Bible Lesson: Jesus, the True Vine

Here's a Bible lesson you can use with your students to help them understand that God takes care of us just as a gardener takes care of his garden and Christians grow spiritually when they read the Bible and stay connected to Jesus.

Bring a bowl of raisins, a bowl of grapes, and some napkins. Print out the visuals below and cut them apart. Put a circle of tape on the back of each one and give each visual to a different child. Hold your open Bible on your lap. Explain that this is a true story from the Bible.

THE TRUE VINE 

(Read John 15:1 and 5.) God says that He acts like a gardener. A gardener helps plants grow. God helps us live right and grow as Christians. In Bible times, many people grew grapes. A grape plant has several parts. First, there is the vine. (Have the child who has the Grape Vine place it on the wall.) Whose name is on the vine? (Jesus) The Bible calls Jesus the True Vine.

On the vine are many branches. (Have the children with the Side, Bottom, and Top Branches place them on the vine.) Good branches produce grapes. These grapes are called the fruit of the vine. (Pass around napkins and a bowl of grapes and let each child take a napkin and some grapes.)

God is the Gardener in the garden of life. Jesus is the Vine who grows good branches. Christians are those branches. If you have asked Jesus to be your Savior, you are like a branch on a vine in God’s garden.

What happens to a branch if it is cut off the vine? (It dies; it doesn’t grow anymore.) That’s what happens to anyone who isn’t a true follower of Jesus. The person may look like a Christian, and even act like one (by going to church and doing good things). But, if this person hasn’t invited Jesus into his life, he’s a fake Christian. He may fool other people, but he can’t fool God.

Branches need water and food to grow. How do the branches get these things? (through the roots) The vine sends food and water from the roots to the branches. Then the branches send food and water to the flowers that will produce grapes. (Pass around a bowl of raisins and let each child take some.) 

Once the vine has been taken care of and well watered, it makes grapes. Some grapes are dried like these. We grow spiritually when we get food from the Bible (read the Bible and memorize what it says) and stay connected to Jesus. We don’t make grapes, but we do make good actions that remind people of the way Jesus acted. Our good actions are called spiritual fruit. Jesus gives a promise that helps us stay close to Him. (Read Matthew 28:20.) 

This verse is part of the Great Commission, the last command Jesus gave before He went to heaven. Jesus promises to be with us always. Jesus will never leave us, just as a vine never leaves the branches.

Click on the image above for a larger view.

(This lesson is an excerpt from Elementary Bible Activity Lessons. Try a FREE sample and then choose your lesson by topic or Bible story. Each lesson is just $5.95 each. Quantity discounts are available when you purchase ten or more lessons.)

Elementary Bible Activity Lessons

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Elementary Bible Activity Lessons are the perfect solution whenever you need a Bible lesson or just some extra activities for Sunday school. Bible Clubs or children's church. You can choose lessons based on topic, Bible reference, or even Scripture verse. Each lesson is regularly only $5.95 each. 


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Try out a sample lesson with your students: David Becomes King

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Baby Moses Craft

Before your lesson, make a sample craft from the patterns below, but do not glue Moses in the basket. Hold the basket and Moses visuals in your Bible until the story time. Also print the patterns for each child in your class.

During the lesson, ask the children to name people who help take care of them. Then say, "I’m glad God planned for people to care for us. Let’s listen quietly to a Bible story about a boy whose mother loved him very much. This is a true story from God's Word, the Bible." Hold your open Bible as you tell the story of baby Moses from Exodus 2:1-10. Hold up the baby Moses figure when you mention Moses. Hold up the basket when you mention how Jochebed made it. Then place Moses in the basket when you get to that point in the story. Open the basket (or have a a child open it) when you tell how Pharaoh's daughter found Moses in the basket.

After the story, give each child scissors, crayons, glue, and the activity sheets from below. Let each child color and cut out the basket and baby Moses. Show the children how to glue the basket pieces back to back and glue Moses in the basket. Help them fold down the basket lid. Point to the Bible verse on the basket as you say it, "Let us love one another" — John 4:7. Have the children say it with you. Talk about ways the children can show love to others. (being helpful, sharing, saying kind words, etc.)

(This activity is taken from Bible Foundations Downloadable Curriculum for Preschool. To download an entire Bible Foundations lesson for preschool, early elementary, or late elementary ages, visit our Bible Foundations Samples Page.)

Click on the image above to download the craft.

Bible Lesson: God Cares for Us

Help your students understand that God cares for us and helps through hard times.

Ask five good readers to each look up and read aloud one of the following Scripture verses. Print the Scripture references on a board or poster paper:
Exodus 12:21-23
Psalm 12:5
Psalm 32:7
Psalm 46:1-3
Psalm 91:14

Then ask for five volunteers for a short reader's theater. Say, "Each one of our readers will act like a person with a problem. Decide which Scripture passage the person is talking about."

Reader 1: When I am scared, I read the Bible, pray, and sometimes I sing hymns or praise songs. They help me remember that God is taking care of me and is a hiding place for me. (Psalm 32:7)

Say, "Just reading the Bible and praying can soothe us when we're upset or distressed." (Discuss how reading the Bible, along with singing, helps us to remember God's love and gives us comfort.)

Reader 2: God saved our whole family from the plagues when Moses told us to paint our doorframes with the blood of the lamb. (Exodus 12:21-32)

Say, "God protected is people during the plagues. God heard the cries of his people in Egypt and protected them while He tried to teach the Egyptians to be fair with them. When that didn't work, He sent Moses to lead His people out of slavery into their own land."

Reader 3: Because I truly love God and trust Him, God will help me when I am in trouble. (Psalm 91:14)

Say, "God promises to hear His people when they call His name and to help them."

Reader 4: It seems like my whole world is falling apart. Everything seems to be getting worse, but I know that God will give me strength. (Psalm 46:1-3)

Say, "When everything else seems shaky, God is always solid and firm. We can trust in the Lord God even when we are facing life-changing problems. Just reading and remembering these verses can bring us comfort."

Reader 5: I am poor and weak and needy, but God keeps me safe. (Psalm 12:5)

Say, "God promises to take care of Christians when they have physical needs like hunger and poverty, and to give them what they need. He often lays it on the hearts of other Christians to give them the help they need. Just like the people in our reader's theater, God doesn't always take away pain and trouble, but He is always there to give comfort and strength to His children."

Have your students learn Psalm 46:1-2 for their memory verse. Have a child read the verse aloud from the Bible. Say, "In times of trouble, it is important to know that God is with us, even if it feels like the whole world is falling apart."

Close with a time of prayer, encouraging your students to pray for each other's praises and prayer requests.

Attitude Adjustment

To help your students understand that Jesus can help Christians adjust our attitudes to be attractive to others (and therefore a good witness) rather than a turn-off, try this object lesson.

Bring two similar sized drinking glasses and a pitcher of water to your lesson. Prepare one of the glasses to look dirty on the outside by smearing it with your dirty fingerprints or rubbing food particles or dirt on it, keeping the glass rim clean.

Show the students your glasses and pitcher of water. Ask, "Is anyone thirsty? I am! I have two glasses here, and I will pour some water into both of them."

Show the children the glasses and, as you pour the water, say, "The only difference between the two glasses is that one glass is dirty. Who would like to drink from that glass of water?" Get a show of hands. (Some of your more precocious kids will probably raise their hands. After the lesson, give them an opportunity to have a drink from the dirty glass.)

Then say to those who didn't raise their hands, "You wouldn't want to drink that water? But the dirt on the glass are only on the outside. Nothing bad or dirty has mixed with the water. Now who would like to drink from the dirty glass?" Get a show of hands.

"Who would like to drink from the clean glass?" Get a show of hands. Say, "The water in either glass will take away our thirst. But most of us aren't attracted to a dirty glass, are we? Why not? (We can't be sure the water isn't dirty or contaminated. If someone is careless enough to serve water in a dirty glass, that person may be careless enough to mix dirt in the water. The water doesn't look clean when it's in a dirty glass, even though it may be.)  Christians can present to the world an attitude that is attractive (hold up the clean glass) or we can present a grumbling, complaining, whining attitude (hold up the dirty glass). Which type of Christian are you? When you leave church do you grumble, complain, and whine?

Even during tough times, Christians don't have to act like grumps or complainers. As we let Jesus fill our lives, we will appear more joyful and attractive to those around us. Our up-beat attitude will help others want to know more about Jesus, too. The world is thirsty for the love of Jesus. Your attitude can either turn people away from Jesus or draw people to Him.

Jesus called himself "living water." We can offer people the living water of Jesus when we let Jesus adjust our attitude and clean up our language, dress, and speech. What areas of your life do you need to work on cleaning up? (If you have an example from your own life about how God helped you clean up your attitude, share it now.) Then let the students share prayer requests and praises or examples of how God is working in their own lives.

Close your lesson in prayer. Have the students pray, asking God to help them make an attitude adjustment and let Jesus fill their lives. Talk individually with any students who would like to know more about having Jesus as their Savior. (See the blog post from May 17, 2010,  "Leading a Child to Christ" for suggestions.)

Celebrate Jesus' Birth

For many of us, the Christmas season is a hectic time with too much to do and not enough time to do it all. But the Christmas season is really a time of preparation for Jesus’ birth. Beginning the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continuing through Christmas Eve is a time often called the advent season. The word advent is derived from the Latin word “adventus,” which means “coming” or “arrival.” The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is recognized as the first advent. The advent season is a time to prepare spiritually for the birth of Christ.

To help get your classroom ready for advent and Christmas, use coupon code DECO to save 20% on classroom decorations (minimum $100 order) in our Classroom Decorations Store. But hurry! This offer expires December 1, 2010.

You can also save on candlelight service sets in our Candlelight Store. 

Set aside family and/or Sunday school or children’s church time to read about the preparation for Jesus and His birth in Luke 1:1-80 through 2:20. Read a few verses at a time, letting some of your good child readers alternate with adults to take turns reading the verses. Talk about how the people of so long ago must have felt as they prepared for the birth of Jesus.

You may also want to read Matthew 1:18-24. Explain that when the angel appeared to Joseph, he told him to name the Baby Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the LORD saves. (You may  need to explain that "sins" are the wrong things we say and do.) This took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet Isaiah: “The virgin will … give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel —which  means, 'God with us.'” This Scripture is taken from Isaiah 7:14.

Let each person describe how he feels as Christmas approaches. Take time together to remember all of the reasons you have to be joyful. Sing a favorite Christmas carol or two. Close with a prayer of thanks to God for sending His Son, Jesus, to earth.

God's Message to Us

Children's Bibles

Hold an open Bible. Explain that the Bible is God's Word and it is true. Have a child read II Peter 1:21 aloud from the Bible. Say it together in unison. Then lead your students in saying the following poem together.

Where did this Book

    (hold hands like an open book) come from

That tells us (point to other children)

   Of God’s love (point to your heart)?

Why, it came from God Himself

   (hold both hands high),

My Father (point to self) up above (point up).

This Book (hold hands like an open book)

   Is God’s own precious Word (hug self):

True things spoken (point to mouth) by Him

   (point up).

It tells me (point to self) I am His own child

   (point up)

When I (point to self) ask Jesus in

   (form cross with fingers, then point to heart).

This Book (hold hands like an open book)

   Is a light, a map, a guide 

(shade eyes with hand, look left to right)

   That shows the way to walk (walk fingers up arm).

Each day I read (point to self)

   From God’s own Word (hold hands like an open book)

Each day with Him (point up) I talk

   (fold hands to pray, and bow head).

Say, The Bible tells us that God loves us. He has always loved us, and He has always wanted to tell us so. A long, long time ago God spoke in many ways to tell about His love for us. Sometimes He spoke through men called prophets. They and others (such as King David) wrote down what God wanted everyone to know. And sometimes God talked to people directly, telling them little by little about His plans.

Then when Jesus came down from heaven to be born on earth, God spoke to us through Him. God’s Son, Jesus, brought us the message of God’s love.

Preteen Spiritual Fitness

Your preteens are learning about physical well-being in school so this is a great time to teach them about spiritual health and fitness—relate it to their physical health. Around your classroom, put up posters and other information about physical health. Include material about nutritious food groups, good exercise principles, friendship principles, and developing individual talents. Some of your students may be able to make posters encouraging good physical health. If you know elementary school teachers, they may be willing to let you borrow posters from their classrooms.

Help your students relate these areas of physical health and fitness to their spiritual health. Emphasize a different area each week.

Nutrition
Bring a nutritious snack of whole-grain muffins, veggies and dip, or fruit. As your students eat, talk about the things our bodies need to stay healthy (vitamins and minerals, food, water, sun, exercise, etc.) Explain that just as our physical bodies need many vitamins and minerals to keep healthy, the body of Christ needs each member to stay healthy. Have your students describe what happens when a body is missing a vitamin or other essential element. Explain that when one member is absent, the body of Christ suffers. Hand out construction paper or poster board and markers. Let your students make posters that show how necessary each person is to the body of Christ, the church.

Exercise
Have your students do a few jumping jacks together. Then have them relax and sit on the floor. Explain that just as our bodies need exercise to keep them strong, we need to exercise our spiritual muscles to keep our spiritual life strong. Talk about responsibilities we have to serve and help others in the church. Let your students brainstorm ways they can help others. Give each child a large piece of felt, scissors, glue, fabric paint, fabric markers, and felt pieces. Let your students make banners that show ways they can help and serve others.

Relationships

Have your students name some of the important people in their lives. Explain that no one can be truly healthy unless he or she develops strong bonds with other people. This includes parents, siblings, friends, and adults such as teachers, pastors, neighbors, and parents of friends. The body of Christ can't be truly healthy without developing friendships either. Believers are part of an eternal family and must therefore treat each other with respect and care. Make up a class list of 3-4 rules to ensure each person in your group is treated with respect. Then brainstorm ways your students can make visitors feel welcome to your class.

Gifts and Talents

Invite a couple of your students to share their talents with the class (playing an instrument, jumping rope, telling jokes, displaying a work of art, etc.) Explain that just as each person has talents that allow him to excel in different areas, God gives us spiritual gifts. God expects us to use these spiritual gifts to build up the body of Christ. Read I Corinthians 12:4-6 and 11 aloud. Tell your students that even though they may not yet know which spiritual gift(s) they have, all Christians have at least one spiritual gift, and some have more than one. Whatever your spiritual gift, it is beneficial to the body of Christ.

Preschool Thanksgiving Lesson

The harvest season is upon us. Stores have begun selling pumpkins, dried gourds, and cranberries. Leaves on trees are turning from green to red, gold, and brown. They're starting to fall, creating soft piles to jump into. This is a wonderful season to teach your young students about giving thanks to God for the many blessings He's given us.

Try this Thanksgiving lesson with your preschoolers. It's completely reproducible and includes student sheets, visuals, and lots of creative ideas. Download your FREE preschool Thanksgiving lesson. Then check out the other 51 lessons for preschoolers we've developed as part of our Preschool Sunday School Lessons series. Each lesson is just $6.95. You can print as many teacher's guides and student pages as you need so there's never any waste. Click on the image below to go to the free lesson page.

We hope you enjoy sharing this lesson with your students. May God bless you and grant you a memorable harvest season.