For parents. This is the longread, scaled down for family worship. Each session has a Bible verse, a short story, one question, and a prayer. Plan ~15–20 minutes. Use it nightly for two weeks, weekly for two months, or as Holy Week reading.
What is here and what is not. We do not say things that are not true to make it easier for kids. We do tell the story plainly, in language children can understand. The hard things — the cup of wrath, the cross — are explained without sensationalism. Children can handle the truth told kindly.
Session 1 — What is a cup? (All ages)
Bible: Psalm 116:13 — 'I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD.'
Story. In the Bible, a cup is more than a thing to drink from. A cup is a picture of what God gives a person. Some cups are good — like the cup of salvation. Some cups are full of God's anger at sin. Tonight we begin to learn about four cups in the story of Jesus.
Question. If you could pick one good thing for God to fill your cup with tonight, what would you ask for?
Prayer. Father, fill our family's cup with the things you know we need. Make us thankful when we drink. Amen.
Session 2 — The Passover lamb (All ages)
Bible: Exodus 12:21–23
Story. On the night the Israelites left Egypt, every family killed a lamb. They put the blood on the doorposts of their house with a brush made of an herb called hyssop. When the angel of death passed by, he saw the blood and went on. The lamb died so the children would not. Many years later, Jesus would do for us what the lambs did for the Israelites.
Question. Why do you think God used a lamb to teach his people?
Prayer. Lamb of God, you took away the sins of the world. Pass over our home with mercy. Amen.
Session 3 — The cup at the Last Supper (All ages)
Bible: Mark 14:22–24
Story. On the night before he died, Jesus had a special supper with his friends. He took bread and broke it. He took a cup of wine and said, 'This is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many.' That cup is called the Cup of Blessing. When Christians take Communion, this is what we are remembering and receiving.
Question. What does it mean that Jesus called the cup 'my blood'?
Prayer. Lord Jesus, when we take the Lord's Supper, help us to remember and to trust you. Amen.
Session 4 — The cup Jesus did not want to drink (Ages 8+ (younger children may listen))
Bible: Mark 14:32–36
Story. After the supper, Jesus went to a garden called Gethsemane. He prayed: 'Father, take this cup away from me.' What cup? It was a different cup — the cup of God's anger at sin. The prophets had been writing about this cup for hundreds of years. Jesus knew he was going to drink it for us. He did not want to drink it. But he did, because he loved us.
Question. How do you feel knowing Jesus drank the cup that should have been for you?
Prayer. Father, thank you for sending your Son to drink the cup we deserved. Amen.
Session 5 — It is finished (All ages)
Bible: John 19:28–30
Story. On the cross, near the end, Jesus said one Greek word: tetelestai. It means 'It is finished.' Not 'I am finished.' Not 'I quit.' He said: the work — the saving work — is *complete*. Done. No one needs to add anything. Jesus saved us and finished saving us, all in the same moment.
Question. What is something you keep trying to 'finish' that Jesus has already finished for you?
Prayer. Father, help us rest in what your Son finished. Amen.
Session 6 — The cup that is still waiting (All ages)
Bible: Mark 14:25
Story. Jesus said: 'I will not drink wine again until I drink it new in my Father's kingdom.' That means there is a fourth cup that is still waiting. Jesus is going to drink it with us, at a great feast, when he comes back. Christians have always celebrated the Lord's Supper looking forward to this day.
Question. What do you think the kingdom-feast will be like?
Prayer. Lord Jesus, come back for us. We are ready. Amen.
Session 7 — The Hyssop and the door (Ages 8+)
Bible: John 19:29; Exodus 12:22
Story. When the soldiers gave Jesus sour wine on the cross, John tells us they used a hyssop branch to lift the sponge up to him. Hyssop is the very same plant the Israelites used to put the blood on their doorposts in Egypt. The soldiers did not know what they were doing — but God did. The blood of the true Lamb was being applied. The destroyer would pass over those who trusted Jesus.
Question. Why does God use small details — like a hyssop branch — to tell big stories?
Prayer. Father, you are at work in every detail. Help us see your hand. Amen.
Session 8 — Come and drink (All ages)
Bible: Revelation 22:17 — 'And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.'
Story. When Jesus drank the cup of God's anger, he made it possible for any thirsty person to come and drink the cup of life. There is no other cup that takes away sin. There is no other Savior. The invitation is: come. Come now. Come thirsty. Come needing. Jesus will fill your cup.
Question. Who in our family or our friends do we want to invite to come and drink?
Prayer. Father, by the blood of your Son, draw the people we love to yourself. Amen.