If your class is meeting online, invite students to bring supplies with them.

Often when we celebrate communion there is a sense of reverence. Perhaps you even find the mood somber. After all, we are remembering a very sad night where Jesus was killed and took this punishment on our behalf. On the other hand, we know the end of the story is that through Jesus’ death and resurrection we are offered reconciliation with God.  Jesus’ great, demonstrative love that accomplished so much is something to celebrate and be joyous about. All of these emotions come together as we remember Jesus’ death and life.

• Do your experiences of communion feel somber or joyful or both? (Answers will vary. Encourage students to expound on their answers.) 
• What is on your heart as you come to communion? (Answers will vary. Some might feel deep gratitude, others might utter a prayer for forgiveness, and others still may wonder what to think about during communion.)
• How would you describe what Jesus’ life and death mean to you? What images or symbols come to mind? (Answers will vary. They may describe images of forgiveness, eternal life, purpose in this life, a bridge leading back to God, an open door, open arms, a sunrise, springtime, a torn curtain, or other ideas entirely. If students struggle to answer, you might give your own description first.)

Today we will make a memorial of sorts to remind us of what Jesus’ death and life mean to us. This exercise is meant to be fun, creative, joyous and also reverent and reflective.

Have your students use the materials available to create a tribute expressing what Jesus’ life and death means to them. (If your class is meeting online, invite students to have supplies ready at home.) Materials can be anything you have handy. If you have a whiteboard and markers (or screenshared document) or pencils and scrap paper, use that. If you have access to a craft closet with some paper or poster board and markers or even paint, you could use that. You could even use the furniture in the room or use your bodies to express your message through prayer postures or interpretive dance or mime. The goal is to help students reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ life and death and represent those reflections tangibly.

When you finish, find a way to remember what you’ve created and what it means. Small drawings by individual students could be kept in a coat pocket or inside their phone case to carry with them each day. A mural or poster could be displayed in your classroom, but have students take a picture of it with their smartphones so they can look at it throughout the week. A 3D creation could be photographed and shared on your church’s social media page along with a message explaining the meaning.

Close in prayer.