The Last Supper - an Easter assembly
To tell and explore part of the Easter story - the Last Supper.
by Michelle Walker
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To tell and explore part of the Easter story – the Last Supper.
Preparation and materials
- You could precede this assembly by telling the children about Palm Sunday when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Luke 19.28-40).
- You will need a bowl of water and a towel, a piece of pitta bread or similar, a cup of juice.
- Be familiar with the story found in Luke 22.7-23 and John 13.1-17.
Assembly
- If you have already told the children about Palm Sunday, ask them or remind them which town Jesus was in: Jerusalem. Jesus and his disciples had arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover Feast. This was a special meal that people ate together every year to remind them that God had freed the Jewish people from being slaves in Egypt.
- Explain how Jesus sent Peter and John ahead to prepare the Passover meal. He told them exactly where to go, what house to enter and what to say. They did as Jesus had asked and found the house and made the arrangements with the man just as Jesus had said.
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how all the disciples sat together to eat the Passover feast. Jesus knew this would be the last meal he would eat with his disciples before he died. Explain how Jesus broke the bread and gave thanks and passed it round to the disciples. Take your own bread and break it into pieces as you are explaining.
In the same way Jesus took the cup and passed it round. Take your juice and show it to the children – explain that all the disciples took some.
Say that Jesus was referring to the bread as his body and the wine as the blood that he would shed when he died on the cross. Jesus was promising that those who believed in him would have good gifts from God after he had gone. This is still how Christians remember today what Jesus did when he died on the cross. It has a special name: Holy Communion or Eucharist – use whatever name your children are familiar with. - During the Passover meal, Jesus did a strange thing. He took off his outer clothing and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he poured water into a bowl and began to wash the disciples’ feet. Use your bowl of water and towel to demonstrate – maybe pretend that you are going to wash everyone’s feet. How would they feel if a teacher was to wash their feet?
Explain to the children that although the disciples called Jesus Lord and Master, he was also their servant. And they were to be servants also, to those that they would speak to after Jesus had gone. They should set a good example by helping others and not putting themselves above them. That’s something we can all do today – we can see each other as equals. Just as, Christians believe, God sees us. - As they were all sitting together, Jesus told the disciples that he would be killed and that one of them sitting at the table would betray him, would give him away to the authorities. Explain how Jesus dipped a piece of bread and passed it to the man who would betray him. His name was Judas Iscariot.
- Jesus then said that he would be with them for only a little while longer. He said to his disciples, ‘I give you a new command: love each other. You must love each other as I have loved you. All people will know you are my followers if you love each other.’
That’s a good way to end our assembly, with these words – Love Each Other. This means caring for everyone we meet and for the world, trying to get along with everyone, being helpful, saying kind words, sharing and putting others first. Wouldn’t our school and world be a much better place if everyone decided to care for and help each other like this?
Time for reflection
Reflection
Think of what you know about the Easter story.
Imagine how Jesus must have felt telling his special friends, the disciples, he would be leaving them soon.
Then think of what Jesus told the disciples about loving others.
Can we be like the disciples? Do we treat everyone as equals?
Prayer
Dear God,
Thank you for the special time of Easter.
Please help us to put others first,
to treat everyone as equals
and to love others as you love us.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Love will never come to an end’ (Come and Praise, 99)
