Items needed: pens, paper, bibles & ‘Bible in a minute’ video – youtube link
Opening Activity: Ask the young people to try and come up with a timeline of the entire bible up until the ascension of Jesus… See what they know!

Video:        Show the bible in a minute video and see how much they got right!

Ask:    This morning we’re going to look at communion…but how does that fit in?    (Don’t give the answer yet!)

Bible:    Mark 14: 17-26

Explain: On the night before he is betrayed Jesus has a meal with his disciples…and not just any meal… the passover. Let’s read about it!
Bible:    Exodus 12: 1-14

Ask: What happened at the Passover?
What did the Israelites put on their door-frames? Why?

Explain: At the Passover God passed over the Israelites, saving them from suffering the loss of their firstborns. The blood on their door-frames…the blood from the sacrificed lamb saved them from losing their firstborns. A sacrifice saved them from God’s wrath and so the Passover was a celebration of that…it was generations remembering their history and God’s mercy.

The bible is one big story, Jesus fulfils prophecies in the Old Testament and on the night of His betrayal He eats the Passover meal with His disciples but Jesus gives it a twist! He says that the blood represents his blood and the body his body sacrificed for his disciples. Jesus is the blood on their door-frames saving them from the God’s wrath.

Ask: Can you see the parallel between the first Passover and the Last Supper? Have you ever thought of it like that before?

When you see communion in church what do you think?

Who do you think communion is for?

Explain: If we look at the Passover it’s a celebration, Paul says in 1 Corinthians that Jesus says ‘Do this in remembrance of me’. Paul talks about doing not taking communion in an unworthy manner but he doesn’t say you have to be baptised. To take communion we just need to have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we don’t have to be perfect but we should come before God asking Him to forgive us for the things we’ve done wrong.

If we don’t wish to take bread and wine we can still use the time to focus on what Jesus did for us!

Ask:    How do you celebrate your birthdays? Are they good occasions?

Explain: A birthday is about remembering a good occasion, celebrating the day you were born, remembering the gift of life that came into the world and so communion should be a celebration remembering Jesus because it’s a good thing!

If Jesus had died and decayed then we would remember the same way we’d remember someone at a funeral but he didn’t decay…he rose again and he conquered death and through Him we can live our lives in His presence and live them to the full. So when you see communion remember that it’s a celebration. The death and resurrection of Jesus is great news for us so let’s act like it is!

Prayer to close or if you can rejoin the church for communion or take it within your group