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Jesus says that he is ‘the true vine’. His Father is the vinegrower, who removes fruitless branches and prunes those that are fruitful so that they might produce even more. The disciples are the branches; they are to remain part of the vine and expected to grow and bear good fruit.
This week we explore remaining in the right place to grow.
A gathering prayer for children
Jesus, you are the vine
(Stand up straight and tall)
and we are the branches.
(Hold arms out wide)
Thank you that we are connected
to you and to each other,
(Hold hands)
rooted and grounded in love. Amen.
Share the Word
Read the story and pause at the  to share these points with the children
Stop and share
- Ask the children if they know what a vine is. Remind them that it is a plant that produces grapes.
- Use the illustration to help explain the pruning image: cutting back to create more.
- Explain that ‘abide’ means to stay or remain.
Create Corky Grapes!
Show how we grow when we are close to God
You will need: pencils, an A3 sheet of paper for each child, corks, purple paint in saucers, pens.
- Invite the children to draw a large ‘V’ shape on their paper. Give each child a cork and access to some purple paint.
- Ask the children to create a bunch of grapes by dipping their cork in the paint and dabbing it onto the paper. Encourage them to do this inside the ‘V’ to create the bunch shape.
- When the children have finished, talk together about what kind of ‘fruit’ we can grow in our lives by staying close to God, e.g. love, joy, patience. Invite the children to write these words around their bunch of grapes.
Talk together
- What does it feel like if you’ve planted something and are waiting for it to grow?
- Why do you think the passage says we should be like plants?
- Can you think of ways you can stay connected to Jesus when you are at: school, home, after school clubs or church?
Plug in prayer
You will need: a lamp and a plug socket.
- Invite the children to sit in a circle around a lamp where the plug can be seen. Ask them to look at the plug and think about a time they felt really connected to God.
- Plug in the light and ask the children to think about ways they can connect to God in their everyday lives.
- Switch the light on and ask the children to pray that God would shine on them and then help them to shine with his love.
 
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