Preschool June 7, 2015 10:15am
Leader BIBLE STUDY Use Week of: June 7, 2015 1 The religious leaders who listened to and watched Jesus had some problems with the things He said and did. He taught about a righteousness that comes by faith rather than works, and He was friends with tax collectors and sinners. So Jesus told a parable to make clear that entering God s kingdom was not a matter of merit but of grace. The parable of the vineyard workers is about a landowner who hired workers to work in his vineyard. The first group agreed to work for a denarius, a fair wage for a day s work. Throughout the day, the landowner hired more groups of workers. At the end of the day, the landowner paid every worker one denarius. The workers who had put in 12 hours did not think it was fair that those who worked just 1 hour were paid the same. In Jesus parable, the second, third, fourth, and fifth groups of workers represent people who are not a part of the nation of Israel. The Israelites had been following God for generations. They faced trials, paralleling the men who worked through the heat of the day. God promised blessings to Abraham s family, Israel. (See Gen. 12:2-3.) God kept His promise, yet He also poured out blessings on tax collectors, sinners, Gentiles. Like the landowner and his wealth, God is free to share His grace as He desires. Jesus gave salvation to the criminal who was crucified next to Him and to Saul, who persecuted believers. Does God act fairly in saving people who have not followed Him their entire lives? The reward eternal life is God s grace to those who believe, whether they believe at the first or at the last. God is generous; He gives good gifts. Jesus parable teaches about God s grace. God does not owe us anything, yet He pours out blessings on us. He makes salvation possible for us, regardless of our abilities or efforts. The last will be first, and the first last. This gospel does not make sense to the world, but it is good news for sinners. We deserve to die for our sins, but God gives us what we don t deserve salvation through His Son, Jesus. 90 Preschool Worship Guide Unit 30 Session 1 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
Preschool WORSHIP OVERVIEW Session Title: Parable of the Vineyard Workers Bible Passage: Matthew 20:1-16 Big Picture Question: What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Key Passage: Matthew 13:11 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus taught in parables so His followers would understand how to live in anticipation of His second coming. U N I T 30 1 Opening Group Activities Large Group Worship Small Group Activities Large Group Closing Jesus Taught with Parables 91
The BIBLE STORY Parable of the Vineyard Workers Matthew 20:1-16 One day, Jesus was teaching people about God. Jesus told the people a story. The story was about some men who worked in a vineyard. A vineyard is like a farm where grapes grow. This story was to help the people know about God s kingdom. Jesus said, This is what God s kingdom is like. A man owned a vineyard, and he needed some people to work for him. So he went out early in the morning to find some workers. He told the workers that he would pay them one denarius (dih NEHR ih uhs). A denarius was a silver coin. So the workers went to work in the man s vineyard. Then Jesus said, A few hours later, the landowner went to find more workers. He found some men in the marketplace who did not have any work to do. So he told the men, You can work in my vineyard, and I will pay you what is right. So these men went to the vineyard to work. The man who owned the vineyard went out three more times that day to find workers. Each time, he found more men to work in his vineyard, and he agreed to pay them what was right. When it was almost time to stop working, the man found more men standing around with nothing to do. Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing? the man asked. No one asked us to do any work, they said. So the man invited the men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them what was right. At the end of the day, all the men who worked in the vineyard came to the man to be paid. The man paid the workers. First, he paid the men who had not been working very long. The men who had been working all day got their pay last. The man gave each worker a silver coin. The workers who were working all day saw that the men who had only been working for a little while received a silver coin, so they thought they would be paid more. They did more work, after all. But when it was their turn to be paid, the man gave them one silver coin too. 92 Preschool Worship Guide Unit 30 Session 1 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
The workers were not happy. We worked much longer than these men, and you paid them the same as us, they complained. The man who owned the vineyard said to one of the men, Friend, I was fair with you. I gave you what I said I would give you for your work. Are you upset because I am generous with my money because I gave these men more than they deserved? Jesus finished His story by saying, So those people who are last now will be first, and those who are first now will be last. Christ Connection: Jesus told a story to teach people about God. God loves us and gives us good gifts. No one can earn a gift. Everyone sins, or disobeys God, so everyone deserves to be punished. But God gave a good gift: His Son, Jesus. People who trust in Jesus will live with God forever. Jesus Taught with Parables 93
Small Group ACTIVITIES Session Title: Parable of the Vineyard Workers Bible Passage: Matthew 20:1-16 Big Picture Question: What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Key Passage: Matthew 13:11 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus taught in parables so His followers would understand how to live in anticipation of His second coming. Opening Group Activities LOW PREP Tip: If you have time, talk about why kids believe the situations are fair or not fair. Talk about fairness Explain that you are going to read a few statements and kids should determine if the situation is fair or not fair. If the statement sounds fair, they should say That s fair! If it sounds unfair, they should whine That s not fair! You picked up your toys and your sister s toys after playing. Mom gives both of you ice cream. Your friend just got the new video game, but you have to wait until your birthday. Other kids at church left candy wrappers on the floor. Your leader asks you to pick them up, too. Your dad will pay you 10 dollars to help him wash his car. Say When Jesus told the parable of the vineyard workers, He taught that God is generous. Everything belongs to God, so He can give us as much or as little as He pleases. What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Transition to large group 96 Preschool Worship Guide Unit 30 Session 1 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
Small Group Activities construction paper circles (red, purple green) hula hoops number cube box Play vineyard shuffle Use hula hoops to make three circles on the floor, spaced a few feet from each other. Tape a few green grapes (circles), purple grapes, and red grapes in separate vineyards. Invite kids to choose a vineyard to stand in. Choose a kid to roll the number cube and call out the number. Kids move toward another vineyard by taking that number of steps. Continue playing until all kids are in a new vineyard. Say Like the vineyard owner, God is generous. What does God give us? God gives good gifts. red, green, and purple stamp pads paper markers hand wipes (for cleanup) Make vine art With a green marker, draw vines on each child s paper. Guide the kids to press their thumbs on the stamp pad and make thumbprint grapes. Invite kids to print God gives good gifts! on their paper, assisting as needed. Say Jesus told this story to show that God is generous to His people. He gave us more than we deserve: Jesus. What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Tip: After a couple of rounds, switch up the order of the kids so each kid gets a chance to be first and last. First and last Line up the kids and ask them to count off. The first kid will say first, the second next, and so on until. The final kid will say last. Ask kids to then turn in place and count off again. The last kid will be first. Play as time allows. Say The first and the last person are equal in God s eyes. Salvation is a gift from God that is not based on how long we serve Him, but on His love for us. What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Transition to large group closing Jesus Taught with Parables 97
Large Group CLOSING Session Title: Parable of the Vineyard Workers Bible Passage: Matthew 20:1-16 Big Picture Question: What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Key Passage: Matthew 13:11 Unit Christ Connection: Jesus taught in parables so His followers would understand how to live in anticipation of His second coming. Large Group Closing Bible various objects Timeline Map Key Passage Poster Secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven song Big Picture Question Poster Jesus! song Review Place two sets of objects on the table. In one pile, place three crayons and three blocks. In another pile, place two books and four cars. If the kids think both piles contain same number of objects, they should give a thumbs-up. If they think the number is different, they should give a thumbs-down. Say Jesus told a parable about a vineyard owner who paid the same amount to all his workers, even those who only worked at the end of the day. What did this show us about the owner of the vineyard? (He was generous.) God is generous like the vineyard owner. What does God give us? God gives good gifts. God gave the very best gift ever when He sent Jesus to rescue us from sin. Say the key passage together or sing the key passage song. If you have time, sing Jesus! Pray Invite kids to tell you any prayer requests they may have. Remind kids that God is generous; He gives good gifts. He likes to help His children when they pray. Say Dear Jesus, thank You for the parable of the vineyard 98 Preschool Worship Guide Unit 30 Session 1 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources
workers. Thank You for teaching us that God is generous. He gives us what we don t deserve: forgiveness of our sins and life with You forever. We love You, Jesus! Amen! Missions story Invite the children to tell someone about a good gift God has given them lately. Say The vineyard owner hired workers because harvesting grapes is lots of work! Grapes were an important crop in Bible times, and olives were also important, too. Missionaries today go to places in the Middle East to help gather olives, and also to share the love of Jesus. When people turn away from sin and trust in Jesus, they receive the greatest gift of all: life with Jesus forever. Pray that missionaries will be able to share the gospel as they work with people to harvest olives. Pray for the missionaries safety as well. paper crayons or markers Follow church security rules for dismissing children. Draw a gift Give each preschooler a piece of paper and washable markers or crayons. Tell the children to draw a picture of their favorite gift they have ever received from their parents or guardians. Encourage the children tell their friends about their drawings. Say Just like the gifts your parents have given you, God loves to give us good gifts as well. God loves His people and everything that He gives is for the good of His people. What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Jesus Taught with Parables 99
To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 13:11 Unit 30 Key Passage Poster (ESV) 2014 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Jesus Taught with Parables
What does God give us? Unit 30 Session 1 Big Picture Question 2014 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Jesus Taught with Parables
What does God give us? God gives good gifts. Unit 30 Session 1 Big Picture Question 2014 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Jesus Taught with Parables
Unit 30 Session 1 Parable of the Vineyard Workers 2014 LifeWay OK TO PRINT Jesus Taught with Parables