First Thoughts: This is the beginning of the Passion Week and while we want to expose our children to the full story of this week, we want to do it in a way that gives them hope and brings them to the realization of resurrection. Nothing does this better, in my opinion, than the telling of Jesus' last supper with his friends. It almost has the quality of a last will and testament, as Jesus says good-bye to his friends giving them comfort and good memories. As he goes through the ritual of Passover, he adds to it the significance of his own sacrifice; his body and blood will be their source of spiritual nourishment available to them whenever they eat or drink. Our very lives depend on this practice of eating and drinking, and our spiritual lives depend on our staying connected to Christ. Therefore, even though Jesus will be taken from them, this act of love -- this mingling of the Spirit with the human -- is a permanent truth. Jesus leaves them the ritual to help them keep their attention fixed on this truth in the difficult days to come. And it is true for us as well. God is constantly with us, constantly bringing us life and healing. But do we recognize God's hand in our lives? Knowing God is with us makes the difference between suffering loneliness and feeling abandoned and finding serenity in even the most difficult circumstances. What are the rituals that keep your heart and mind fixed on God? How do you re-member? Carry your reflections with you in your time with the children.
Teaching On Your Own: (nose in the bag, sniffs deeply) Ahhhh! You know what I'm doing? Remembering my grandma. See, these cookies are made with my grandma's special oatmeal raisin peanut butter chip recipe. So whenever I think about her or miss her, I just whip up a batch and smell them. It reminds me of being in her kitchen and baking with her. Isn't that a nice way to remember someone? It sort of reminds me a bit of our scripture passage today. You know this is the last Sunday before Easter, which means this week we'll be remembering how Jesus was taken from his friends, put on trial, and killed on the cross. It's going to be a hard week, isn't it?
Today our passage shows us a way that Jesus tried to make it a little easier for his friends. They were all gathered for a special meal, and in the middle of the meal, Jesus held up a loaf of bread and told his friends that whenever they ate that bread they would know he was with them -- loving them and strengthening them, the way good food strengthens us. Then he took the cup of wine and said whenever they drank the wine they would know he was with them -- giving them joy and renewal, the way water refreshes us. Even though he would be gone, they could eat and drink together and feel that he was near by. Just like my grandma's cookies. The beauty of love is that it never dies. As long as we hold love in our hearts the people we love are always near us, still blessing our lives, still making the world a more beautiful place. That's what Jesus wanted his friends to hang onto in the hard week ahead. Hey, you know what? Maybe I'll go home and make some more cookies to share with folks this week. I'm sure my grandma would be glad to know her recipe is still making people happy today. What do you think?
Teaching As A Team:
(Leader 2 holds bag of cookies)
Leader 2: (nose in the bag, sniffs deeply) Ahhhh!
Leader 1: Hey, (name) what are you doing?
Leader 2: Remembering my grandma.
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: Yeah. These cookies are made with my grandma's special oatmeal raisin peanut butter chip recipe. So whenever I think about her or miss her, I just whip up a batch and smell them. It reminds me of being in her kitchen and baking with her.
Leader 1: Wow. What a nice way to remember someone. In fact, it reminds me a bit of our scripture passage today. You know this is the last Sunday before Easter, which means this week we'll be remembering how Jesus was taken from his friends, put on trial, and killed on the cross.
Leader 2: Yeah. It's going to be a hard week.
Leader 1: You're right. But today our passage shows us a way that Jesus tried to make it a little easier for his friends. They were all gathered for a special meal, and in the middle of the meal, Jesus held up a loaf of bread and told his friends that whenever they ate that bread they would know he was with them -- loving them and strengthening them, the way good food strengthens us. Then he took the cup of wine and said whenever they drank the wine they would know he was with them -- giving them joy and renewal, the way water refreshes us. Even though he would be gone, they could eat and drink together and feel that he was near by.
Leader 2: Just like my grandma's cookies.
Leader 1: The beauty of love is that it never dies. As long as we hold love in our hearts the people we love are always near us, still blessing our lives, still making the world a more beautiful place. That's what Jesus wanted his friends to hang onto in the hard week ahead.
Leader 2: Maybe I'll go home and make some more cookies to share with folks this week. I'm sure my grandma would be glad to know her recipe is still making people happy.
Leader 1: I'm sure she would. But I need to tell you that if you share them with me, I probably won't just want to sniff them!
Leader 2: Me either. We can eat them together!
Closing Prayer: Loving God, help us to be faithful and courageous in the difficult week ahead. When times are hard, help us to remember you are near, loving us and giving us strength. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, spend some time talking about remembering. Give the children free rein to think about those they care about who aren't around anymore. Perhaps friends who have moved away, family members we don't see very often, or pets who have died. How do they remember these important people? Sometimes people recognize special anniversaries, keep a special piece of jewelry or item, or look at pictures. Sometimes we just tell stories about folks we love, to keep the memories alive. Jesus knew that soon his time on earth would be over, and his disciples would have to continue God's work themselves. He wanted them to know that they would never be alone, and God would give them strength and Jesus' Spirit would give them help. Sometimes when hard times come we feel like we're falling apart. We don't know what to do and maybe even forget who we're trying to be. But Jesus told his disciples, if they ate and drank together, they would remember -- and be re-membered. Explain to the children that re-membering is a way of putting things back in order, like working on a puzzle. When we re-member, all the pieces are in place, and we can see the picture clearly again.
As a craft idea, give each child a piece of mesh material, a ribbon, and some dried rosemary. Explain that rosemary is an herb traditionally associated with remembering. Invite the children to write on the ribbon these words, "God, remember me." Then have the children fill the material with rosemary, leaving enough space to tie off one end with the ribbon. Invite the children to hold this pouch in their hands and recite the words "God, remember me." Tell them that whenever they're feeling confused or alone, they can use the pouch to pray, asking God to re-member them, returning a clear picture to their lives and restoring their faith.
