sustain:if:able kiwi

making a meal of it: all-ages gathered around Jesus meals

Sunday was our second in a four part (first Sunday of month) series on communion. The first part was about Passover, meaning this second part (leading into Holy week) was to have a particular focus on the meals time habits of Jesus. It was also down to be an inter-generational (Take a Kid to faith) service, with the kids in. So to help that learning, I make “table mats” around which I invited people to gather in groups of 6.

In the shape of a cross, each table mat had 5 panels. Four panels were linked to 4 Biblical meals – Passover memories, Jesus eating at Simon the Leper, feeding of multitudes and the last supper – with a space in the middle (for communion at the end of the service). Meals are usually about the menu, the music, the guests, the footwear and the memories. So each of the four “meal” panels had these symbols.

In terms of the content, I provided a 4 minute explanation of each meal, highlighting menu, guests, footwear and suggested music. I then paused between each panel, and gave the groups time to discuss together what the “memories” of that meal would be. Groups feedback to the entire church (and what they shared then shaped my communion prayer). It was a nice way to step through some Biblical content, in an interactive and participatory way, that involved all ages in learning.

In terms of communion, people were invited to stay in their groups. The youngest in the group was invited to come forward and take back the bread and the cup. (As per the Jewish passover tradition, in which the youngest asks the questions as to the significance.) The elements of bread and cup were taken back to the group and placed in the center of the “table mat” cross, surrounded by the four meal memories – Passover, Jesus meals with outsiders, feeding the multitudes, which must surely have shaped the disciples understanding of “remember me.”

With the kids in, I decided to take a risk and ask everyone to be as quiet as they could be. Not easy for kids, but for those who appreciate some quiet around communion, a really respectful thing to do, across the generations. It was great to look around the church and feel the stillness and see all-ages gathered around the meals of Jesus.