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Preparation:
This activity may cost more than what you have to spend. As a suggestion,
you can involve the children by assigning certain items to them the previous
week to bring from home. The feast can be as elaborate as you want, but
be sure to have the juice and bread to represent communion. Make sure
none of the children is allergic to any food items you will be serving.
Be sure to have all items available, but not lay them out before the start
of the class. If doing part A, have the bucket filled up with warm water
before beginning the activity. As an option for part A, you can use a
towel and an empty bucket and have the kids, pretend to wash each other's
feet.
What you will do during class (Part A):
Tell the kids that today, they will celebrate a Passover feast, in much
the same way people did during the time of Jesus. First have the kids
take off their shoes and lay them neatly along one wall. Then explain
to the children that during Jesus time, it was customary to wash one's
feet before sitting down to eat. You can have children pair up to wash
and dry each other’s feet, do it yourself, or ask for volunteers,
whatever seems best for your class. (Also, one foot per child is fine
to save time.) While doing this activity, explain that during Jesus' time,
household servants usually washed the feet of visitors and friends before
coming in because people normally walked on dirt roads. Although the rest
of their body would be clean, their feet were dusty. Who likes to see
dusty feet while eating? Jesus washed the apostles' feet to demonstrate
how we should be servants to one another. He told Peter "Unless I
wash you, you have no part with me." (John 13:8) Jesus was a true
servant of God. Jesus knew he would wash our sins away with his own blood.
Scripture Reading: John 13:1-17 (Jesus
washes His Disciples' feet)
What you will do during class (Part B):
Ask several volunteers to help set up the Passover feast. Move tables
and chairs out of the way if needed and place a large sheet or blanket
on the floor for everyone to sit on. Have the children sit in a large
circle while other volunteers set out plates, napkins and cups for each
child. Place the food items in the middle, then read the following Bible
passage.
Scripture Reading: Matthew 26: 17-30 (The
Lord's Supper)
After reading the scripture, break off a piece of the bread, then pass
the bread around for each child to break off a piece for themselves. Explain
that after Jesus broke bread in much the same way and gave thanks for
it, He said "Take and eat, this is my body." Give thanks to
God for the bread. Then pour some juice in each cup, and explain that
after Jesus gave thanks and drank from his cup, He said, "Drink from
it, all of you. This is the blood of the covenant which is poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins." Give thanks to God for the
juice. Then have a feast, eating and enjoying the food while discussing
the relationship between the Passover celebration and the sacrifice Jesus
made for our salvation.
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