10 minutes / 3 readers
Description
Passover Lamb contrasts the Old Testament rites of Passover with the New Testament sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
As such, this Scripture reading is ideal for a Communion service. In fact, the script has been organized for the typical, evangelical ordinance of Communion—or the Lord’s Supper.
Note
The script is entirely Scripture, NIV.
The overall length depends on how much the Pastor or Leader says. The Scripture reading takes approximately 10 min.
Characters
Three Readers
Topics
The Old and the New: Passover Lamb Scripture Lamb of God Sacrifice Old Testament New Testament Communion Lord’s Supper
Script
Select and copy the following unformatted text to the Clipboard, then paste it into your word processor or text editor. It is recommended that the script be formatted to fit as pages in a Bible, so the Readers appear to be reading from the pages of Scripture, but without all the page turning.
As this script is entirely Scripture, our copyright need not be included.
-|Script Begins|-
[When this portion of the Worship Service is to begin, the Leader (or Pastor) calls the Deacons forward to the table as the Readers assemble at music stands.]
Leader
[Preparatory remarks.]
THE BREAD
Reader 1
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb, disciples of Jesus asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?” [Mark 14:121]
Reader 2
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
Reader 3
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn-both men and animals-and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD-a lasting ordinance. Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. [Exodus 12:1-3,5,7-8,12-14,17]
Reader 1
So he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” The disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told them. So they prepared the Passover. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples… [Mark 14:13-17; Matthew 26:26a]
[Thanksgiving is offered for the bread. Leader distributes the bread. After the bread has been distributed, the Readers continue.]
Reader 2
The multitudes asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?” Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.” So they asked him, “What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our forefathers ate the manna in the desert; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “from now on give us this bread.” Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” [John 6:28-35,47-51]
Reader 3
Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.
[Matthew 27:27-30]
Leader
Jesus said: “This is my body, which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me.” [1 Corinthians 11:24]
[All eat the bread. Time for introspection is given.]
THE CUP
Reader 2
Moses took half of the blood and put it in bowls, and the other half he sprinkled on the altar. Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey.” Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.” [Exodus 24:6-8]
Reader 3
When Moses had proclaimed every commandment of the law to all the people, he took the blood of calves, together with water, scarlet wool and branches of hyssop, and sprinkled the scroll and all the people. He said, “This is the blood of the covenant, which God has commanded you to keep.” In the same way, he sprinkled with the blood both the tabernacle and everything used in its ceremonies. In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. [Hebrews 9:19-22]
Reader 1
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” [Luke 22:20]
[Thanksgiving is offered for the wine. Leader distributes the wine. After the wine has been distributed-but not consumed-the Readers continue.]
Reader 3
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull-which in Aramaic is called Golgotha. Here they crucified him, and with him two others-one on each side and Jesus in the middle. [John 19:17-18]
Reader 1
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. [Luke 23:44-46]
Leader
In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” [1 Cor 11:25]
[All drink of the cup. Time for introspection is given.]
EPILOGUE
Reader 1
(after a pause; joyfully!)
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Reader 2
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created-
Reader 3
-things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities-
Reader 1
-all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Reader 2
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Reader 3
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
[Col 1:13-20]
Leader
[Closing remarks]
Congregation sings hymn or chorus.
Leader
(benediction)
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. [Hebrews 13:20-21]
-|script end|-