“Living Last Supper”

Presented at Auburn Church
by Jeff Westberg

As a special Easter presentation, members of the Auburn, Georgia, Church wrote and performed a play on the Last Supper with Jesus and His disciples. The men spent hours in Bible study to ascertain the psychological makeup on what the men of that day might have said while eating this historic meal.

Submitted by: Jeff Westberg

Each disciple delivered a five- to seven-minute dialog reflecting his thinking about Jesus, His kingdom, and the relationship he had with the Messiah.

Submitted by: Jeff Westberg

The Auburn, Georgia, Church decided to do something extraordinary for Easter this year. Fernando Villarruel, director of the congregation’s men’s ministries, approached the pastor seven months ago and shared his dream of producing a “Living Last Supper” using Leonardo da Vinci’s famous mural of the late 15th century as the template.

The men spent several dozen hours in deep Bible study to ascertain the psychological make-up of the disciples, and then wrote what each man might have said while sharing this historic meal with Jesus.

After hours of perfecting their dialog, the 13-member troupe was ready to practice. They transformed the church sanctuary into the upper room, and had several dress rehearsals. Each disciple delivered a five- to seven-minute dialog reflecting his thinking about Jesus, His Kingdom, and the relationship he had with the Messiah, who was portrayed by Larry Moore. Each disciple ended his thoughts by wondering if he was the one who’d betray the Son of God.

During the actual performance on Easter Sabbath, there were three musical presentations interspersed throughout the program to allow the actors a chance to rest.

The church invited the city through a mass mailing of invitations to each home in the city, and hand delivered some 500 handbills. The 180 members of the audience (60 from the community) were both entertained and challenged by the performance. There were humorous lines interwoven within the dialog, but there were also important theological presentations and probing questions. The script was skillfully written and achieved its desired impact on the hearts of the audience.

At the conclusion of the presentation, light refreshments were provided in the fellowship hall, and the Desire of Ages and Steps to Christ were shared with visitors. One couple, invited by a recently baptized member of the congregation, stated they had never considered Jesus in the way this presentation shared. They said their desire is to become Seventh-day Adventists.

It was a very special way of celebrating Easter and bringing glory to God.

Watch the presentation on the Auburn Church’s webpage: AuburnSDA.org.

Georgia-Cumberland | June 2017