The Last Supper/Communion

Faith Matters Lab – Science Workshop

Grades K – 3

Summary of Lesson Activities:

The students will talk about the connection between the Last Supper (the first Holy Communion) and the celebration of the first Jewish Passover. On this night all the Israelites with the “Blood of the Lamb” on their door posts were delivered from their Egyptian captors. After the “Last Supper” humans were saved from sin and death because of Jesus’ death and sacrifice on the cross. After each occasion, God’s people are told to celebrate these feasts in remembrance of the great salvation we have received from the Lord. God invites each of us to “Come Join the Circle” of God’s family.

Scripture Reference:

Exodus 12:1-14; Luke 21:1-21

Leader Preparation:

• Read the Bible Basis and the section in Luther’s Small Catechism about the Seventh Petition, “But deliver us from evil.”
• Also review the section on Holy Communion. (If you don't have those resources, Google Bible study the phrase "deliver us from evil" for some background.)
• Gather the materials.

Materials List:

• Communion wafer 
• Small glass of grape juice
• Children’s Bibles
• The Book for Children, or another Children’s Bible story book
• Student journals and colors
• Luther’s Small Catechism or ELW.
• Experiment supplies: Small cup, hot and cold water, red food coloring, plastic wrap, rubber band, large wide mouth glass jar, long sharp skewer or kitchen knife.
  Invisible Shield experiment: Sheet of newspaper, empty glass, pot of water

Presentation

Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Greet the children and introduce yourself.

It’s always interesting to see the amazing things that happen in this world created by our great God. When I first saw this experiment, it made me think of something else. Any ideas what that might have been? (blood)

The stories we are studying today are the Passover in the Old Testament, and the Last Supper in the New Testament. Each story talks about the power in the Blood. Before we study these important stories, let’s pause and say a prayer:

Gracious God: Thank you for sending your Son Jesus into this world to be our Savior. Bless us with your presence as we talk about the precious gifts of Christ’s body given for us, and Christ’s blood, shed for our sins. In the Name of Jesus we pray. Amen

Dig- Main Content and Reflection:

Rising Warm Air experiment: Small cup, hot and cold water, red food coloring, plastic wrap, rubber band, large wide mouth glass jar, long sharp skewer or kitchen knife.
Invisible Shield experiment: Sheet of newspaper, empty glass, pot of water.

Experiment: Create a Thermal - Rising Warm Water

1. Fill a cup to the brim with hot water and a few drops of red food coloring.
2. Cut a circle of plastic wrap and spread it over the top of the cup.
3. Stretch the rubber band over the plastic wrap to hold it in place.
4. Carefully place the cup of hot, colored water in the bottom of the glass jar.
5. Gradually fill the jar with cold water, almost to the top.
6. Pierce the plastic wrap with a long sharp knife. Make a single, fairly large gash.
7. Remove the knife and watch warm colored water rise through the cold water and float above it, just like a thermal of warm air.

Why does this happen? When warm air or water expands their particles move apart. The lighter air or water moves above the cooler, heavier air/water. Air is invisible, but by using colored warm water, we could see this scientific concept in action! This is what makes a hot air balloon soar above the earth. Thermal air currents are also at work in many of our weather systems.

Read the Story of the Passover: Exodus 12:1-14 (or read from The Book for Children, p. 106 Story 34, “The Worst Punishment of All” 5 minutes.)

Experiment: Invisible Shield

1. Crumple a sheet of newspaper and stuff it into an empty glass tightly enough so that it does not fall out when you turn the glass upside down.
2. Hold the glass bottom up; sink it deep into the pot filled with water. Hold it there.
3. After a minute or so, pull the glass out of the water and remove the paper.

What happens? The paper is dry! It is saved from being ruined by the water.
Why? Water cannot get into the glass because the “empty” glass is already filled with air. The air cannot get out because it is lighter than water.

Say: In this story, God’s people were saved (delivered) from a most terrible event while they lived in Egypt. What was that? (All the first born people and animals in Egypt died, except the Children of Israel who put the blood of a lamb on their door posts.)

Faith Basics:
Note to teacher: Feel free to use the version of the Small Catechism printed in the ELW.

Say: Every Sunday in church we pray a special prayer called “The Lord’s Prayer.” Many of you pray this at home during the week too.
The Seventh Petition of the Lord’s Prayer is: “But deliver us from evil.”
Luther’s Small Catechism states: “What does this mean? We ask in this prayer that our heavenly Father would save us from every evil to body and soul.”

Read the Story of the Last Supper:
Luke 21:1-21 (or read aloud from The Book for Children, p. 521 Story 173, 4 minutes)

Journal Time:
Say: Today we were reminded that God sent his precious Son Jesus to give His body and shed His blood for the forgiveness of all our sins. In churches all around the world, Holy Communion helps us to remember this wonderful gift from God.

(Show students the wafer and communion cup filled with grape juice.)
You may have seen people at Augustana, including your parents, go up to the altar for Holy Communion. One day, you too will be able to join in this celebration.

Pass out student journals, colors or colored pencils.
Help the students copy the memory verse in their journal.
Invite the students to draw a picture of the most interesting part of today’s lessons. A few ideas to choose from could be:

1. People in our church celebrating Holy Communion.
2. Jesus and the Disciples at the Last Supper.
3. The communion feast of unleavened bread (wafers) and wine or grape juice.
4. The Israelites eating their Passover meal.

Closing:

Clean-up and Dismissal: End class by inviting the students to pray the Lord’s Prayer.
“Our Father who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Resources:

• 730 Easy Science Experiments, by E. Richard Churchill, Louis V. Loeschnig, and Muriel Mandell, Tess Press, ISBN 1-579-12-613-8 p. 27
• DK Nature Activities Weather Watcher, by John Woodward ISBN 13: 978-0-75662-068-4 p. 14
• The Small Catechism, by Martin Luther, Augsburg Publishing House 1979 or the ELW, Evangelical Lutheran Worship

A lesson written by Kirsten Freitag from: Augustana Lutheran Church
St. James, MN 

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability. 

Member Tramseyer added the following recommendation to the above lesson:

Used this a couple of weeks ago with brand new kindergartners, and they loved it.

Suggestions:

When I practiced this, the first time the smaller jar sank, the second time it floated. Dad gave me some big washers to put in the bottom of the smaller jar, and that helped. Might be more of a wow factor if you put the red food coloring drops in the middle of the washers, so the water turns red unexpectedly because the kids can't see that you have already put the drops in there.

Mom had a small hot water pot that I used in place of the hot pad. Time how long it takes to boil the water - I waited too long to start the pot with too much water, and that dragged a bit. Use pliers to hold the heated smaller jar as you place it into the bigger jar.

I wish I had brought a cooler and filled it with ice cubes before class to make the cold water really cold. This worked without doing that, but I wish there had been more of a contrast.