Our Crown of Thorns (inspiration found here)
For the past few years we have been enjoying special family meals inspired by the “Liturgical Teas” at Cottage Blessings. (Thank you again, Alice!!) Tonight we had our 3rd annual Lenten Tea Dinner on Holy Thursday! I’ve posted pictures from our first and second Holy Thursday Lenten Teas, but I am going to go ahead and add a post for this year as well, even though it is somewhat repetitive. I always love looking back and noticing the little variations from year to year. . . Anyhow, here is what was included in the menu this year:
~ Palm on the Road ~
I was so happy to be able to find Hearts of Palm this year at Costco! Like the first year, most of the children didn’t like the Palm, though most were willing to at least try some this time.
I also tried out a new idea I ran across, a Tomato, Avocado and Hearts of Palm Salad! It was awesome!!
“And many spread their garments on the road, and others spread leafy branches which they had cut from the fields.” Mk. 11: 8
~ Costly Oil ~
Do you have a favorite Olive Oil? Mine is the Basil Flavored Olive Oil from Annie’s Naturals!
“And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” Mk. 14: 9
~ Thirty Pieces of Silver ~
I served rice crackers once again, this time opting for “Artisan Cheese.”
“Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver.” Mt. 25: 14-15
~ Unleavened Bread ~
In the past I have used Pita Bread cut into wedges, but this year I opted for some Multi-grain Sandwich Thins. Next year I hope to have the time to try Lisa’s Unleavened Bread Recipe!
“And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the passover lamb, his disciples said to Him, ‘Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the passover?'” Mk. 14: 12
~ The Mount of Olives ~
This year, in addition to the Black Olives, I added some of my favorites – Green Olives double stuffed with Garlic and Jalapenos!
“And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Mk. 14: 26
~ The Cock Crows Twice ~
Once again this year, instead of sandwiches, I made mini Chicken Wraps with Chicken Breast, Cream Cheese, Lettuce and Tomatoes, wrapped in a green Spinach Wrap. (I tried to incorporate the color green when possible since Holy Thursday is also known as Green Thursday.)
I also served Roasted Chicken with White and Wild Rice Soup. It was delicious!
“And Jesus said to him, ‘Truly, I say to you, this very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.'” Mk. 14: 30
~ Gethsemane Figs ~
Fig Newtons are such an easy and yummy addition to the menu!
“And they went to a place which was called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, ‘Sit here, while I pray.'” Mk. 14: 32
~ Judas’ Kiss ~
The first year I served Strawberries, but they just don’t last long in my fridge, so I pulled out 1 green Mint Hershey Kiss (leftover from St. Patrick’s Day) for each person.
“And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said, ‘Master!’ And he kissed him.” Mk. 14: 45
~ The Clouds of Heaven ~
A little cloud of whip cream for on top of the Fig Cookies.
“And Jesus said, ‘I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.'” Mk. 14: 62
~ Peter’s Tears ~
I bought a pack of Tic-Tacs AND Altoids, but I wasn’t able to remember where I hid either this afternoon. :/ Thankfully I was able to find a little tin of breath mints that my little sister gave me at Christmas with my name on it. (No, I didn’t take it too personally, since she gave all my siblings personalized breath mint tins too… 😉
“And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.’ And he broke down and wept.” Mk. 14: 72
I happened to remember where I had put the small card stick signs that I made last year, which include the name for each dish and the short Bible quotes Alice provided. If any one would like a copy of my document, it can still be download/printed at Scribd.
While I was taking pictures, I snapped a couple of our dining room, so you could see where we placed our Hutch. Someday I would like to replace our table and chairs (or at least just the chairs) since we only have six and are using the bench from the school room so we have enough seats.
Also, my mom stopped by and helped me decide on some of my dishes, vases, etc, to put in the Hutch for now. I’m sure I will change it over time, but at least it isn’t empty anymore! Thanks, Mom!
I hope you all had a very blessed Holy Thursday!
Beautiful as always and so inspiring! Have a beautiful and blessed Easter! God bless!
p.s. I really love how your hutch looks like. Very pretty! =)
We also anjoyed our second Holy Thursday Tea, turned to dinner. I was so thankful for your posts to reference again:) This year we used whole lightly salted almonds as Peter's tears. They are the right shape, salty like tears, and good for your heart like repentance!
Your dining room and hutch look beautiful! Blessings to you and your family the rest of this week and into Easter joy!
Beautiful Jessica! I am sure your family loved all your hard work.
I had forgotten about your table signs for these teas… we did this one for the first time this year and my 6 yr old wrote the names of everything. I am saving your pre-made signs for the future, thanks for sharing them!
We also used leftover Hershey kisses, I think from Valentine's Day! If I had mint ones in the house, I would have eaten them all by now, ha ha!
My kids don't care much for the heart of palm, either… not sure why, as it really doesn't have a strong taste!
These are wonderful ideas- wish I'd seen the post earlier this week. I'll mark it for next year
We did this for the first time this year, thank you Alice and Jessica! We used sliced circles of string cheese for our silver coins, and I made a dipping oil recipe that I found on allrecipes using olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, oregano, parmesan cheese…delicious with the pita bread!
Sooo beautiful!! I would love to do something like this! Thank you so much!! Againg, thank you for sharing at the Link up!!
I just did this with my kids for lunch. They loved it. It was a bit of an exercise in patience with my 3 year old, but turned out beautiful and was much simpler to pull off than I originally feared. Thanks for the inspiration. The only thing I added was Sleepytime Tea for the sleepy apostles.