it over

Watchmen and Shepherds Today

4 min

Honest questions connect Ezekiel’s callings to deacons, Young Women, class presidencies and friendships.

  1. SAY“Now it’s about us. Anyone can pass.”
  2. Spin the Name Spinner to pick who answers first. Then open it up.
  3. Two or three questions is plenty. If it’s quiet, go first yourself. Keep it real, not preachy.
💬 Ask the class
  • Shepherds and watchmen do different jobs. Which one are you better at?
  • Who might feel “driven away” at school or in our ward, even if they still show up sometimes?
  • In Ezekiel 3:15, Ezekiel “sat where they sat.” Why does it matter to sit with someone before you try to help them?
  • Ezekiel 34:2 describes shepherds who feed only themselves. What does that look like in a friend group or a group chat?
  • Who is one person you could seek out this week?
🎡 Name Spinner (a class game in the Gospel Sparks app)

Class screen: 👀 Who notices when someone disappears? · Ezekiel 3; 34

5. Testimony

The River from the Temple

3 min

End with the temple, where the Savior’s healing still flows to the living and the dead.

  1. SAY“Ezekiel saw water flow from under the temple. It got deeper and deeper. And it healed the Dead Sea.”
  2. Read Ezekiel 47:9.
  3. SAY“When you do baptisms for the dead, that river reaches people who waited a long time. And it heals us too.”
  4. Share your short story of someone who came looking for you. Testify that Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd who never gives up on anyone.
  5. Share the Be the Watchman challenge. Then invite a youth to pray.

Class screen: 🛕 “Every thing shall live whither the river cometh” · Ezekiel 47:9

6. Wiggle break

Bone to His Bone

2 minBONUS

A speed challenge burns energy and pictures a scattered people being gathered back together.

  1. SAY“Scatter around the room. When I call a connection and a number, find your group fast.”
  2. Call “Elbow to elbow, groups of two!” Then “Shoe to shoe, groups of three!” Anyone left out calls the next one. Leader, not loser.
  3. Last call: “The whole house of Israel!” Everyone links in one chain. Say, “The Lord gathers everyone, and He wants all hands on deck.”

Class screen: 🔗 Elbow to elbow! Shoe to shoe! Connect before time runs out! · Ezekiel 37:7, 21

7. Game

Scripture Showdown

5 minBONUS

A team quiz reviews watchmen, shepherds, bones, sticks and the river.

  1. SAY“Team Judah against Team Joseph. Ten seconds to huddle, then your captain answers.”
  2. Tap Scripture Showdown and switch captains every question. Naming the chapter earns a bonus point.
▶ Play Scripture Showdown on the web

Class screen: 🏆 Scripture Showdown: Judah vs. Joseph

Case study

The Case: Where’s Nate?

Ezekiel 3:15–17; 34:4, 11–16; 37:1–14 ↗

Scenes

  1. 🪑❓ An empty chair, three Sundays in a row

    Nate is thirteen, and used to crack everybody up in class. Three Sundays in a row now, Nate’s chair has been empty. Everyone kind of noticed. Nobody said anything. Nobody did anything.

    🙌 Ask: “Why do you think nobody said anything?”

  2. 👀🏰 Somebody has to be the watchman

    This Sunday you’re passing the sacrament, or you’re the class president. You see Nate’s family in the back row. Nate isn’t there. The Lord told Ezekiel: “I have made thee a watchman.” A watchman sees trouble coming and says something.

    🙌 Pairs read Ezekiel 3:17. Ask: “What does a watchman do with what they see?”

  3. 📱🤷 The group chat shrugs

    Someone posts in the class group chat: “Nate’s just not into church anymore. Whatever.” A few shrug emojis. Then the chat moves on to something funny.

    🙌 Read Ezekiel 34:4. Ask: “Which of those verbs is this group chat skipping?”

  4. 🍔🪑 Sitting where Nate sits

    Tuesday at school you see Nate eating alone. You sit down. Nate is quiet at first, then says, “Things at home have been rough. Church just feels… dry. Like I’m going through the motions.”

    🙌 Read Ezekiel 3:15. Ask: “Why does sitting with someone come before trying to fix them?”

  5. 🦴🌬️ “Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost”

    Nate adds, “Honestly, I don’t know if I even feel anything anymore.” Ezekiel saw a whole valley of dry bones that said the same thing. The Lord asked, “Can these bones live?” Then He put breath in them, and they stood up.

    🙌 Read Ezekiel 37:11–14. Ask: “What does the Lord promise people who feel dried up?”

  6. 🐑➡️ Your move

    It’s Wednesday. Sunday is four days away. You can’t fix Nate’s home or make Nate believe. But the Lord said, “I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out.” And He asks His shepherds to help.

    🙌 Ask: “What’s one real thing you’d do for Nate this week? What should you definitely NOT do?”

Key verse

Ezekiel 34:16 ↗
“I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick”
In plain words: The Lord goes after the lost, brings back the pushed-away, bandages the broken and strengthens the sick, and He asks His shepherds to do the same.
🙌 “seek that which was lost” = hand over eyes, scanning · “bring again that which was driven away” = wave someone back toward you · “bind up that which was broken” = wrap one hand around the other wrist like a bandage · “strengthen that which was sick” = flex both arms.

More verses

Ezekiel 3:17 ↗
“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me”
In plain words: The Lord made Ezekiel a watchman: listen to God, then warn the people.
Ezekiel 33:11 ↗
“I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die”
In plain words: God doesn’t want anyone lost. He wants them to turn around and live.
Ezekiel 36:26 ↗
“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh”
In plain words: The Lord can swap a hard, cold heart for a soft, alive one.
Ezekiel 47:9 ↗
“every thing shall live whither the river cometh”
In plain words: Wherever the river from the temple flows, things come back to life.

Forehead Guess words18 words

  • 🧔 Ezekiel
  • 🏰 Watchman
  • 🎺 Trumpet
  • 🧑‍🌾 Shepherd
  • 🐑 Lost sheep
  • 🦴 Dry bones
  • 🌬️ Breath
  • 🪖 Army
  • 📘 Stick of Judah
  • 📕 Stick of Joseph
  • ❤️ New heart
  • 🪨 Stony heart
  • 🛕 Temple
  • 🏞️ River
  • 🧂 Dead Sea
  • 🐟 Fish
  • 🏛️ Babylon
  • 🌅 Resurrection
Clues for each word
  • Ezekiel: Priest-prophet taken captive to Babylon
  • Watchman: Guard on the wall who warns the city
  • Trumpet: What a watchman blows to warn people
  • Shepherd: Seeks the lost and feeds the flock
  • Lost sheep: The one the Lord goes out to find
  • Dry bones: A whole valley of them came back to life
  • Breath: Came from the four winds into the bodies
  • Army: What the bones became when they stood up
  • Stick of Judah: Ezekiel’s stick that stands for the Bible
  • Stick of Joseph: Ezekiel’s stick that stands for the Book of Mormon
  • New heart: What the Lord gives in place of a stony one
  • Stony heart: Hard, cold heart the Lord takes away
  • Temple: The river flowed out from under it
  • River: Got deeper and deeper until you had to swim
  • Dead Sea: Salty sea the temple water healed
  • Fish: Swarmed where nothing could live before
  • Babylon: Where Ezekiel lived with the captives
  • Resurrection: Body and spirit together again forever
▶ Play Forehead GuessFull screen, 60-second timer, works on any phone.

Scripture Showdown9 questions

  1. What happens if a watchman sees danger but doesn’t warn anyone?
    • A. He is responsible for what happens
    • B. Nothing, it’s not his problem
    • C. He gets a promotion
    Show answer

    ✅ A. He is responsible for what happens Ezekiel 3:18 and 33:6 say the watchman is responsible. That’s why prophets keep warning us.

  2. What was wrong with Israel’s shepherds in Ezekiel 34?
    • A. They lost their staffs
    • B. They fed themselves and ignored the flock
    • C. They had too many sheep
    Show answer

    ✅ B. They fed themselves and ignored the flock They ate well and let the sick, hurt and lost sheep fend for themselves (34:2–4).

  3. Who says, “I, even I, will both search my sheep”?
    • A. Ezekiel
    • B. The king of Babylon
    • C. The Lord
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The Lord Ezekiel 34:11: the Lord Himself goes after the lost. Jesus later called Himself the good shepherd (John 10:11).

  4. How did Ezekiel answer “Can these bones live?”
    • A. “No way”
    • B. “O Lord GOD, thou knowest”
    • C. “Only on Sundays”
    Show answer

    ✅ B. “O Lord GOD, thou knowest” Ezekiel 37:3. He didn’t know how, but he trusted that the Lord did.

  5. What finally made the bodies stand up?
    • A. Breath from the four winds
    • B. A trumpet blast
    • C. Cold water
    Show answer

    ✅ A. Breath from the four winds They had bones, sinews and skin, but they didn’t live until breath came into them (37:8–10).

  6. The Lord said the dry bones were whom?
    • A. The Babylonians
    • B. Ezekiel’s ancestors only
    • C. The whole house of Israel
    Show answer

    ✅ C. The whole house of Israel Ezekiel 37:11: Israel felt their hope was lost, and the Lord promised to bring them back to life.

  7. Latter-day Saints understand the stick of Joseph as what?
    • A. The Bible
    • B. The Book of Mormon
    • C. A walking stick
    Show answer

    ✅ B. The Book of Mormon The stick of Judah is the Bible, and the stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon. Together they gather people to Christ.

  8. What does the Lord promise to replace a stony heart with?
    • A. An heart of flesh
    • B. An heart of gold
    • C. A stronger stone
    Show answer

    ✅ A. An heart of flesh Ezekiel 36:26: a soft, living heart and a new spirit.

  9. Where did the healing river in Ezekiel 47 come from?
    • A. A mountain spring
    • B. The Jordan River
    • C. Under the temple
    Show answer

    ✅ C. Under the temple Ezekiel 47:1: the water came out from under the temple and healed everything it reached.

▶ Play Scripture ShowdownTeams take turns on one screen.

Songs

  • The Lord Is My Shepherd Hymns, no. 108

    Ezekiel 34 is all about the Lord as the shepherd who goes after His sheep. Find it ↗

  • I Know That My Redeemer Lives Hymns, no. 136

    The dry bones point to the Resurrection made possible by the living Christ. Find it ↗

  • Hope of Israel Hymns, no. 259

    The bones said their hope was lost; this hymn calls the youth of Israel to rise up. Find it ↗

This week’s challenge

Be the Watchman

Pick one person who’s been missing, quiet or left out, at church, at school or in a group chat. This week, do one real thing. Sit by them, text them, invite them, or just ask how they’re really doing.

Text the parents

Today in class we read Ezekiel. We saw a watchman on the wall, shepherds who ignored their sheep, dry bones that stood up, and a river from the temple that heals. We worked through the case of “Nate,” a made-up friend who stopped coming to church. We talked about how deacons and Young Women can be watchmen and shepherds. Ask your youth which shepherd verb from Ezekiel 34:16 they picked. Who are they watching out for this week?

📝 After class

What worked? Who needs a check-in this week? Jot it here on a printed copy, or in the app’s private class notes.

Got extra time?

📘 Which Stick? Bible or Book of Mormon · 4 min

  1. Read Ezekiel 37:16–17. Say: “The stick of Judah is the Bible. The stick of Joseph is the Book of Mormon. They become one in His hand.”
  2. Read one verse from each pair without naming the book. Try John 10:16 and 3 Nephi 15:21, then Luke 24:39 and 3 Nephi 11:14. Teams guess “Judah!” or “Joseph!”
  3. Hold two sticks together in one hand, or link two volunteers’ arms. Ask, “Why do we need both?”

🌊 Deeper and Deeper · 3 min

  1. Read Ezekiel 47:3–5 slowly. At each depth everyone touches it: ankles, knees, waist. Then spread your arms wide for a river too deep to cross.
  2. Ask, “Why do you think the river gets deeper the farther it goes?” Blessings from the temple grow the more we come back.
  3. Ask, “What do you think your first trip to do baptisms will feel like? What would help you get ready?”

🌳 Find a Name for the River · 5 min

  1. If you have FamilySearch on your phone, show how to find an ancestor who needs temple ordinances. Or invite a ward temple and family history leader to show them.
  2. SAY“Ezekiel’s river healed the Dead Sea. Baptisms for the dead take that healing to people who died without the chance.”
  3. Invite youth who have a limited-use recommend to plan a temple trip with a family name.

🪨 Stone Heart, Soft Heart · 3 min

  1. Pour a little water on a rock or a hard table, then on a paper towel. Which one soaks it in?
  2. Read Ezekiel 36:26–27. Ask, “What makes a heart turn hard? What softens it?”
  3. SAY“The Lord doesn’t just want us to act better. He offers to change our hearts.”

Sources

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version, the Bible used by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tap or click a reference to open it in Gospel Library. Start with the official Come, Follow Me manual; these ideas are here to help it come alive.

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