The great banquet

For a free pdf download of this resource click here

Prayer / Worship Activity

Option 1

5 mins

Project Psalm 46:10 so everyone can see it or have it written up on a wall somewhere visible. Explain that as a way to focus on God, you are going to read out the first part of Psalm 46:10 a number of times. Invite people to be as still as possible every time you say ‘be still’, holding their breath, and trying not to move at all, while you say the next part of the verse ‘and know that I am God’. You may like to have the band play quietly in the background. Having done this five or six times, ask a child or young person to say a short prayer of praise about God.

Option 2

Resources needed: Images of creation loaded to project and a piece of appropriate music, such as ‘Creator God’ by Nick and Becky Drake

5 mins

Explain that images of God’s creation are going to be shown on the screen with some music being played at the same time. As the music is playing and the pictures are being shown, encourage people to thank God for the world we live in and how amazing his creation is.

Story: Luke 14:15-24

15 mins

This story is acted out and told from the perspective of the servant who went to get the guests for the banquet. Try to get a mix of people playing the different roles and where possible have an older child or young person for the third invitee.

Servant: Walks on, holding a clipboard, pacing up and down, talking to himself, looking worried. Stops and talk to congregation. It’s a disaster! That’s the only way you can look at it. I don’t know what I’m going to do. It was all going swimmingly, perfectly to plan, it was brilliant. The thing is, my master (I work in the kitchen usually) decided to throw a banquet, a feast, a culinary delight. The food was going to be amazing. Look out - here are some of the others bringing it in, I don’t know what they’re going to do with it all?

Have people bring in pieces of drainpipe that are placed on pre-set out tables. As the drama continues, they need to then start preparing the feast, dishing up the angel-delight or ice cream into the drainpipes. Ensure the drainpipes are brand new and lined with kitchen foil.

Servant: Best bring it to the front. Oh it’s going to go to ruin. Anyway, as I said my master decided to throw this banquet and invite his friends to join him in it. Well the invites had gone out and I was given the job of telling them that it was ready and bringing them in. (Looking pleased with themselves.) That’s quite an important job, I’ll have you know. So I headed out, full of excitement; only it all went kind of downhill from there. Let me explain.

The servant walks to a different area of the room.

Servant: I arrived at the house of the first guest I was to collect and knocked on the door.

Everyone bangs the floor three times with their feet. Invitee one comes to the front, stands up or appears from behind a door if one is available, holding a green sheet or table cloth.

Servant: Greetings, my master’s banquet, his feast, his culinary delight is ready. You’ve been invited, now if you’d please follow me, I’ll take you to it and to him.

Invitee one: Ah, yes, I do recall getting an invite. Pulls piece of paper from pocket.

Servant: Going to turn and walk away. Excellent, follow me then.

Invitee one: Well, actually, no.

Servant: Excuse me. Why not? It’s ready.

Invitee one: Here’s the thing. Today, I bought a field. Holds up green sheet or tablecloth.

Servant: And…?

Invitee one: It is a quality field, top notch, finest around…although to be honest I’ve not seen it yet.

Servant: Seen what?

Invitee one: The field.

Servant: Sorry, can we go now?

Invitee one: Well no, as I said I’ve bought a field and I need to go and see it, excuse me. Walks off.

Servant: So like that he was gone, to see his field. It didn’t stop there though. I headed on and arrived at the house of the second guest I was to collect, and knocked on their door.

The servant walks to different area of the room. Everyone bangs the floor three times with their feet. Invitee two comes to the front, stands up or appears from behind a door if one is available - holding some toy cows.

Servant: Greetings, my master’s banquet, his feast, his culinary delight is ready. You’ve been invited, now if you’d please follow me, I’ll take you to it and to him.

Invitee two: Ah, yes, I do recall getting an invite. Pulls piece of paper from pocket.

Servant: Going to turn and walk away. Excellent, follow me then.

Invitee two: Well, actually, no.

Servant: Excuse me. Why not? It’s ready.

Invitee two: Here’s the thing. Today, I bought five yolk of oxen. Holds up cows.

Servant:Stepping out of character. Can I just ask what is a yolk of oxen?

Invitee two: Responding as if they’ve been asked a really silly question. It’s a pair of oxen.

Servant: Oh, OK. Where were we?

Invitee two: Here’s the thing. Today, I bought five yolk of oxen.

Servant: And…?

Invitee two: They are a quality bunch of animals, top notch, finest around…although to be honest I’ve not tried them out yet?

Servant: Tried what out yet?

Invitee two: The oxen.

Servant: Sorry, can we go now?

Invitee two: Well no, as I said I’ve bought five yolk of oxen and I need to go and try them out, excuse me. Walks off.

Servant: So, like that he was gone, to try out his oxen. It didn’t stop there though. No, I headed on and arrived at the house of the third and final guest I was to collect and knocked on their door

The servant walks to different area of the room. Everyone bangs the floor three times with their feet. Invitee three comes to the front, stands up or appears from behind a door if one is available - holding a piece of cake.

Servant: Sounding a bit fed up. Greetings, my master’s banquet, his feast, his culinary delight is ready. You’ve been invited, now if you’d please follow me, I’ll take you to it and to him.

Invitee three: Ah, yes, I do recall getting an invite. Pulls piece of paper from pocket.

Servant: Going to turn and walk away. Excellent, follow me then.

Invitee three: Well, actually, no.

Servant: Getting a bit cross. Excuse me. Why not? It’s ready.

Invitee three: Here’s the thing. I just got married. Holds up cake.

Servant: Congratulations! Can we go now?

Invitee three: Well no, as I said I’ve just got married and I can’t come, excuse me.

Servant walks back to where they were standing at the start of the drama.

Servant: So now we have all this food gesturing to the food, no guests turning up and I do not know what my master is going to say when he… The servant is interrupted by a phone ringing, they take a mobile phone from their pocket and answer it.

Hello, to congregation it’s my master. Yes sir, the food is ready, it is just being set out Pausing It does look amazing sir. Pausing The guests, yes, erm, was going to get to that. Pausing I went to them all. Pausing It’s funny actually, but none of them can make it. Pausing No I didn’t think it was funny either, sir. Pausing New fields, oxen and one got married. Pausing Erm… Pausing Yes, but… Pausing No, but… Pausing. Sir, what do you want us to do with the food? Pausing Sorry, can you repeat that. You want us to bring the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame in to the banquet? Pausing OK, but even with all of them there will still be lots of room. Pausing You want us to go out and invite everyone else we find in, but not those you invited. Pausing OK then, will get onto it, sir.

Well you heard my master, the banquets it open to all, we’ve gathered the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame and there is still room, so please come and share in this bountiful feast!

Hand out the spoons and invite everyone to come forward and share in the angel-delight or ice cream. Why not provide some bottles of sauce and various things to sprinkle on top as well.

Reflective response to the story

Option 1

Resources needed: Large sheets of white paper and felt -tip pens, enough for each group to have their own

10 mins

Invite people to gather in groups of between four and eight people of mixed ages. Give each group a large sheet of paper and some pens. Encourage everyone to write down either the first names of people that they know from their community, or people from the community they don’t know the exact names of (for example teachers, lollypop person). It is important to say that it doesn’t matter if the same name or role is written by more than one person. Once everyone has had a chance to brainstorm as many names / roles as possible, invite people in their groups to pray short prayers asking for God to help them as they seek to share Jesus with these people through their words and actions.

Option 2

Resources needed: Pieces of A6 paper in a mixture of colours, enough for everyone to have one of each and a selection of felt-tip pens

10 mins

Invite people to gather in groups of between four and eight people of mixed ages. Invite everyone to create an invite to a party. They need to leave a space for the name of the person being invited to be added on. Having given people time to design the invite, encourage everyone to move around and find someone else to swap invites with. Once they have swapped, they need to write their name on the invite they now have. Encourage people in their groups to pray short prayers thanking and praising God that he loves each one of us and how we’re all invited to know him.