Scripture Reference:
1 Corinthians 11:23-34
Suggested Emphasis: We take the Lord’s Supper each week as a memorial celebration of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection.
Memory Verse: “Do this in remembrance of me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24b, ICB
Story Overview:
During the Passover meal, Jesus gave new meaning to the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. He told the disciples that from now on, they were to eat and drink it to remember the significance of His death on their behalf.
Background Study:
Children are often curious about the Lord’s Supper. Children who do not usually attend church often ask what it means. Isn’t it wonderful that God has left us with this wonderful teaching tool? This is a perfect time to help the children understand why we eat supper and its meaning.
(Luke 22:15) Jesus said that He “eagerly desired to eat this Passover” with His disciples before He “suffered.” The Passover had been celebrated for generations, but this one was the last one to remember the death passing over the houses whose doorframes were covered with the blood of a slain lamb. Within hours, Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, was to be slain (1 Corinthians 5:7). Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, Death passes over those of us whom the Lamb’s blood has covered.
Through Jesus, God eternally saves His people. Jesus wanted us to always remember this through a special meal. It is often referred to as the “Lord’s Supper.”
Read about Jesus first instituting the Lord’s Supper in other Gospels:
Jesus used the special meal of remembrance to institute the Lord’s Supper. There was now a new meaning to a lot of things. This supper represented the new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:31-34). The Jews had been living under the old covenant for hundreds of years. This old covenant would now pass, and a new one would take its place (Hebrews 8:8-13). Old animal sacrifices would pass away because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-10; 9:11-15).
There are several things to notice about the Lord’s Supper from 1 Corinthians 11:
The Lord’s Supper is a remembrance
(1 Corinthians 11:23-25) We remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We consider what this body and blood represent to us. We remember what it cost God to send His Son to earth on our behalf.
The Lord’s Supper is a Proclamation
(1 Corinthians 11:26). By taking the bread and cup, we make Christ part of us. We take all of Him. We say, “This body and blood were given to me.” The verse says that you proclaim His death “Whenever you eat this bread.” We want to proclaim it often. The early church practised eating the Lord’s Supper together on the first day of the week, Sunday (Acts 20:7).
We take the Lord’s Supper in a manner that reflects its significance
(I Corinthians 11:27). The supper should not be taken flippantly or selfishly. The Christians in Corinth only thought of themselves and getting their own way when they took the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:17-22).
We examine ourselves in relation to our fellow Christians in the church
(1 Corinthians 11:28-29). Is there harmony and unity in the body? As we reflect on the blood of Jesus and the price paid for us, we cannot help but look into our hearts and consider our relations with other Christians in the church. We reflect on our salvation and consider the brothers and sisters around us. The Lord’s Supper is more than just a moment between you and God. The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:23). We are members of that body and have responsibilities to one another (Colossians 3:12-17).
Way to Introduce the Story:
Collect several unrelated items (pencil, book, cup, CD, earring, etc.) and place them on a tray. Cover the tray and all of the items. Explain to the children that you will uncover the items and let them look for one minute. After one minute, you will cover the items again. Tell them how many items there were on the tray. The children will then see how many of the items they can remember. “You have very good memories! How many of you remember the story about the Last Supper? Today we are going to learn about something Jesus wants Christians to do every Sunday to remember Him.”
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The Story:
Jesus and His disciples ate the Passover Meal together so they could remember a time many, many years before when God saved His people from being slaves in Egypt. It helped them remember that many Egyptians died on Passover night. The only houses where no one died were the houses with lamb’s blood painted over their doors.
God helped His people. He told them about the lamb’s blood so that Death would “pass over” them. That is why it was called the “Passover Meal;” because Death “passed over.”
This last Passover Meal was a very special one. It was the last time they would eat the Passover Meal in the old way. Jesus wanted to tell the disciples about a new way. He knew there would be a new kind of “Passover.” There would be a new “Lamb” and a new kind of “Lamb’s blood.”
Jesus was God’s son. But Jesus is also called the “Lamb of God.” Jesus knew that He was going to die on the cross in a few hours. He would shed His blood for the whole world. Because of Jesus’ blood, Death would pass over all Christians so that they would live forever. Instead of remembering the Passover lamb’s blood long ago in Egypt, Jesus wanted His disciples always to remember His blood. The blood of the “Lamb of God.”
Jesus picked up some flat, unleavened bread during the Passover Meal. He broke it and then said, “See this bread? This is my body. When you eat it I want you to remember my body and how the death of my body will save God’s people.”
A little later, He took one of the cups of grape-based drink. “See this cup and what is in it? This is my blood. Whenever you drink this, I want you to remember my blood and how my blood will save God’s people.”
This was the new meaning of bread and wine. Every Sunday, when Christians eat bread and drink wine made from grapes, they remember Jesus’s death. They remember how His body died on the cross. They remember how His blood can save everyone.
The Lord’s Supper is a special way that Christians remember Jesus. Christians in the Bible ate it on Sundays when they gathered together.
People should not eat the Lord’s Supper in a silly way. When people eat the Lord’s Supper, they should think about Jesus, not other things. They should think about how He died on the cross and then came alive again.
When Christians eat the Lord’s Supper, they should consider how Jesus loves them and how they can obey Him. How can their life honor Jesus’ sacrifice? How can they show Jesus they love Him? They should consider how they can love others like Jesus did, too.
Next time you see Christians eating the Lord’s Supper, you can think about Jesus, too. It is good to grow and learn more about Jesus. Someday, you will become a Christian and have this special way of remembering Jesus.
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Ways to Tell the Story:
This story can be told using a variety of methods. Always remain true to the facts found in the Bible but help children connect to its meaning by using drama, visual aids, voice inflection or other group participation.
Click here for visual aids and story-telling methods.
The slideshow above can be downloaded free of charge from www.freebibleimages.org. Be selective. Each teacher is unique, so only use the illustrations that best relate to how YOU tell the story in THIS lesson. Too many illustrations can be confusing, so eliminate any that cover other stories or details you do not wish to emphasise in this lesson.
Review and Reflection Questions:
Review questions help children remember and know the facts of a story, while reflection questions encourage them to internalize its meaning and implications for their lives. Asking at least one of each type of question can help strengthen a child’s spiritual development and help them connect to God. Click here to learn more about review and reflection questions.
Review:
- What special holiday were Jesus and the disciples celebrating in this story? (The Passover meal)
- When did the Lord’s Supper tradition begin? (When Jesus shared the Passover meal with His disciples the night before the crucifixion)
- What do we remember when we eat the bread in the Lord’s Supper? (The body of Jesus)
- In the Lord’s Supper, what do we remember when we drink the drink made from grapes? (The Blood of Jesus)
- What day of the week did Christians in the Bible eat the Lord’s Supper? (Sunday)
- What does this story show you about God?
- What does this story show you about people?
Reflection:
- Have you taken the Lord’s Supper before?
- What do you imagine the bread and the drink taste or smell like?
- What do you like to think about when it is time for the Lord’s Supper?
- If you take the Lord’s Supper, how do you feel when you take it?
- How do others you know feel when they take the Lord’s Supper?
- Why is the Lord’s Supper a celebration? What do we celebrate?
- Why is it important to remember Jesus and His death, burial and resurrection?
- Why does Jesus ask us to take the Lord’s Supper to remember Him?
- What is something you wonder about this story and about the Lord’s Supper?
- What question do you have for God or others about this story?
Prayer:
It is important to guide children in learning how to pray. In prayer, children can connect with God and learn that He hears and answers them. God can become a life-long friend who is with them every moment of their lives. Try using a variety of prayer methods from time to time so that the children can learn to connect with God in different ways. Note that you can pray at any time throughout your lesson. A variety of prayer methods are found here.
Song Suggestions:
- J-E-S-U-S Cheer Song
- I’m All Wrapped Up, Tied Up, Tangled Up Song
- Oh, How I Love Jesus Song
- Obtain a church hymnal and look up songs about the Lord’s Supper.
- Refer to the Song Page on this website for more options.
Activities and Crafts:
(How to choose the best learning activities for my teaching situation)
Activities:
- Show the children how the communion is prepared each week. You might even arrange for them to prepare it.
- If appropriate, speak to the person who will next be presiding over the communion in your church. Let them know that the children have been learning about this. Request that the scripture might come from 1 Corinthians 11 next time so the children can understand. They may even wish to attend your teaching session and talk to the children about the thoughts they are preparing.
- Guide the children in making communion bread by mixing flour, olive oil, and water to form a dough. The dough can be rolled out and cut before baking in an oven.
- It might be messy, but mashing grapes and making grape juice would be fun.
Invite the children to respond to this story using the adaptable “God’s Story” printable reflection page. Free printables for this story.
Crafts:
- Make a scroll. Click here for instructions. Write this verse on it: “Do this to remember me.” 1 Corinthians 11:24b, ICB. Decorate with pictures of communion bread and cups.
Print bookmarks, trading cards or timelines (printable pages).- Visit the Teaching Ideas page for additional activities and crafts.
“Read about Jesus first instituting the Lord’s Supper in Matthew 26:27-30; Mark 14:22-26; and Mark 22:14-20.” — I think the last reference here, Mark 22, is meant to be Luke 🙂
Thanks for spotting that, Hanna. I’ve corrected it. Have a nice day 🙂