Curriculum
The True Vine
Memory Verse:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
Jesus liked to use farming examples when He taught. Jesus compares us to branches that need to be connected to a vine to gain nutrients and life. Jesus is glad to be the vine and wants us to be connected to Him.
Scripture Summary
Many people were farmers during Jesus’ time, so He often used examples of farming and growing plants. It was important to Jesus for His listeners to understand His teachings, and He wanted His message to be relatable.
Grapevines were symbolic during this time. Grapes are a prolific plant, producing many grapes from one vine. The Old Testament tells of grapes symbolizing Israel’s success in doing God’s work (Psalm 80:8). The Passover meal also included the fruit of the vine, symbolizing God’s goodness.
We all have a role to play in this passage. Jesus is the vine. God is the gardener. We, His followers, are the branches. There are two kinds of branches: those bearing fruit and genuinely following God’s way, and those not bearing fruit who are superficial and have stopped being productive for God.
There are also two kinds of pruning. Jesus makes it clear that pruning can be separating branches from the vine. Pruning can also be a process of cutting back fruit-bearing branches to make them even more fruitful.
Each believer, each branch, is called to bear fruit as part of his or her walk with God. Fruit can be sharing Christ with others. Fruit can also be love, joy, peace, and other fruit produced by the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
Some believers try to go it alone, certain they can bear fruit through their own efforts. This can lead to burnout, false expectations, and thwarted theology. Jesus says clearly the only way to engage in right living that bears fruit is to remain connected to Him.
Why Is This Important
A life with Jesus is so much more than a list of dos and don’ts. Jesus wants each of us to remain close to and connected with Him. This is the way to have an abundant life.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
Connecting Blocks
“Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.” (John 15:4)
Our children have thoroughly enjoyed playing with LEGOs building blocks. The intricate creations one can make just by connecting individual bricks is a fascinating concept.
Cars, jets, animals, robots, trees, and castles can all but come to life as the simple bricks snap to one another.
While shopping at a mall, we passed a LEGO display at a toy store. A giant, life-sized Hagrid character from the Harry Potter movies towered over us. Hagrid was made entirely of tiny LEGO bricks. Our entire family has enjoyed building LEGO creations at home, though we haven’t tackled anything of that magnitude.
I remember once being completely stumped when one of my boys asked me to separate two bricks that he’d stuck together. He thought I’d know just how to tackle this request, maybe with my longer nails. It wasn’t nearly as easy as I’d suspected. LEGOs are created for connection, and it was difficult to separate the bricks. (I later found out LEGO created a brick separator for such a task.)
Just like LEGOs, you and I were created for connection. God desires for us to be so connected to Him that we remain in each other…as one. Together, we can accomplish great things. In fact, you and I cannot bear fruit without being connected to the vine.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for creating me with the need for You. I want to be so well connected to You that it becomes impossible to separate us. I know the only way I can experience abundant life and the joy of producing fruit is to remain in You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: Purple balloons, A marker, Tape, Green construction paper, Bible - one per child
Get Ready: Before class, cut a long green vine out of construction paper and tape it on the wall. Inflate the purple balloons and write a word or phrase from today’s memory verse on each balloon. Make more than one set of vines and balloons if you have more than 10 kids in your class. Scatter the balloons around the room.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5
Lead kids in these steps:
- Invite kids to open their Bibles to John 15:5.
- Ask for several volunteers to read the verse aloud.
- Explain that the balloons around the room are grape bunches that need to be placed on the vine on the wall.
- Challenge kids to work together to tape the grape bunches in order along the vine on the wall.
- Once complete, read aloud the verse together.
- For an extra challenge, take several balloons off the wall and see if kids can remember the verse.
SAY: Great job completing your Bible verse. Today we’re exploring what Jesus meant when He said He is the vine and we are the branches.
Interactive Bible Experience
You’ll Need: Green paper, “Grape Bunch and Leaf” handout printed on green paper - one per child, Scissors - one per child, Purple construction paper, Markers - one per child, Glue, Bibles - one per group
Get Ready: Before class, cut out nine strips of purple construction paper for each child.
SAY: In our Bible memory verse, we learned that if we are connected to the vine, we will bear much fruit. But what does that mean? Does it mean that bananas and grapes will start popping out all over us? Not exactly. Let’s look in God’s Word to see what fruit this verse could be talking about.
- Invite kids to turn in their Bibles to Galatians 5:22-23.
- Ask for volunteers to read the verses aloud.
ASK:
- Tell about a fruit that stood out to you in the passage.
- Tell whether this fruit is in your life. Explain.
SAY: The fruit we will produce if we’re connected to Jesus isn’t peach-ears and apple-toes, but these things: love, joy, peace, forbearance ( patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If you’re like me, you need Jesus’ help to always be kind and faithful. We can’t produce these fruits by working really hard. We only produce these fruits by being connected to Jesus. That means reading the Bible, praying, and serving Him.
Have kids follow these steps:
- Invite kids to cut out the grape bunch and leaf shape from their handouts.
- Give them their nine purple strips and ask them to write a differ- ent fruit on each strip.
- Have them roll up their purple strips tightly to create nine differ- ent circles.
- Instruct kids to glue their “grape” circles to their grape bunch shapes.
- Have them glue the leaf to the side of the grape bunch.
- Now that their fruits are rolled up, see if they can name the nine fruits from memory.
Snack
Grapevine Snacks
You’ll Need: Toothpicks - two per child, Green and red grape bunches, Paper plates - one per child, Napkins - one per child
SAY: (Hold up a grape bunch.) Do you see how these grapes are attached tightly to the vine? When they fall off, they lose the nutrients they need. Let’s make our own grapevine snacks with our toothpicks and grapes.
Follow these steps to make the “Grapevine Snacks”:
- Give each child a paper plate, a napkin, and a couple of tooth- picks.
- Instruct kids to attach as many grapes as they can to their tooth- picks.
- Invite kids to count their grapes and see if anyone has more than anyone else.
- Enjoy! Warning - grapes are a choking hazard for younger kids. Even though these are grade-school kids, watch kids closely as they eat their grapes.
ASK:
- What fruits have you seen Jesus grow in your life?
- What fruits do you most want Jesus to grow in your life? Why?
Game
The Connection Run
You’ll Need: Rocks - one per pair, Chopsticks - one per child, Crepe paper
Follow these steps to play the game:
- Pair up the children.
- Have pairs stand side-by-side
- Wrap their inside legs together with crepe paper.
- Give each child a chopstick and each pair a rock.
- Explain that pairs are to work together to push their rock (using only their chopsticks) from one side of the room to the other and back.
- Each time they break apart, they have to freeze and wait to be reattached to their partner. Have adults ready to rewrap children as they break apart.
- The first pair to push their rock to the other side of the room and back wins.
ASK:
- What made this challenge easy or difficult for you and your partner?
- How does this game remind you to stay connected to Jesus?
SAY: Today we learned that when we are disconnected from the Vine, we can’t produce any fruit! We need Jesus. It takes courage to admit we need a helper, and Jesus is the only One who can help us bear fruit.
Craft
Vine Cups
You’ll Need: Small paper cups - one per child, Soil, Markers, Tomato seeds, Water
To make the “Vine Cups,” have kids follow these steps:
- Give each child a cup.
- Invite kids to decorate their cups with today’s memory verse.
- Instruct kids to put some soil in their cups.
- Have them add a couple of tomato seeds and cover them with more soil.
- Instruct kids to put a bit of water on their seeds.
SAY: What are the tomatoes connected to? They grow on a vine. Take your tomato plant home and be sure to give it plenty of sun and water. Check it daily for growth and report back on how your plant is doing. When your plant gets bigger, you may need to replant it in the ground. How exciting to see if you can grow some tomatoes on your vines.
Prayer
Prayer Vine
You’ll Need: Brown butcher paper, Green construction paper, Tape, Markers, Scissors
Get Ready: Before class, twist and crumple up the brown butcher paper to create a vine, and attach it to the wall or hang it from the ceiling. Cut leaf shapes out of the green construction paper, making one or two per child.
- Give each child one or two green leaves.
- Invite them to write a prayer request on each leaf.
- Once they have written their prayer requests, instruct them to tape their leaves along the vine.
- Invite children to read and pray silently for two other leaves that are not their own.
SAY: Dear God, thank You for Jesus. He is the Vine. Without Him we can do nothing. That is why we bring our requests to You, God. We need Your help. In Jesus’ name, amen.
