Over the last 4 years, Living Word Lutheran Church in Eagan has conducted a theatrical drama during Holy Week called "The Living Last Supper." It has become quite a tradition, and something that the congregation looks forward to every year.

The Living Last Supper is about an hour production in total, with each of the disciples having a short 3–5-minute monologue piece, with a musical interlude after every 3 disciples. Each of the monologue pieces for the disciples serves to give a window into the heart and mind of the disciples as they think introspectively about what Jesus has just said: that one of them would betray Him. Ultimately, each of the disciples ends up asking, "Lord, is it I?" By the end of the production, the recognized reality is that all of us in our sin have betrayed Jesus. It was our sin that nailed Him to the cross.

With Living Word holding a separate Good Friday Tenebrae service, this production seems to provide a good opportunity to look at the Upper Room and discuss that particular aspect of Holy Week. Typically, Living Word has this event on Maundy Thursday and has at times had a communion service to follow.

There are many reasons that the church has appreciated using this drama production. First, they have found it to be a great way to enter Holy Week, setting their hearts and minds on what Christ has done and how all of us have betrayed Him in our thoughts, words, or deeds. It provides a good and unique lens for confession of sin and introspection leading into Good Friday / Easter Sunday.

Secondly, the Living Last Supper is a very simple and straightforward drama production. This is a big factor for a small- to medium-sized church. It’s something that they feel like they can actually pull off without it being too overwhelming for anyone. The script consists of short paragraphs for each of the disciples to memorize, which are interspersed with musical interludes that can either be performed by a live choir (SATB) or can be played from an MP3 download. Sometimes the church has used a choir or a soloist, and other times they have just played the MP3 sound files in between the different monologues of the disciples. Either way, it’s pretty straightforward in its scope and aim.

This also means that there isn’t a lot of theater production experience or props that are needed. So, it is not hard for a church to take this on as an initiative. Essentially, all you need is a table, 13 chairs, and you're ready to go.

Third, the drama production is very adaptable. You can edit the scripts or add in some extra things from the Upper Room discourse. This last year, for example, Living Word added in the foot washing scene from John 13 in an attempt to expand the production. The drama production itself allows for this, as it provides the bare bones essentials, but is easy to build upon if so desired.

Fourth, it has also been a really good and unique way to incorporate and involve some of the men in the church. There are some different kinds of men's ministries that exist in the church, but this is a unique way for some of the men to bond together. They've also been able to incorporate some youth into the drama production, which has brought about a great intergenerational focus. It also makes for a really diverse group of disciples, with some as teenagers and others as business owners—probably not very dissimilar from what Jesus had.

Lastly, the church has found that it has been an easy thing to invite friends to attend. They regularly will have 200 visitors—a great chance to engage with those who maybe wouldn’t attend a worship service, but who are intrigued by a drama production. Oftentimes visitors will come and check it out and then will come back for the Good Friday service the following evening and/or the Easter Sunday service. So, it’s a great way to introduce people to the congregation.

If you’re interested in following up with this, the material can be found online at https://lorenz.com/shop/church-choral/cantatas-and-musicals/the-living-last-supper-2

"The Living Last Supper: A Dramatic Musical Experience for Holy Week"
Music by Ruth Elaine Schram

The author of this article, Pastor Nathan Olson, would love to answer any questions you might have. He grew up with this production being done at his home church of Faith Lutheran in Shakopee and at Resurrection Lutheran in Monticello during his time in seminary. Now after having it at Living Word in Eagan, he has seen a variety of settings where this has been successful.