Messiah Lutheran Church Presents “Living Last Supper”

The Messiah Lutheran Church at 4102 Trinity River Drive in Corpus Christi, Texas will present its 22nd annual dramatization of the “Living Last Supper” at 7:30 p.m., March 17th-19th.

Based on the famous painting of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles by Leonardo Da Vinci, the “Living Last Supper” depicts a live reenactment of Christ’s final meal with His disciples in which audience members, through words and musical interludes, are given an intimate glimpse into the mind and personality of each apostle as he gives his reaction to the Lord’s announcement that one of them will betray Him.

“I never fail to be moved by this performance,” said Tom Jackson, a cast member of “The Living Last Supper” and an elder at Messiah Lutheran Church.

“It’s continually renewed my spirit, even after all these years. We hope [by seeing the show] people will get a greater understanding of the sacrifice of Christ and the birth of the Christian movement, as well as a renewal of their faith.”

The presentation, which is put on by volunteer church members at Messiah Lutheran Church and draws crowds in the hundreds, has become an Easter tradition for many residents in the Calallen area since the show was introduced in 1986.

“We have people who come every year who say it enhances their Easter season and helps them to prepare for the holiday,” said Sharon Schrader, a charter church member who along with her husband, David, has co-directed the dramatization the last two years and participated in it as a singer in the past.

“A lot of people come to see it,” she said. “We didn’t do it one year and had people in the area offering to give money to put the production back on.”

About 50 volunteers-from set designers and costumers to the actors who appear in the show (including the church’s pastor, who plays Jesus)-are involved in the presentation, which has been in rehearsals for eight weeks.

“Everything used in the performance is handmade by the members of the church,” said Jackson. “The lights, sound, costumes, the whole thing is totally an inside production of the church.”

In addition to doing publicity and set design for the show over the last 20 years, Jackson has also acted in the drama as various apostles. This year, he portrays James the Less.

“There are several of us that have been involved over the years,” Jackson said. “This is my fourth different apostle.”

The cast members take their roles seriously, preparing through prayer, Bible study and research on each apostle, something which Jackson feels has attributed to the production’s longevity.

“The commitment on the church’s part to provide this to the community has kept it going,” he said. “We get comments that are inspiring and grateful…we have vans full of people that come from all over the outside communities to see this.”

Admission to “The Living Last Supper” is free; childcare is provided.