The last supper
Children's sermon
Object:
matzoh bread and a cup of wine
He said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God." (vv.
15-16)
Good morning, boys and girls. Have you noticed that whenever we have a celebration we also have something to eat? (let them answer) If we have a birthday party, we have a.... (let them answer) If we celebrate the Fourth of July, we shoot off fireworks and eat.... (let them answer) What do we eat on Thanksgiving? (let them answer) That's right -- turkey, dressing, and a lot of other good foods.
One of the great days for Jesus and all of his people was the Passover. This is a great holiday to remember: when Moses led the Jewish people to freedom into the holy land. Christians remember it because Jesus celebrated it with his disciples before he was arrested by the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane.
That day, Jesus and his disciples prepared the Passover. It was not a simple meal and it took time. All great holiday dinners require a lot of preparation. When everything was ready, Jesus told the story of the Passover. It was always done the same way. It was like a play at dinner. One of the foods they ate was flat bread called matzoh bread. (show the matzoh bread) The bread was flat because when the first Passover happened, there was not enough time for the bread to rise and be fluffy. One of the other things at the Passover was a large cup of wine. (show the cup of wine) During the story, they each drank wine.
When the meal was finished Jesus added to the story. He took the bread and gave each disciple there a small piece of it. He asked them to eat it and to understand that it was like having a piece of his body. Whenever they ate it, they were to remember Jesus in that way. Then he took the wine that was left and shared it with the disciples, asking them to understand that they were drinking his blood. He asked them to remember this whenever they worshiped.
Today, we call this the "Last Supper" because Jesus did not eat again on this earth until he was crucified. We call it holy communion because we all gather in Jesus' name as a community. We call it the Eucharist, which means we are full of thanksgiving. All of these services use similar words. They are all about remembering the power of God freeing us from sin.
The next time you watch people take communion, remember how Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples and had a very special service that we often receive in our church community. Amen.
Good morning, boys and girls. Have you noticed that whenever we have a celebration we also have something to eat? (let them answer) If we have a birthday party, we have a.... (let them answer) If we celebrate the Fourth of July, we shoot off fireworks and eat.... (let them answer) What do we eat on Thanksgiving? (let them answer) That's right -- turkey, dressing, and a lot of other good foods.
One of the great days for Jesus and all of his people was the Passover. This is a great holiday to remember: when Moses led the Jewish people to freedom into the holy land. Christians remember it because Jesus celebrated it with his disciples before he was arrested by the soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane.
That day, Jesus and his disciples prepared the Passover. It was not a simple meal and it took time. All great holiday dinners require a lot of preparation. When everything was ready, Jesus told the story of the Passover. It was always done the same way. It was like a play at dinner. One of the foods they ate was flat bread called matzoh bread. (show the matzoh bread) The bread was flat because when the first Passover happened, there was not enough time for the bread to rise and be fluffy. One of the other things at the Passover was a large cup of wine. (show the cup of wine) During the story, they each drank wine.
When the meal was finished Jesus added to the story. He took the bread and gave each disciple there a small piece of it. He asked them to eat it and to understand that it was like having a piece of his body. Whenever they ate it, they were to remember Jesus in that way. Then he took the wine that was left and shared it with the disciples, asking them to understand that they were drinking his blood. He asked them to remember this whenever they worshiped.
Today, we call this the "Last Supper" because Jesus did not eat again on this earth until he was crucified. We call it holy communion because we all gather in Jesus' name as a community. We call it the Eucharist, which means we are full of thanksgiving. All of these services use similar words. They are all about remembering the power of God freeing us from sin.
The next time you watch people take communion, remember how Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples and had a very special service that we often receive in our church community. Amen.
