Christ as the Vine; a Baptismal Sermon for Children

5 Easter  B         May 6, 2012

Acts 8:26-40 Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:7-21  John 15:1-8

 Lectionary Link

  Today is a special day of Holy Baptism for Bailey.  And we are going to look at Bailey's life as a branch growing out of the Vine of Christ.  In the Gospel lesson, we read that Jesus said I am the Vine, you are the branches.

  What happens if a branch is cut off a vine?  Can it continue to grow or live?  No, why?  Because the branch gets its food from the sap that flow in the branch.

  This parable was used as a teaching riddle by Jesus and the early teachers about Jesus.

  If a grapevine is going to produce good grapes what is needed?  You have to have a good grape plant.  You have to have good soil and the right amount of water.  And you need a good gardener to make sure the grape vine is taken care of.  The branches have to be protected from birds and insects and deer and any plant diseases so that good grapes can grow on the vine.  And the branch has to be supported and not get cut off from the vine or the branch will die.

  So what do Bailey and you and I need to be good Christians?  We need to have a good source of life.  Bailey has a good source of life; her mom and dad.  And even though David and Taryn are almost perfect, all of us need a more perfect source for our Christian life.

  And that source of life is Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is the vine and we are his branches.  And we can know that we are connected to Christ as our vine since way down inside of each of us we are connected to the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ.  And this is like a sap or an energy or a power for our lives.  And it is always there, but sometimes we need to remember to go there for this energy or power of life.

  And so we are going to baptize Bailey today and we are going to promise to remind her and ourselves about Jesus Christ as a source of energy and power for our lives.

  Just as a grapevine has to be taken care of so that the branches do not get damaged or broken off from the vine; so we need to take care of Bailey and each other so that we do not get cut off from Jesus Christ as the Vine and the source of our lives of love and faith and joy and hope.

  So we are here today to remember that we can find a wonderful connection with Christ.  And when we baptize Bailey, we are celebrating the fact that her life is connected with Christ too.  And we are going to remind her every Sunday and every day of her life that her life is connected to Christ.  Can you make that promise to her today?  Can we make that promise to each other?  To remember that our lives are connected to Jesus Christ because God’s Spirit is within us as a place where we are connected to Christ.

  Jesus said that he was like a Vine and we are like his branches.  He said this to remind us how closely connected we are to him.  And today we are here to celebrate that Bailey too is a branch of the Vine of Christ.  Amen.