Lesson plans.
Lesson 5: The vine and the branches.
John 15:1-18 - Jesus uses the illustration of a vine and branches to describe our relationship with him. He says that he is the vine, we are the branches, and his Father is the gardener. When we stay connected to him we can bear fruit, just as a branch must stay connected to the vine as its life source so that it can bear fruit. He goes on to say that we remain in his love by keeping his commands, that is, to love one another as he has loved us. In doing so, we have great joy and Jesus calls us his friends.
Lesson 4: Jesus comforts his friends.
John 11:17-27 - Mary and Martha’s brother Lazarus had passed away and had been in the tomb for four days by the time Jesus arrived to visit them. Martha came out to meet Jesus, but her sister Mary stayed inside. In her grief, Martha told Jesus that if he had been there, their brother wouldn’t have died, but that she believes that even now Jesus could save him. Jesus responded that Lazarus would rise again, and Martha thought that he was talking about the resurrection at the last day. Jesus replied that he is the resurrection and the life, and Martha professed her faith in him as the Messiah and Son of God.
Lesson 3: Jesus is our good shepherd.
John 10:11-21 - Jesus taught his followers that he is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. The shepherd protects the sheep from the attacks of predators, rather than running away to protect his own life. He spoke about having a close and loving relationship with the sheep, as well as having sheep from different sheep pens that will one day join to become one flock under one shepherd. Jesus also alluded to the fact that he would sacrifice his life of his own accord and return to life again. There was division among those who heard his words, with some calling him demon-possessed and others pointing to his miracles as proof that he is from God.
Lesson 2: The expensive perfume.
Luke 7:36-50 - Once Jesus was invited over for dinner at a Pharisee’s home. While he was there, a woman from town who had a reputation for being a sinful woman came in with a jar of perfume. She began pouring the perfume on Jesus’ feet while wiping them with her hair and tears. The Pharisee saw this and started muttering to himself, wondering how Jesus could allow a sinful woman to touch him like that. Jesus then told a parable about two people who owed differing amounts of money to a moneylender, both of whom were forgiven their debts. He concluded that the one who was forgiven more would have more love and appreciation for the one who forgave their debts. In the same way, the woman who had been forgiven much by God, showed her great love for Jesus.
Lesson 1: Jesus attends a dinner party.
Luke 14:7-14 - Once when Jesus was at a dinner party at the home of a Pharisee, he noticed that the guests were taking the places of honour at the table, and he told them a parable. He told them, when someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the places of honour or someone more important might come along and you will be asked to give up your seat and will be humiliated. Instead, take the lowest seat, so that the host will will honour you by moving you up to a better seat. In saying this he taught that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Furthermore, he taught that when one hosts a banquet, they should welcome those who are left out and on the margins, and that in doing so they will be blessed.
Lesson 4: John the Baptist is born.
Luke 1:57-80 - When it was time for Elizabeth to give birth to her baby, her neighbors and relatives celebrated with her. Then when time came for the baby to be circumcised, they wanted the baby to be named after his father Zechariah. However, Elizabeth said that the name was to be John. Zechariah confirmed this by writing on a tablet that the baby’s name is John. Right then and there, Zechariah was able to speak once again and began praising God for bringing salvation and redemption to the people. He testified that John was to be a prophet who would prepare the way for the Lord.
Lesson 3: Mary visits Elizabeth.
Luke 1:39-56 - After Mary had learned the news about her cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy, she hurried to visit her. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby in her womb jumped for joy and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She exclaimed, “blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear.” She wondered about why she had been so favored that the mother of the Lord would visit her. Mary also began praising and worshiping God for bringing down the rulers of the world and lifting up the humble.
Lesson 2: The angel visits Mary.
Luke 1:26-38 - When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, God sent the angel Gabriel to visit a young girl named Mary who lived in the town of Nazareth and was engaged to be married to Joseph. The angel greeted Mary and said that she was highly favored by the Lord, and this troubled her. The angel told her not to be afraid, and that she would become pregnant and give birth to a son who would be named Jesus, and would be the Son of God as well as a great King who’s kingdom would never end. Mary was confused about how this would happen, and the angel said that the Holy Spirit would cause it to happen, and that even Elizabeth would be having a baby in her old age. Mary then accepted the angel’s words and God’s plan for her.
Lesson 1: The angel visits Zechariah.
Luke 1:5-25 - In the time of King Herod, there was a priest named Zechariah who was married to a woman named Elizabeth. They were very old and were childless because Elizabeth was unable to conceive. Once when Zechariah was serving God in the temple, he was visited by the angel Gabriel who gave him the news that Elizabeth would become pregnant with a son, who was to be named John, and who would be the one to prepare the way for the Lord. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel at first, and asked how he could be sure of it since he and his wife were so old. The angel responded that Zechariah would not be able to speak until the day it happened, since he didn’t believe in his words.
Lesson 8: Moses sees the glory of God.
Exodus 33:12-23 - Sometime after God gives the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel from Mount Sinai, Moses has an honest discussion with God about his concerns for leading the people to the Promised Land. Moses wants to know who God will send with him to help him lead the people, and God says that God’s very own presence will go with him. Moses wants to be certain of this and so he declares that if God’s presence does not go with him, then he will not go. Moses also asks to be able to see God’s glory, and God agrees to pass by Moses and allow him to get a glimpse of God’s back, but not God’s face.
Lesson 6: The ten commandments.
Exodus 19:1-20:21 - The Israelites came to Mount Sinai, which Moses climbed to meet with God. There, God gave Moses the Law of the Covenant to give to the Israelites, which was a reminder of how God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt and chosen them to be God’s people, as well as a guideline for how they were to live as God’s people in the Promised Land. God gave the Israelites Ten Commandments to follow, which Jesus later summarizes as “loving God and loving others.”
Lesson 5: Wilderness wanderings.
Exodus 16 - After the Israelites escaped from Egypt and crossed the Red Sea, they wandered through the wilderness to get to the land that God promised to bring them to. Eventually, the Israelites started grumbling against Moses and Aaron, saying that they wished they had stayed in Egypt as slaves because there they had meat to eat and all the food they wanted. God heard the grumbling of the people and sent them bread from heaven, which they called manna, and quail to eat. God instructed them to collect as much manna as needed but not to save any for the next day, because God would provide for them each day. On the night before the Sabbath, they were to collect enough for two days. The people didn’t always listen to God’s instructions, but God continued to take care of them throughout their forty years of wandering in the wilderness.
Lesson 4: Crossing the sea.
Exodus 12:31-42; 13:17-14:31 - After the tenth plague that God sent on Egypt, Pharaoh finally agreed to let the people go. So the Israelites made preparations and started on their journey. However, after the Israelites had left Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind and sent an army of Egyptians to chase after the Israelites and bring them back. When the Israelites were camped next to the Red Sea, they saw the Egyptian army approaching and were terrified, but Moses told them not to be afraid and to trust God to deliver them. So God told Moses to stretch his hand out over the sea, and God sent a strong wind to blow the waters, causing it to split in two and a path of dry ground to form down the middle. The Israelites were able to cross over on dry ground to the other side, but when the Egyptians tried to follow, God caused the water to come back down, preventing them from getting across.
Lesson 3: Moses returns to Egypt.
Exodus 4:18-6:12 - Moses returns to Egypt and meets his brother Aaron whom God has sent to help him speak to the Israelites and to Pharaoh. The two of them speak to the Israelites and tell them that God has sent them to rescue them from slavery. The Israelites, however, don’t believe them, so Moses performs two signs that God gave him to prove that God really sent him. Then, Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the people go and take a journey into the wilderness to worship God. Pharaoh is angry and refuses to let the Israelites go, instead making their lives even more miserable by forcing them to meet the same quota of bricks built each day without being given the straw needed to build them. The Israelites are angry at Moses and Aaron, but God promises the Israelites that God will deliver them from Egypt and from their slavery.
Lesson 2: Moses and the burning bush.
Exodus 2:11-4:17 - Moses grew up in the palace of Pharaoh, and one day he went out and saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite, one of his own people. When he thought no one was looking, Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand. But word got out about what he’d done, and Pharaoh became angry and wanted to kill him. So Moses ran away to a place called Midian, where he met seven daughters of a priest named Jethro. He helped them draw water from a well for their flocks and was invited to their home. Moses married one of the daughters, whose name was Zipporah, and lived with them for many years. One day, when Moses was tending to the flocks in the wilderness, he saw a bush that was caught on fire but didn’t burn up. When he came closer, he heard God speaking to him from the bush. God told Moses that God had not forgotten about the Israelites’ misery and was now sending Moses to go back and rescue them. Moses was afraid and reluctant to go, but God gave him two signs so that the people would listen to him - a staff that turned into a snake and back again, and his hand becoming leprous when placed in his cloak and then healing again.
Lesson 1: The birth of Moses.
Exodus 1:1-2:10 - When the Israelites had lived in Egypt for many years, they prospered and grew in number. The Egyptian Pharaoh was afraid of them, and so he turned them into slaves and oppressed them terribly. Yet the Israelites continued to grow in number, so Pharaoh ordered that all of the Israelite baby boys were to be killed. One Israelite woman, however, took her baby boy and placed him in a basket among the reeds in the Nile River. He was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter, who took pity on him. Meanwhile, the baby’s sister, Miriam, approached Pharaoh’s daughter to ask if she should find a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. She agreed and the baby was given back to his mother to be nursed. When the baby grew up, he was brought to the Pharaoh’s daughter and became her son, and she named him Moses.
Lesson 4: Mary and Martha.
Luke 10:38-42 - Once Jesus visited the home of Mary and Martha. Mary sat with Jesus and listened to his words, while Martha was busy and distracted with preparations. Martha got frustrated and asked Jesus to tell Mary to come and help her. Jesus answered with compassion, saying that Martha was worried and upset about many things but that only one thing is needed, and that Mary had chosen the better thing, which would not be taken away from her.