Take and Eat

Take and Eat Opening Prayer ALL: Loving Lord, in the bread and wine of Holy Communion we receive your body and blood. In the bread and wine of Holy Communion we are sustained and nourished as one body. Grant that we as members of the one body might make your will manifest in all that we do. Amen Handbook Connection Have learners turn to the portion of The Lutheran Handbook entitled, "How to Receive Communion," page 36. Ask learners to highlight the paragraph under "Receive the bread" (page 37). Remind learners that in eating and drinking the bread and wine we are receiving Jesus' very own body and blood into our body and blood. Keeping an open frame of mind and a trusting heart is the best approach. Bible Connection: A Tasty Bit of History! • Invite learners to open their Bibles to John 6:48-51, and read the passage to them in your deepest, most dramatic voice. In these verses Jesus refers to himself as the bread of life. Have the learners write the words "bread of life" in the margin. The story of manna comes from Exodus 16. The people of Israel were starving (and complaining bitterly about it!), so God provided them with manna. Jesus said that the bread of life gives himself in order to save people from death. Have the learners write "God feeds the hungry" in the margin. • Invite learners to open their Bibles to 1 Corinthians 10:17, and call on a volunteer to read it aloud. Here Paul refers to all Christians being united in the bread. In the bread and wine that are the body and blood of Jesus Christ, all Christians, from all times and places, are joined together with one another in unity. Have the learners write "communion is the tie that binds" in the margin. Music: He Knows Just What I Need Option 1: "Feed Me (Git It)" Provide the song "Feed Me" by Alan Menken (from Little Shop of Horrors Broadway Cast Recording, DRG Records). The theme of this song from The Little Shop of Horrors is, "Feed me." The Little Shop of Horrors is a dark comedy about a nerdy florist who raises a large plant that feeds on human blood. In communion, we eat Christ's body and drink his blood. But in contrast to the cannibalistic plant, Christ sacrificed his life to save us, saying, "Take and eat." Now that's real nourishment. • This song is from The Little Shop of Horrors, which is about a florist who raises a very large plant. What strange thing does the plant feed on? • What do you think about Holy Communion, where we eat and drink Jesus' body and blood? • You have been forgiven through Christ's body and blood. Name three ways you can share this forgiveness by serving others this week. Please preview this content to determine its appropriateness for your setting. Option 2: "Running on Empty" Provide the song "Running on Empty" by Jackson Browne (from Running on Empty, Elektra/Asylum Records). There are many things of the world that we try to satisfy ourselves with, but we keep running on empty. None of them fill us with such a promise as Jesus' body and blood. This song talks about driving on an empty tank of gas, about searching for meaning. Thankfully, in Holy Communion, we can find more than emptiness. • Have you ever been in a car that was running on empty? Why might that be a bad thing? • If gas is important to a car, how might Holy Communion be important to Christians? • What can you do to serve people who are "running on empty"? Please preview this content to determine its appropriateness for your setting. Option 3: "He Knows Just What I Need" Provide the song "He Knows Just What I Need" by Elvis Presley (He Is My Everything-The Gospel Series, BMG/RCA). In this song Elvis embraces the spiritual needs that only God can meet. As God's faithful, we act as his hands, reaching out to meet the needs of his people. • Jesus calls us to a substantial task. How can we keep from getting overwhelmed by Jesus' invitation to feed the hungry? • Imagine some ways you and your friends could make a difference in this area, and discuss them. Please preview this content to determine its appropriateness for your setting. Small Group Leader Sheet: Take and Eat Instructions Make sure each learner has a Learner Sheet for use during your discussion. At the end of the lesson they can take the Learner Take-Home Sheet to use with their household at dinner or bedtime. Be sure to start on a positive note. Welcome each learner by name. Let them know you're glad they're here! If anyone is absent, mention you'll be praying for that person together. Small Group Time is for give-and-take discussion. Your main job is to draw learners out and get them talking about the theme. Ask open-ended questions that will provoke responses. Once the conversation begins, intervene only to bring it back on track or to stimulate more talk. Quick Prep John 6:48-51 The Big Idea: Jesus feeds the whole community of faith with his body and blood. Learning Goal: Learners will experience Jesus' invitation to feed the hungry. • In the bread and wine we receive Christ's body and blood. We are sustained and nourished as one body. • With Jesus there is always enough for all, and the table fellowship is inclusive. • Lutherans teach that the bread and wine become, by God's Word, the body and blood of Christ, and are at the same time ordinary bread and wine. This is an example of the idea that the finite is capable of bearing the infinite (finitum capax infiniti). • Over the centuries, eucharistic theology and practice have been the ground of disagreement and schism in the Church. • Christian practice includes sending believers to serve the world, to feed the hungry in particular. As people who know the bounty of God's grace and who share Jesus body and blood, given for all people, we are empowered to help see that hunger is eradicated. Prayer Time Go around the group and have each learner share the best and worst thing from his or her week. Remind learners to pay special attention to (for example) the person on their right, as they will be praying for that person in a moment (alternate prayer partners from week to week). When the group has finished, prayer partners can pray for each other. Key Words BREAD AND WINE are the earthly elements that, in the Lord's Supper, are Jesus' body and blood; when combined with God's Word they bring forgiveness, salvation, and life. BODY AND BLOOD are the physical presence of Jesus Christ that he gives us in the Lord's Supper—communion. SACRAMENT is something that 1) Jesus Christ commands us to do; 2) involves an earthly element, like water or bread and wine; and 3) combines with God's spoken Word to bring salvation, forgiveness of sins, and the promise of everlasting life. Discussion Time Use these questions to kick off a conversation about the theme: • Why do some people in the world have so much and others so little? (Affirm all responses. Though God has created a world where there are enough resources for all, human sin causes problems that lead to hunger: corrupt governments and businesses, greed, soil erosion, and so forth.) • Tell about the longest period of time you've ever gone without eating. What was it like? (Affirm all responses.) • How does the bread and wine of Holy Communion make Christians especially motivated to help feed the hungry? (Affirm all responses. Christians are moved by the gratitude we feel for what Christ has done for us to share the love and peace of Christ with others. That means feeding the hungry, comforting the fearful, and so forth.) • What are some things you could do to help feed the hungry? (Brainstorm some ideas. Encourage learners to think of how they might assist in programs that the congregation may already be involved in through Lutheran World Relief or other community programs.) Big Fun Idea Meet at an arcade and play games. Encourage learners to steer clear of the more violent games. If there is not an arcade nearby, you can create your own by having learners bring in their favorite nonviolent video games from home. You will need to have several television sets and video game machines if you choose this option. Consider holding a tournament! Big Serving Idea As a group, resolve to see how much money you can raise for Lutheran World Relief in one month. Hold a bake sale or put on a talent night at church. There are many things you can do to help feed the hungry in your community and around the world. Make it happen today! Learner Sheet: Take and Eat John 6:48-51 The Big Idea: Jesus feeds the whole community of faith with his body and blood. Big Fun Idea Meet at an arcade and play games. Encourage learners to steer clear of the more violent games. If there is not an arcade nearby, you can create your own by having learners bring in their favorite nonviolent video games from home. You will need to have several television sets and video game machines if you choose this option. Consider holding a tournament! Big Serving Idea As a group, resolve to see how much money you can raise for Lutheran World Relief in one month. Hold a bake sale or put on a talent night at church. There are many things you can do to help feed the hungry in your community and around the world. Make it happen today! Prayer Time Remember your partner's prayer needs—record them here. Discussion Time • Why do some people in the world have so much and others so little? • Tell about the longest period of time you've ever gone without eating. What was it like? • How does the bread and wine of Holy Communion make Christians especially motivated to help feed the hungry? • What are some things you could do to help feed the hungry? Learner Take-Home Sheet: Take and Eat John 6:48-51 Take this sheet home and keep it someplace near the dinner table, like on the fridge. At least three times next week at dinner, use Prayer Time and one other family activity to make your confirmation learning come alive! Prayer Time Invite God into your presence by celebrating and lifting up the people and circumstances that dwell deep in your heart this week. Pray this prayer together: Bread of life, you have fed us with what we need for eternal life. Help us to bring to those who suffer hunger, homelessness, and hopelessness some measure of your healing love. Grant that we may be instruments of your will and witnesses to your grace. We ask this in your holy name. Amen Key Words Keep a family white board someplace near the dinner table, and write these words on it. Try writing a family definition for each one during the week. BREAD AND WINE BODY AND BLOOD SACRAMENT Talk Time • Who buys the groceries at home? Who prepares the meals? How do you decide in your family what you're going to eat for meals? • Make a list of things that are not very good for you that you eat during a week. How much would you guess you spend as a family on these items a week? A month? A year? • What would happen if you took just one-fourth of the money your family spends on "junk food" and sent it to an organization like Lutheran World Relief? Web Time The Web site for Lutheran World Relief (www.lwr.org) contains many opportunities for mission and ministry. Gather around the family computer and see if you can find a program that you as a family could support, then make a family commitment to do it! Ritual Time Have the youngest person in the family place a candle on the table while the eldest lights the flame. Open your copy of The Lutheran Handbook and pray the table blessing found in the "Blessings at Meals" section (page 226) at every meal you share this week.