41. Jesus Is To Be Remembered

Materials Needed

• one small cup for each person
• one small plate
• a pitcher of grape drink
• a small piece of bread for each person
• pen, crayons or markers
• piece of plain white paper

Setting The Stage

In Luke 22:14-20 we see Jesus meeting with the disciples for the last time to have supper with them. It was during this meal that Jesus asked them to continue meeting together and to celebrate what we now call communion. Jesus was about to die. To symbolize his death, the drink was given to represent Jesus’ blood that was to be spilt. The bread was given to represent Jesus’ body that was to be broken.

There are two approaches that can be taken to help your children understand communion:

a) Have the drink and bread laid out before them and explain to them what it means.

b) Have a time for communion together, each taking the drink and bread.

If the children are old enough to have an understanding of what they are doing and if your church would not be alarmed by the act of a family taking communion together, it could be a very meaningful time for everyone.

Project

You can adapt this part so it fits with your choice of a) or b). Have a small amount of drink poured in each glass. Have the pieces of bread on a plate. Sit around a table with the bread and drink in the center of the table. At this point you can explain about the communion process or you can take communion together.

• Each person needs to take the time to say sorry to God for anything they have done wrong. This is called confessing your sins.
• An adult needs to thank God for dying on the cross and having his body hurt for us.
• As you pass around the pieces of bread, let each person take a piece and eat it. Explain to your children that they are to be thinking about how hurt Jesus’ body must have been when he was on the cross and how thankful we need to be that he did this for us.
• As you pass out each cup, again explain to your children that they are to be thinking about the fact that Jesus’ blood was poured on the ground and then he died.
• While he was on the cross he went through all of this for us.

Memory Verse

Luke 22:19b
Do this in remembrance of me.

This can be done in a dot to dot form. Do the writing of the verse in dots beforehand. Let the children rotate doing one word at a time as the verse appears before them. Place the verse on the fridge to review at mealtimes during the coming week.

Prayer

End your time together by having each person take a turn to say thank you to Jesus.