Hamburger Series. I am the VINE

Scripture: for teacher background:  John 15

(Top layer of bread for the hamburger to complete it)

Making contact:

If possible bring some grapes and or pictures of a vineyard and a vine.

Discuss how the grapes grow and what they are used for. 

Remind them of previous lessons on the parable of the vineyard. 

If you have a bottle of grape juice or red wine, you can also explain that the drink we enjoy during Communion is made from grapes. 

 Exploration:

Recap from last week about how Jesus was comforting the disciples and talking about leaving. It was also at the last supper with His disciples that Jesus spoke to them about the vine.

What gardening do you know about? How do you look after shrubs and roses? 

Talk to the children about cutting back plants so that they grow better and bear more flowers and fruit.

This is the last “I AM” we will be learning.

Jesus said: “I am the vine and My Father is the gardener. He breaks off every branch in Me that doesn’t bear fruit, so that it will be clean and bear more fruit.”

Jesus told us that He is like the main plant with the strong trunk and the roots and that we are like the branches. 

Then He said for the branches to bear lots of fruit they have to stay attached to the main branch. 

Wonderful liquid called sap comes up through the main stem, from the roots and flows down all the branches so that beautiful fruit can grow. 

If the branch doesn’t remain very firmly attached to the main stem it will whither and die and drop off.

Jesus said that God is like the farmer and He comes along and prunes the branches. These branches get thrown into the fire. 

They are useless. You can’t even use this woody branch to make anything. 

If it isn’t growing grapes it is useless.

Application

So what does this mean?  It means the same as when Jesus said He is the Way. 

The only one to get through this life well, and to be strong and effective and fruitful, is to stay very close to Jesus.

 In this way we can drink of His love and truth and this can flow through us.

Do you remember what the fruit of the Spirit is?

Galatians 5:22

"The Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control."

If we stay close to Jesus, we will grow these beautiful qualities. 

This is the kind of fruit Jesus wants to see in our lives. They will grow as we live close to Jesus and “ABIDE IN THE VINE.”

Challenge to Mission

 Our churches also need to stay close to Jesus and bear much fruit. 

You can soon see if a church is fruitful or not. Are the children involved in any mission or caring? Is the Sunday school doing anything to spread the Gospel and bear fruit?

 Consolidation

Worksheet. The children can write the fruit of the Spirit from Gal 5:22 on the grapes. This has been done before but is important enough to repeat.

Extra

Here is an idea you might like to use for something special. Draw or paint a large bunch of grapes on a poster. 

Take photos of the children the size of one grape and stick them on the poster.

The heading can be something like – What a fruity bunch for Jesus. 

The memory verse is printed on a picture of the top piece of bread roll – thus completing the hamburger.

Memory Verse

“I AM THE VINE, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit.” John 15:5