Lesson Plans: Eucharist
Texts:
Mark 14:12-26
The Lord's Supper
12 It was the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. That was the time to sacrifice the Passover lamb.
Jesus' disciples asked him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?"
13 So he sent out two of his disciples. He told them, "Go into the city. A man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 He will enter a house. Say to its owner, 'The Teacher asks, "Where is my guest room? Where can I eat the Passover meal with my disciples?" ' 15 He will show you a large upstairs room. It will have furniture and will be ready. Prepare for us to eat there."
16 The disciples left and went into the city. They found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover meal.
17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, "What I'm about to tell you is true. One of you who is eating with me will hand me over to my enemies."
19 The disciples became sad. One by one they said to him, "It's not I, is it?"
20 "It is one of the Twelve," Jesus replied. "It is the one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But how terrible it will be for the one who hands over the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born."
22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread. He gave thanks and broke it. He handed it to his disciples and said, "Take it. This is my body."
23 Then he took the cup. He gave thanks and handed it to them. All of them drank from it.
24 "This is my blood of the new covenant," he said to them. "It is poured out for many. 25 What I'm about to tell you is true. I won't drink wine with you again until the day I drink it in God's kingdom."
26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.
John 6:25-71
Jesus Is the Bread of Life
25 They found him on the other side of the lake. They asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"
26 Jesus answered, "What I'm about to tell you is true. You are not looking for me because you saw miraculous signs. You are looking for me because you ate the loaves until you were full. 27 Do not work for food that spoils. Work for food that lasts forever. That is the food the Son of Man will give you. God the Father has put his seal of approval on him."
28 Then they asked him, "What does God want from us? What works does he want us to do?"
29 Jesus answered, "God's work is to believe in the One he has sent."
30 So they asked him, "What miraculous sign will you give us? What will you do so we can see it and believe you? 31 Long ago our people ate the manna in the desert. It is written in Scripture, 'The Lord gave them bread from heaven to eat.' "—(Exodus 16:4; Nehemiah 9:15; Psalm 78:24,25)
32 Jesus said to them, "What I'm about to tell you is true. It is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven. It is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 The bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven. He gives life to the world."
34 "Sir," they said, "give us this bread from now on."
35 Then Jesus said, "I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever go hungry. And no one who believes in me will ever be thirsty.
36 "But it is just as I told you. You have seen me, and you still do not believe. 37 Everyone the Father gives me will come to me. I will never send away anyone who comes to me.
38 "I have not come down from heaven to do what I want to do. I have come to do what the One who sent me wants me to do. 39 The One who sent me doesn't want me to lose anyone he has given me. He wants me to raise them up on the last day. 40 My Father wants all who look to the Son and believe in him to have eternal life. I will raise them up on the last day."
41 Then the Jews began to complain about Jesus. That was because he said, "I am the bread that came down from heaven." 42 They said, "Isn't this Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don't we know his father and mother? How can he now say, 'I came down from heaven'?"
43 "Stop complaining among yourselves," Jesus answered. 44 "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me brings him. Then I will raise him up on the last day.
45 "It is written in the Prophets, 'God will teach all of them.'—(Isaiah 54:13) Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.
46 "No one has seen the Father except the One who has come from God. Only he has seen the Father. 47 What I'm about to tell you is true. Everyone who believes has life forever.
48 "I am the bread of life. 49 Long ago your people ate the manna in the desert, and they still died. 50 But here is the bread that comes down from heaven. A person can eat it and not die. 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Everyone who eats some of this bread will live forever. The bread is my body. I will give it for the life of the world."
52 Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves. They said, "How can this man give us his body to eat?"
53 Jesus said to them, "What I'm about to tell you is true. You must eat the Son of Man's body and drink his blood. If you don't, you have no life in you. 54 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood has eternal life. I will raise him up on the last day.
55 "My body is real food. My blood is real drink. 56 Anyone who eats my body and drinks my blood remains in me. And I remain in him.
57 "The living Father sent me, and I live because of him. In the same way, those who feed on me will live because of me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Long ago your people ate manna and died. But those who feed on this bread will live forever."
59 He said this while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.
Many Disciples Leave Jesus
60 Jesus' disciples heard this. Many of them said, "This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?"
61 Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining about his teaching. So he said to them, "Does this upset you? 62 What if you see the Son of Man go up to where he was before? 63 The Holy Spirit gives life. The body means nothing at all. The words I have spoken to you are from the Spirit. They give life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe."
Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe. And he had known who was going to hand him over to his enemies. 65 So he continued speaking. He said, "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father helps him."
66 From this time on, many of his disciples turned back. They no longer followed him.
67 "You don't want to leave also, do you?" Jesus asked the Twelve.
68 Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, who can we go to? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
70 Then Jesus replied, "Didn't I choose you, the 12 disciples? But one of you is a devil!" 71 He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the Twelve. But later he was going to hand Jesus over to his enemies.
1 Corinthians 11:17-33
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
The Lord's Supper
17 In the following matters, I don't praise you. Your meetings do more harm than good.
18 First, here is what people are telling me. When you come together as a church, you take sides. And in some ways I believe it. 19 No doubt you need to take sides in order to show which of you God agrees with!
20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat. 21 As you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anyone else. One remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you think so little of God's church that you shame those in it who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you for that? Certainly not!
23 I passed on to you what I received from the Lord. On the night the Lord Jesus was handed over to his enemies, he took bread. 24 When he had given thanks, he broke it. He said, "This is my body. It is given for you. Every time you eat it, do it in memory of me." 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup. He said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Every time you drink it, do it in memory of me."
26 When you eat the bread and drink the cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again.
27 So do not eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in a way that isn't worthy of him. If you do, you will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord.
28 A person should take a careful look at himself before he eats the bread and drinks from the cup. 29 Anyone who eats and drinks must recognize the body of the Lord. If he doesn't, God will judge him for it. 30 That is why many of you are weak and sick. That is why a number of you have died.
31 We should judge ourselves. Then we would not be found guilty. 32 When the Lord judges us, he corrects us. Then we will not be judged along with the rest of the world.
33 My brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, wait for each other.
Overview of Texts:
In the Gospel reading we see the first Eucharist instated by Jesus himself. While this translation of the Bible varies a little from what we use for the liturgy of the Mass, the words should still sound familiar as we hear them every week. At the Last Supper, Jesus said the words and performed the actions that our priests repeat during every service. Jesus showed us just what he wanted us to do. Now when the priest performs these actions, we can participate with Christ in this very special moment.
Two things are actually happening in the consecration of the Eucharist. First, we share in the meal with Jesus. Second, Because Jesus made the meal very special, we also participate in his sacrifice on the cross. When we go to the altar we are standing at the foot of the cross in a very real way.
When Jesus instituted the Eucharist, he called the bread and wine his body and blood. He didn’t just mean this metaphorically. The bread and wine that we see at the altar are literally his body and blood. Jesus explained this to his followers. Not all of them wanted to hear it. It was, as it is written in John 6, “a hard teaching” and one that lost him some of his flock. The passage from 1Corinthians also speaks to the nature of the bread and wine when it says, “Anyone who eats and drinks must recognize the body of the Lord. If he doesn't, God will judge him for it.” This is a most precious gift we have been given.
We cannot see or understand how the bread and wine become the body and blood. This is a holy mystery that occurs by the power of the Holy Spirit. If we cannot see it, how do we know it is happening? First, we trust the word of our Lord. He told us that the bread and wine are his body and blood. When he told us that we had to eat his flesh, the word he used was not simply “eat.” He used a very descriptive word that means to gnaw, or grind the sinew between the teeth. This is a word that is not used symbolically anywhere else in the Bible, so it is reasonable to assume that such a specifically descriptive word was meant literally. We can also see the reaction of the people to whom Jesus was speaking. They found what he said so distasteful that they chose not to follow him anymore. They certainly took what he meant very literally. Jesus did not correct them and call them back saying, “I just meant that figuratively.” Instead, he let them go and then asked his 12 Apostles if they would leave over this teaching as well.
We may also ask why the bread and wine continue to look, taste, smell, and feel like bread and wine. There are several answers to this question. First, the fact that the bread still seems like bread is called “retaining the accidents.” Accidents are the physical representations of something. Bread looks like this. It smells like this. It tastes like this. The accidents are not its nature. Its nature is what it IS, not what it seems to be. It is what it is meant to be. An example can be an acorn. It does not look like an oak tree, but that is its nature. That is what it is meant to be. An acorn cannot become a hippo; that is not its nature. You could also use the word essence. So, when the bread and the wine change, the nature changes, the essence changes, but the appearance does not. We say that the bread IS flesh, and it is. Not in a symbolic way, but in a real way. We can consider the accidents a gift. We are offered something pleasant and palatable each week rather than something that many of us would find literally difficult to swallow.
What happens to us when we receive communion is a beautiful thing. The body and blood of Christ serve to nourish us spiritually. We are strengthened in our connection to and our love of Christ. We are also given grace in the sacrament. Grace helps return us to a correct orientation to God. Grace helps us overcome our sinful nature. Grace calls us to better action and gives us both the will and way to accomplish it. When we receive communion we are washed in Christ’s blood and we are renewed. When we walk away from the altar we are a changed person. We are in a state of grace, at least until we sin again, which is why receiving communion frequently is a good thing. Our soul needs it!
PreK-Kinder Lesson Notes:
This class will focus on the special meal that Jesus shared with his friends and that we now share with him in Church. When we have Thanksgiving dinner, we invite family and sometimes friends to our table. Jesus invites us (and our church family) to his table, the altar. We offer our thanksgivings at Thanksgiving dinner just as we thank God for his blessings in the Mass. We bring out our special dishes and silverware for the meal to show that it is a special meal and that we know the people we are with are special. At church, the priest uses special vessels implements, too. The things we see at the altar are beautiful and special – what we see or use in everyday life. Each of the items used on the altar in the preparation and distribution of the Eucharist has a special name. For such an incredible, miraculous occurrence, you couldn’t just use plain old things, could you? No, we have special things with special names.
Objectives:
· The children will learn the concept of the “Lord’s Supper” both in Bible history as well as in the practice of the Eucharist.
· The children will learn the names of the items used in the Eucharist (chalice, paton, host, and wine).
· Children will learn what these things are used to do. The chalice is a cup that holds the wine. The paton is a plate that holds the hosts.
· Children will understand that when they are brought to the altar they are participating in the Holy Supper in a special way. When they are older they will get to receive the sacrament in the same way their parents (and older siblings do).
Activities:
There is a travel Eucharist set that has small versions of the materials used on the altar. Use this kit to let the children see and touch these items as you talk about them. You will need to share this resource with the Lower Elementary class, so you may wish to work out who gets it when.
Craft:
Precut construction paper into the simple shapes of things used on the altar- chalice, paton, wine, and hosts (I have scrapbooking tools that will cut circles and ovals). Print and cut labels for each of these things. Have the children glue the shapes onto a piece of constructions paper. Help them attach the label to the correct item.
OR
Make chalices. Glue the bottom of one Styrofoam cup to the bottom of another (it helps if the top one is larger than the bottom one). Tightly wrap with aluminum foil and be sure to cover the inside of the cups, too. Attach plastic gemstones and silver and/or gold rickrack to decorate.
Lower Elementary Lesson Notes:
This class will focus on the “outward and visible sign” of the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. The outward and visible signs are the things that we see in a sacrament. They are the obvious observable parts. In the Eucharist, it is the bread and wine along with the priest. These elements must be present for the sacrament to be complete. The Eucharist consists of bread and wine. They cannot be something else. They cannot be a Danish and orange juice! Also important is the priest. The priest stands in the role of Jesus. Just as Jesus said the words of institution over the bread and wine at his table, the priest equipped with the charism of Christ says the words over the bread and wine at the altar. Without that Jesus figure, the sacrament is not complete. This is why we don’t have Eucharist at home. We can’t do it ourselves. This is also why we have male priests. The exact nature of the elements involved matters.
Objectives:
· The children will know the elements involved in the Eucharist: bread, wine, priest. They need to understand that these are the things that are used to make something very special that we can’t see happen.
· The children will learn the name and use of all the things used at the altar.
Activity:
Eucharist Bingo – I have a set all printed up and ready to go. There are 26 words to use. Prizes can come from the attendance treasure chest. Play until everyone wins. As you call out a word, ask the children to tell you what the word or phrase means or how it is used.
Craft:
Precut construction paper into the simple shapes of things used on the altar- chalice, paton, wine, hosts, altar, candlesticks, candles, tabernacle (where the reserve sacrament is kept), altar linens, cross. I have scrapbooking tools that will cut circles and ovals and straight lines. Print and cut labels for each of these things. Have the children glue the shapes onto a piece of constructions paper. Then they can attach the label to the correct item.
You will probably not have time to do the activity and the craft, so you may choose which one you want from this list or come up with your own activity/craft.
Upper Elementary Lesson Notes:
This class will focus on the “inward and spiritual grace” of the sacrament of Holy Eucharist. The inward and spiritual grace is the part that we cannot see happening. It is the gift that we are given when we receive the Eucharist. The parts of the elements that we cannot see are the body and blood. Jesus gave us this gift by dying on the cross for our sins. When we have the Eucharist we are at the foot of the cross receiving Jesus’ gift. His body and blood are food and drink for our souls.
Objectives:
· The children will know that bread and wine are really the body and blood of Christ. The way that these things change from one thing to another is a mystery that happens because of the Holy Spirit. We know it is true both by the fact that Jesus told us about it and by faith. Hebrews 11:1 Faith is being sure of the things we hope for, and certain of the things we cannot see.
· The children will understand that they receive the gift of God’s grace when they take communion. Grace helps them to love God even more and seek to do his will.
· Jesus’ blood washes away our sins. We are washed in that blood every Sunday.
Activity:
Eucharist Bingo – See notes in Lower Elementary section
Craft:
Eucharistic Banner
Children can place precut felt shapes on a felt banner piece that hangs from a dowel or strong stick. Shapes should be a chalice, a host, a bunch of grapes, a few stalks of wheat, and a cross. They can glue on a printed paper piece that says, “This is my body. This is my blood.” Yarn can be used to hang the dowel. You may wish to use a hot glue gun to affix the banner to the stick.
