Discussion Guide for Maundy Thursday
You'll notice that, as with Good Friday, this lesson is a little shorter than the others. Maundy Thursday is a simple, beautiful, but heartrending day - remembering Jesus' final acts of service and community before his betrayal and arrest. This is obviously a challenging day, but if you're prepared to discuss, set aside 10-15 minutes and grab a Bible, whether that's looking at the biblical text with older kids, or at the Spark Story Bible that we use for younger kids.
Opening Your Time Together:
Reading the Bible:
Discussing the Passage:
Closing Your Time Together:
Opening Your Time Together:
- Opening Prayer - Holy God, on this day when you have shown us what it means to serve and what it means to love, we pray that we might follow your example in our lives. In a world that is hurting and in need of you, empower us to be your hands and heart reaching out. Guide us, now and always. Amen.
- Opening Hymn - An Upper Room Did Our Lord Prepare - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHCcAfdVLTo - the link is to an organ instrumental of this song. It's not the best version, but unfortunately options are limited.
- Verse 1 - An upper room did our Lord prepare for those he loved until the end: and his disciples still gather there
to celebrate their risen friend. - Verse 2 - A lasting gift Jesus gave his own: to share his bread, his loving cup. Whatever burdens may bow us down,
he by his cross shall lift us up. - Verse 3 - And after supper he washed their feet, for service, too, is sacrament. In Christ our joy shall be made complete: sent out to serve, as he was sent.
- Verse 4 - No end there is! We depart in peace. He loves beyond our uttermost: in every room in our Father's house Christ will be there, as Lord and Host.
- Verse 1 - An upper room did our Lord prepare for those he loved until the end: and his disciples still gather there
Reading the Bible:
- Open up to the passage, whether in the Bible or the Spark Bible. Ask your kids if they are familiar with this passage and, if so, what they remember.
- Read the passage together. Bible - Luke 22:14-23, Spark Bible - pages 462 to 467
- (Optional) You can also practice something called lectio divina, which basically means you read through the passage once, asking kids to listen for a word or phrase that jumps out at them. After reading, everyone shares their answers and then you read the passage again, listening for new insights!
Discussing the Passage:
- For Younger Kids
- Jesus surprised the disciples by offering to wash their feet - that wasn't something that a leader would normally do! What are some ways that we be good examples for others through our words and actions?
- Jesus shared a simple meal of bread and wine with the disciples, and that meal would later become known as communion - something that all churches still practice today! Part of the reason we do it is to remind ourselves that through Jesus, we're all part of the same family no matter who we are or where we live. Would you treat people you don't know differently if you thought about them as part of your family?
- For Older Kids
- Jesus demonstrated what it means to be a good leader on Maundy Thursday: putting others before himself in washing their feet, bringing people closer together as part of a shared meal, and not judging his disciples even when they made terrible decisions. Who do you see as a leader in your life? What about their example do you want to follow?
- Have you ever had a friend let you down like Peter or Judas? How did you feel in the moment, and were you able to talk to them (or forgive them) later?
Closing Your Time Together:
- Closing Prayer - Holy God, as we remember Jesus' final night with his disciples today, we remember the final commandment that he gave: that we love one another, just as he has loved us. As we think about Jesus' final acts of service and sharing, may we too think about ways that we are called into serving you and one another. As we think about Jesus sitting at table with his disciples, may we remember that we are part of a wider family, both at church and in our community. As we remember Jesus' arrest and what is to come tomorrow on Good Friday, may we know deep in our hearts the depth of God's love for us. We pray all this in Christ's name. Amen.
- Closing Hymn - Were You There? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRaFdFkOVyY - a hauntingly beautiful song that walks through Jesus' burial from the eyes of those who loved him most.
- Verse 1 - Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
- Verse 2 - Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
- Verse 3 - Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
- Verse 4 - Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?