Childrens Sermon Service

Object: A live plant that produces fruit, and a broken branch from that plant. I used a tomato plant from a local greenhouse. Ideally, find a plant with blossoms or small fruit already growing. If you use a different kind of fruit-producing plant, just change the script to fit.

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Hello, everyone! (Let them respond.) Are you ready for our story today? (Let them respond.) Excellent!

One night, Jesus was talking with his friends and they were telling him how afraid they were about what they would do when he was gone. They had been together about three years and had done a lot of things together for God. Can anyone remember some of the things Jesus and his friends did as they traveled around? (Let them respond.) They taught people, and healed people, and fed people, and just helped a lot of people didn’t they? (Let them respond.) But now, Jesus had told them he was leaving, and they didn’t know how they could keep doing those good things if he wasn’t with them.So, do you know what Jesus did?(Let them respond.) He told them about tomato plants. (Show the tomato plant and let them respond.)

Okay, not really. Jesus probably didn’t show them a tomato plant, but he did talk to them about how plants grow and produce fruit. Can anyone tell us how a plant like this one grows and makes fruit? (Let them respond.) There are little roots at the bottom of the plant that get food and water from the ground, aren’t there?(Let them respond.) And the food goes up the stem, through the vines to the branches, where they feed the little blossoms that turn into fruit, don’t they?(Let them respond.) And the leaves on the plant get more food from the sun and send it through the vines to the branches to help grow the fruit, don’t they? (Let them respond.) All of the parts of the plant work together to create the fruit. But, what happens if one of the branches doesn’t stay connected to the vine?(Show the separate branch and let them respond.) It can’t get the food from the roots and leaves anymore, can it?(Let them respond.) So this branch that broke off can’t grow and produce fruit, can it? (Let them respond.)

Jesus told his friends that he was just like the vine of a plant and they were like the branches. As long as they stayed together and kept doing the things he taught them to do, they could keep growing and producing fruit for God. But if they stopped being together and stopped helping each other do the things he taught them to do, they would be like the branch that broke off of the plant and would not be able to grow and produce any more fruit for God. Jesus wanted them to produce fruit because that was how everyone would know they were Jesus’ friends.

Now, let me ask you a question. This is a tomato plant, right? (Let them respond.) And what kind of fruit will a tomato plant produce?(Let them respond.) Tomatoes, right? The tomato plant produces tomatoes. And Jesus said that if we stay connected we can produce fruit for God, and that is how we can show we are following God. (Let them respond.)

So, if we are supposed to grow fruit for God, what kind of fruit are we supposed to grow? (Let them respond.) Does Jesus want us to produce tomatoes for God? Or maybe lemons?(Let them respond.) No, that’s not the kind of fruit Jesus was talking about. Every time we see someone who needs help, and we help them, that is like a nice piece of fruit we are giving God. Every time we take care of someone or are nice to someone other people are being mean to, those are like pieces of fruit we are giving to God.

Sometimes it is hard to care for someone, and it would be easier if we just broke our branch off of the vine and didn’t worry about what Jesus wants us to do, wouldn’t it? (Let them respond.) But what happens to a branch that breaks off of the vine? (Show the broken branch and let them respond.) I don’t want to be like that, do you?(Let them respond.) Nah!

(Show the tomato plant.) I hope our story about our tomato plant will help us remember that God created us to take care of each other. Let’s pray and ask God to remind us that Jesus loves every one of us and wants us to follow him and take care of each other the way God takes care of us.

Prayer
Dear God, thank you for reminding us how much you love us and for forgiving us when we forget that. And please help us remember that you love all of the people you have created and help us let the people around us know that we love them just like Jesus loves us. Amen.