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A PLACE PREPARED
Usually; it is just a matter of preference as to where you take the Passover service.
Some pastors insist that all who are able should attend with their congregations. Originally, however; the Passover was held inside the homes within the community.
Those who were single (or only a few) might join in with their neighbors in order to make sure all of the lamb was consumed and none was wasted.
AN INSIDE SERVICE
It makes sense that the observance would be inside instead of outside. On that first Passover; the blood of the lamb had been posted on their doorposts. Everyone was sheltered inside for the evening. No one was to leave the house after dark.
A PLACE FOR ELIJAH
However; during the meal, the door to the house was always left open because it was known that Elijah was the one who would precede the Messiah.
If Elijah showed up, they would know that the Savior would soon follow after him.
That is why it is customary for us to set an extra plate at the seder table. It remains empty until, or unless; Jesus decides to come again.
Today; we know Elijah has already come, so now that empty plate is waiting for Jesus at his return.
It is very possible that Elijah might be with him.
Wouldn’t that be great?
COZY AND WELCOMING
As for my own family; we usually like to keep our Seder meals cozy, yet welcoming. We prefer to do the Seder together; inside one of our family homes; just like those of that very first Passover.
We might go outside and sit on the deck later, or even take our full meal there; but the Seder is observed first in our dining room, and that empty place is always set with hope and expectation.
Typically; for a Christian Seder observance, there is nothing wrong with either choice (whether private inside a home or public and joining in a with a congregation) as long as you DO remember and keep this very sacred and important night.
You should be home and inside your house right after the Seder though. Personally, I lean toward being at home the whole time.
So take heart and begin to prepare for your own circumstances.
It is the LORD’S Passover!
THE FIRST PASSOVER WAS DONE IN HASTE
I’m going to be brave and say this out loud; but barely…….and very softly.
When you think of the Passover Seder; do you have that sense of the whole evening being long and tedious and formal; and (admit it) sometimes a bit repetitious and boring?
Do many of the preparations seem hard to remember and overwhelming?
Do your adult guests savor every word and symbolic element, while your younger guests and/or children squirm and wiggle and disrupt the happenings at the table?
Do you feel that some people are there only in body but not in spirit?
We are all in different stages of our own journey, and we all relate to different things in different ways; but I have good news.
It doesn’t have to be formal.
It really never should be done as a chore or an obligation. Many have observed the fact that if your Passover service is boring and lacking the joy; you are doing it wrong.
JESUS KEPT IT SIMPLE
Yes; you read that right.
Jesus kept it simple; and so can we.
That famous Passover before the crucifixion is a good example of the simplicity that Jesus gives to us.
He gathered his closest friends around him. Jesus washed their feet and made them comfortable at the table. He toasted the future with them. Jesus shared a meal with them. He blessed the bread and broke it. Jesus tried to explain to them what was about to happen to him by using this bread as an illustration.
There was a need for him to know that they would always remember this night.
They must have felt the urgency of his words.
He spoke to them of the most important things to come and assured them of his love for them.
It was as if He was saying to them; every time you come together like this in love and share a common meal; remember me.
And that is what we will do too.
REMEMBER THE LAMB OF GOD
We will remember Jesus and how He became The Lamb of God, broken and given for us.
When we first started keeping Passover as a Christian family who thought like Hebrews and believed in Messiah; we were so excited to begin to observe the Seder inside our home as a family.
It was all so new; and we learned as we went along.
At first, I thought everyone was required to follow all the rigid, strict rules with every year’s presentation of Passover.
Then I found out an amazing fact:
YOU CAN WRITE YOUR OWN SEDER
I thought you HAD to use a certain Haggadah (the little book that guides you through the Seder service,) and for a long time I didn’t know that each observant family was actually ALLOWED to write their own unique and individual version of the Seder.
Let me preface the things I will say today about freedom and creativity in the Seder with the fact that the Haggadah, the formal one that is traditional IS amazing and wonderful.
I would encourage everyone to study the moments just as they play out in a very orderly way and let God teach you new things.
Nothing I say about making things simple and about writing your own Seder should mean that I don’t appreciate the traditional Haggadah; because I actually love and cherish it and find the workings involved with it are capable of carrying my spirit through all of the new year that we are entering in the month of Nisan.
Those facts are for another article though; because this one today is aimed at families that are trying their best to get it all together and feel frustrated.
RELY ON GOD FOR GUIDANCE
Don’t let the devil trip you up!
God will keep His appointed times; and you should be reveling in the mystery and the majesty of it all; as well as relaying this feeling to your family.
So let’s break down the Seder to its simplest form.
There are 15 elements.
They are: 1. Kaddesh 2. Urechaz 3. Karpas. 4. Yachatz. 5. Maggid. 6. Rachtzah. 7.Motzi. 8. Matzah. 9. Maror. 10. Korech. 11. Shulchan Orech. 12. Tzafun. 13. Barech. 14. Hallel. 15. Nirtzah.
I hope I didn’t lose you with that last statement, because all of these Hebrew words are not nearly as complicated as they sound.
SIMPLICITY IS KEY
You can do each of these things in a simple way; without taking the whole night.
The whole service can actually be short and sweet and to the point.
Imagine my surprise when I realized we could individualize our own Seder to suit the personality of our family and that it would be totally acceptable before God.
I just didn’t know.
Every year that we continue to walk with God is another exciting learning experience. I’ve found this to be especially true at Passover.
PREVIOUS THINKING CORRECTED
I used to torture the ADD-type members of my family by practically forcing them to sit through a LONG and complicated annual service.
We would have a longer break to eat and then MORE LONG and formal services.
I don’t do that anymore.
It occurred to me that Our Father NEVER meant for such an amazingly special time to be boring or tedious.
God loves and enjoys this sacred time. We are His guest and we have come together to worship and adore Him. I think He desires that we all anticipate the service with great excitement and joy.
SOMETIMES FORMAL IS GOOD
Of course, we all have to think about all of our guests and decide what will be most effective for the times and circumstances that we and they are living through.
Sometimes those long traditional services can be very warm and teaching. People respond openly and are amazed at the truth and the concepts and how Our LORD and Savior Jesus is hiding in every motion, word and symbol.
Many people relate well to the formal services. If you know this is true; go ahead and be formal.
It will be wonderful.
OTHER TIMES FORMAL IS NOT SO GOOD
In other times, people see Jesus better in more of a relational style of teaching, without such a formal aspect.
Many prefer simplicity and don’t feel they need the long extended teachings.
Some people have already been through the service a million times before. They tend to tune out if you don’t make this service more relational for them.
PURPOSEFUL REPETITION
The repetition of the Seder is actually on purpose – so that we never forget the story; but it can be repeated in a million different styles and ways.
There are the elements of song, the written word, dance, drama, storytelling, artwork, poetry, etc. All of these can be added at appropriate times.
Any type of presentation is acceptable as long as you keep God’s requirements for remembering and celebrating.
We do what works for the seasons of our lives. No year is ever exactly the same.
Ironically, last year we found ourselves doing what worked while we were quarantined away from the rest of the world. You never know what situations this year’s events will bring. We use repetition a lot in these observances; both for the young children and the adult children who are able to be with us.
LEARNING ABOUT LIFE THROUGH RAISING CHILDREN
Children add a lot of magic to the evening. We love when we will get to be with our grandchildren at the Seder meal. If all of our grown children decide to join in with us; that is always a great blessing.
I’ve noted over the years that God never teaches the same message twice. Every year the topics are the same; but the place where we are in life is different and this causes different meanings to jump off the pages for our present and individual circumstances.
This aspect of Passover is a really cool part of keeping the Seder. It is something which I always enjoy looking back on and pondering deeper each year.
I’ve considered starting a Passover journal and letting people write down the thoughts that God has revealed to them in the present time, so that we can look back and know how amazing our history has been lived out together each year.
As I explained earlier; at first I thought we ALWAYS had to keep the rigid, formal, time-consuming rules. The first few times we did the Seder as a family were novel and interesting; and then I could see the glaze settling in over everyone’s eyes when I started setting the dates and making the plans for the next year.
IT IS OKAY FOR EVERYONE TO BE A CHILD AT PASSOVER
When the family grew up and we started having babies for grandchildren; things got even more complicated.
They all had rigid schedules, and no one could sit for long periods of time without interruptions.
I knew I needed a fresh new way to help these little ones look forward to the event because God wanted the event to live in our hearts and spirits as well as our brains.
Somehow the simplicity needed for the children had to communicate to the adults who loved the long theological discussions too.
I prayed for God to show us the way.
Prayer is how the preparation begins every year. With thoughtful prayers and times of waiting on God to show the way we can move into a deep blessing with these observances. God wishes for us to worship in this year’s circumstances and from exactly where He has placed us for right now.
NOT MAKING LIGHT OF ANY OF THE SACRED THINGS
Now, I don’t say these things by ANY means intending to make light of a very traditional Passover.
Not at all!
We take Passover very seriously at our home.
It is always a very sacred time that is entered into with reverence and the proper attitude.
You can do that artfully though; keeping all of the class and elegance, and still make the service shorter, more interesting, and very original.
It might become a much better fit for your family members during some of the seasons of your lives. After which; you can simply return to the longer, more formal settings again; depending on the needs of those in attendance.
THE JOY RETURNED
After I slowly began to change up the order and relaxed the formality of our observances a bit; people at our house once again began to deeply cherish and appreciate the Passover.
It seemed that they gained a deeper understanding of the necessity of keeping this annual appointment with God; and now they truly cherish the fact that Our Father wants us to observe certain holy days forever.
This made me so grateful and happy. It brought the joy back into all of the many preparations that I go through in order to accomplish a wonderful time of worship, praise, learning and fellowship with our family. Now we are happily and cheerfully sharing and passing the blessings on from one generation to another. I’m sure that was God’s intentions all along with commanding that we celebrate these times.
Once again; I could feel the happy members of my family grasping new things. I could sense their new appreciation for the old stories. God’s Presence among us seemed so timely and so happy.
Witnessing the joy that had been a bit lacking in the beginning was such a wonderful change.
EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE PRESENTATION
Each year that passes we begin our Passover celebrations by bringing a portion of ourselves before God as gifts of love and not simply an obligation.
Now we have a group that is whole-heartedly participating in a simple form of worship instead of depending on just one person to lead us through a long continuous list of rituals and routines.
My husband, though a great leader of the Seder, was relieved of the stress of having to be the ONLY one directing. We all helped out and took our places during various parts of the evening.
THE STORY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART
Of course, certain elements should not ever change.
One of those elements is the telling of the story of The Passover.
This is the most crucial part of the whole evening.
God’s story MUST be told.
He has commanded that we always REMEMBER THE PASSOVER story and pass it down from generation to generation.
AN EASY WAY TO ENJOY THE STORY
I’ve found an easy, relaxing way for our family full of young grandchildren to enjoy the story.
We watch it being acted out.
On many occasions we have watched “The Prince of Egypt” on video.
This beautiful/kid-friendly movie seems to cover every element of the Passover story. It is a very well done production (with great music) that both children and adults can relate to. I catch myself humming along with the songs and I see wide-eyed children doing the same. They are suddenly fascinated with the story and the adult parents are fascinated with the details that went into the movie.
When we aren’t consciously looking for the meanings; we can see so much more.
Everyone relates. What is even better is the fact that they now actually remember the main elements of the story.
A MOVIE SCREEN AND A PROJECTOR IS A WORTH WHILE INVESTMENT
Some years we chose to put a movie screen and a projector up on our back deck. We wait on the Sabbath sunset. Then we can watch the movie/story under the stars. For other years; we have chosen to stream services from local congregations through a large screened television into our den.
Of course, if you are a stickler for legalities, you may not believe in using electronics.
Every year I ironically hear people who use these things in services every Sabbath say they can’t use electronics at Passover. That always makes me want to laugh out loud. Passover is a High Sabbath.
I think God allows what we need for worship; and if it requires a screen, streaming, video, etc.; so be it. The electronics we use are simply tools, the same as the dishes and eating utensils and the candles and the food. They need to be clean, blessed and set aside for use for this special occasion.
FOLLOW GOD’S GUIDANCE FOR YOUR HOUSEHOLD
I feel comfortable moving in this freedom and answering to God in this way; but if you do not and you feel that God DOES NOT allow the use of electronics; then it WOULD be a sin for you.
Do what God leads you to do.
Keep His ways but live in His mercy and grace.
If you can’t use electronics maybe you could read a book or sing certain songs that tell the story.
You could have a play or a puppet show.
I’ve even used toys to tell the story.
Whatever breaks the monotone and the boredom of routine and keeps the attention of those gathered will work well.
The most important thing is to remember to tell the story.
A TYPICAL ORDER TO FOLLOW
So below is an outline form, a type of an example walk-through.
You can rearrange it; just be sure to include all elements and keep the telling of the story central.
LIGHTING THE CANDLES
As the evening begins after sunset we traditionally light the candles and say the Passover prayers.
If you are the only one at your house; you will need to do all of the basic prayers and elements yourself; invoking God’s presence as you move through them. Be sure to say everything out loud and listen carefully for the sounds of the words.
If you are blessed with a larger group in your home – distribute different parts to different members of the table; whatever is age appropriate.
Use what your family feels comfortable doing.
Children should definitely be encouraged to step up and participate.
ENJOY THE SEDER PLATE
Typically; when the whole family is with us, we all gather around our dining room table (which is inside the house) and have a short/informal time of presenting and sampling the things from the Seder Plate.
We drink the four glasses of wine with our prayers.
Next; we ask the four questions, and then we all enjoy a delicious meal together.
Sometimes we take our plates outside under the stars and we watch the movie on the back deck of our house as we eat our meal.
Other times we sit inside our dining room to eat; with the telling of the story done later in our den.
Just keep whatever you decide to do as simple as possible.
On other years, our whole family has sat outside and discussed the story from the movie while we enjoy ANOTHER desert and more wine. (The hidden Matzah is the MAIN dessert.)
Since the first Passover was meant to be observed inside the homes many believe that you should always eat the main meal indoors.
Give this some thought and prayer and see where God leads you to go. I have considered our back deck to be an extension of our kitchen/dining area – so I haven’t let this be an issue when we have wanted to sit outside (yet; inside.)
FAVORS CAN BE FUN
Most years, I let my grandchildren help me (during the days before Passover) to make some appropriate favors for everyone to take home after the Passover meal. This favor usually serves as a reminder during the next Days of Unleavened Bread and Early First Fruits.
Some years I print out pretty devotions for each day of Unleavened Bread and Early First Fruits. I then hand one out to each person to enjoy later as the week progresses.
This year I will pull some of these devotions out from my old files and leave them lying around the house to remind me and my husband to be reading about the season and the times as we go through them during the next seven days.
I’m so glad to have saved some of these devotional print outs that we made in years gone by.
On other years I’ve given out novel ways as tools for counting the omer. It could be 50 pieces of candy inside a pretty decorative jar; for everyone to use at home after Passover. Each day of the counting you get to take one piece of candy and eat it as you count.
I have, at other times, given everyone an empty jar and asked them to write one thing that God showed them for each day of the counting and number it and drop it inside the jar before saying the prayer. These notes will be fun to look back on in the years to come.
WHY NOT ADD SPECIAL MUSIC?
Lots of times, during the time before and after the Seder and during the meal time, we play interesting and/or themed music in the background with songs that are appropriate for the Passover.
One of our favorites is “Go Down Moses” by Louis Armstrong. I also love The Passover Song. Any music that seems appropriate to the occasion works nicely.
PREPARING WHILE REMEMBERING TO BE THANKFUL
Before sunset on Passover we set a beautiful table, something elegant and colorful with our dishes that are set aside especially for Passover use.
Now; with just a few little changes in presentation; the general, overall mood of this sacred time has become one of pure anticipation.
As the night goes by I can always sense that our hearts are being changed.
God always shows up and shows out.
I know this year that we will feel the world’s stress, worry and pain drop away for at least one sacred night as we share a meal that reminds us that God is always in control.
That fact alone can be such a relief.
He has the plan, and all we have to do is be obedient to observe the things He has taught us.
This helps to assure everyone that no matter what happens in the world; we will be fine.
I fully expect that observing Passover this year will be a very timely reminder of so many of the blessings that the world will not be able to strip away from us.
There are families that have lost their homes and loved-ones in wars this year. We will be praying that God will comfort them and bring them to a place prepared in time for the Passover. May the service remind them that God has not forsaken them and that they are not alone.
As long as we continue to follow God; miracles will still happen and the world will still be a joyful place to live; no matter the circumstances of the problems of the nations of the earth.
God has this capacity to lift our hearts to those heights that humanity acting alone cannot achieve. He alone is the Great Way-maker who will find the suffering and minister to them; just as Jesus did for His disciples on that first Passover night.
ENJOYING THE MOMENT IN TIME
It isn’t really very strange these days to enjoy a candle-lit dinner inside your home using your finest china.
Once you add God’s commandment to keep His Holy Passover; it becomes a perfect time.
Instead of a stiff and formal affair; the mood fades over to a more relaxed, even slightly romantic mood. Be aware of the fact that The Lover Of Your Soul is right in the room with you as you observe His Father’s commandments.
After all the Church is the Bride of Christ, and we ARE dating our Beloved whenever we gather in God’s name.
We are meeting with the LORD inside of this very sacred time.
OBSERVING THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF THE PASSOVER PLATE
We will place the Seder plate with all the appropriate foods in the center of one end of the tables where we gather. Our Seder plate contains portions of matzah, lettuce, parsley (karpus), horseradish, charoset, an egg and a shank bone.
Another plate of extra matzah will sit next to the Seder plate.
Typically, we place the pretty gold-embroidered afikoman cover for the matzah on the table next to these plates.
There will be a bottle of wine placed next to the other elements. Wine glasses are provided at each place setting.
Pretty and appropriate, but smaller plates are used on this table. We have other pretty china plates for our meal downstairs in our den this year, where we will eat our meal and watch a Passover message that we will live-stream into our home.
MANY DIFFERENT WAYS TO TELL THE STORY
As I mentioned earlier; for those with young children; The Prince of Egypt is a great movie that tells the story. Children love it.
Use whatever telling of the story is appropriate for your attendees. For the small group in attendance at my house this time; we will have a story told about The Mystery of Resurrection before observing the elements of the Seder plate. Then we will share a full meal. After the meal we will relax and watch The Prince of Egypt while sipping our wine and sharing a special dessert.
Chose what works for your gathering; it doesn’t have to be the same every year.
You can pick video messages, or have a formal Seder that tells the story through the ceremony. It is up to you.
There are many good videos available which are already prepared on YOU-TUBE.
I know some people who will be enjoying an ice cream Seder with their children. They will talk about the actual Seder plate; then later they will share ice cream and think of how it is symbolic too.
Whatever it takes to get the message across to your group; that is what you should do.
Just make sure they hear the story of Passover in it all.
DON’T FORGET ELIJAH’S PLATE
Of course we put down the extra plate; just in case Elijah decides to pick tonight to show up and join us.
Anyway it is always fun when that unsuspecting person points out that you have too many plates.
After years and years of observing Passover in our home, my husband and I will know what this place setting is all about; but in order to keep the tradition alive, I will set that plate out anyway.
Maybe this year someone else will point out the fact that Elijah came before Messiah; so if we see that place at the table filled; we can know that Jesus will return soon!
ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WHEN YOU BELIEVE
What if it does turn out to be the night that Jesus returns????
Will we all be ready to receive and serve Him?
On the other side of the table is a bowl of clean water. It sits over a stack of funny looking napkins that we will use to count the ten plagues. The napkins have pictures of each type of the ten plagues. I order these on-line most years; and I have some left over from last year that haven’t been opened yet for this year.
If you don’t have these available just put a drop of wine on a white napkin with your finger for each plague as you call it out.
The point is to remember that the plagues came.
A bowl of salt water is placed on the table to remember the salty tears of bondage.
All this part of the service needs is for the table to be ready and the rooms all cleansed of any leaven.
We remember to place the candles in their holders so that they can be lit to begin our evening with prayers.
KIDDUSH
For this part of our service; my husband will say another prayer (Kiddush) as he pours some wine into our waiting glasses. (Wine is used because it is a symbol for joy and happiness.
In years past, I have used sparkling cider for the children so that they too can participate in each activity. We tell them when they are twelve they can have real wine at Passover.
After the prayer we drink the first cup (instead of using four separate cups during the evening, we will simply take four sips of wine together when the time is appropriate.)
As we drink our sips of wine we will lean to the left because free people always have the luxury of reclining at a meal.
URECHAZ
Next – while we are still around the dining room table – A bowl is passed for washing hands before eating the karpus (parsley.) (Urechaz)
There are extra napkins at each place for drying.
KARPAS
After washing hands we all will hold a piece of the parsley and dip it into the salt water and taste it. (Karpas)
We will remember why we do this – because the salt water stands for the tears that were shed in the bondage of slavery in Egypt.
We remember the tears of slavery before God’s deliverance took place.
YACHATAZ
My husband takes a large piece of matzah from the plate and breaks it into two pieces. He puts the smaller piece back on the Seder plate.(Yachatz).
We remember that this is symbolic of the miracle that God performed when he parted the Red Sea so the people could walk across on dry land.
Another thing we remember is that this is symbolic of the broken body of Jesus who died on the cross for us.
His body was broken for us.
My husband says another prayer and we all take another sip of wine.
MAGGID
We are reminded that the main reason for our setting this night aside is to tell the story.
Before we tell the story though, we will ask four questions.
As the story unfolds; the answers to the questions should become obvious to us. He says we will listen to or watch the whole story in a few minutes as we take our festive meal; but first he gives us a preview of some the main points we should notice by asking the four questions: (Maggid).
The four questions are:
1. Why is this night different from all other nights?
2. Why do we eat matzah on this night?
3. Why do we dip the vegetable in salt water and eat bitter herbs?
4. Why do we recline at the table?
When children are with us; we request that they ask the questions.
Also; during the telling of the story we will mark our napkins with a drop of wine as we think about and call out loud all ten plagues.
These are the plagues we will name as we are listening to the story and marking our napkins with wine whenever they are told:
1. Water turned to blood
2. Frogs
3. Lice
4. Wild animals.
5. Disease of livestock.
6. Incurable boils.
7. Hail and thunder.
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Death of the first-born Egyptians.
This year there will be many prayers of thanks offered up thanking God for protecting us during this virus/plague that we have been going through.
We will ask for further protection and for healing for our nation and those who still have the virus.
As we continue the Maggid my husband will remind us of why we have the lamb shank on the Seder Plate.
He picks up the shank bone and says “remember that in the time of the ancient people leaving on that first Passover, and also during the temple times; the sacrifice of the lamb was a reminder that the blood on the doorpost protected the people from the death of the first-born.”
They, like us, were protected by the blood of The Lamb of God.
By the blood of the Holy Lamb of God we have been saved.
Every generation now must see themselves as having come out of Egypt by God’s mighty hand.
We must always sing the songs of praise that we will soon be hearing in our movie. It is a time to be thankful to our Great God for all the things He has done for us. The ancient people were delivered from physical slavery; and we have been delivered from spiritual slavery.
We have also, this very year, been delivered from some physical illnesses and sufferings due to the corona virus we have experienced as a nation. We will ask God to continue to keep his hand on us and to notice the blood of Jesus over the doorposts of our hearts.
It is the time to celebrate our deliverance.
We drink the second cup in honor of God’s deliverance.
RACHTZAH
The bowl is again passed for the washing of the hands before the meal. (Rachtzah)
MOTZI
A prayer will be said over the motzah. (Motzi)
My husband will then pick up three pieces of matzah. The piece in the middle will be broken. He will hold them all three up as he says a blessing. Then he will put the first unbroken piece back on the seder plate.
MATZAH
He will say another prayer. Then he will break bites from each of the two pieces that are left and give some of the matzah to each of us to taste. (Matzah)
We will eat while reclining to the left. This represents our freedom.
He will ask: Why do we eat the matzah?
We will then remember that when the people left Egypt they had to leave in haste. There was no time for the dough to rise. They ate matzah that did not contain leaven for bread.
The matzah helps us to remember their flight from Egypt and how God sustained them in the wilderness.
This bread, called matzah, stands for faith which is obtained by being humble and obedient to God. Matzah does not rise; so it is considered the humblest of all foods. It has no leaven which represents sin.
Jesus was like the matzah in that He committed no sin.
MAROR
We take a tiny portion of horseradish on a piece of matzah. My husband says “This is the maror. Do not recline when eating it. Do you know why?
I will answer: Because it is very bitter and it reminds us of the harsh, bitter times of slavery in Egypt. Slaves did not recline while eating.
KORECH
We all will take some of the charoset. My husband will ask: What is this?
Our son-in-law will answer: It is charoset; and the nuts and the raisins and the wine and honey all mixed together resemble the mortar of the bricks that the Israelites used to build with when they were bound in slavery. (Korech)
We both will then take some matzah and combine a little maror with some of the charoset between pieces of matzah.
My husband will ask if the addition of the charoset takes away the bitter taste of the maror?
We all will answer: yes.
Then he will ask if we can taste the sweetness?
We will answer: yes.
He then asks what the sweetness of the charoset means.
Our daughter will give the correct answer: That the sweet flavor stands for the hope of redemption. Even in the hopeless situation of slavery in Egypt the people of God looked for a coming Messiah.
At that point my husband will hold up the shank bone. He will ask what it means. I will explain that the bone stands for the Lamb of God; the lamb that is symbolic of Christ Our Messiah. The lamb was sacrificed at the Passover in Egypt; and later Christ came to sacrifice himself for us. The shank bone stands for our redemption.
SHULCHAN ORECH
After this we will go into the kitchen to gather our food and take it downstairs to eat our festive meal as we watch The Prince of Egypt together.
The message will contain the story of Passover. It is essential to hear all of the story. (Shulchan Orech)
After a good meal and complete telling of the story we will sip another glass of wine.
TZAFUN
After the telling of the story my husband will bring out the festive bag that contains the afikoman (the hidden Matzah.) He will show the bag to everyone and then go to hide it.
When he is done hiding; our grandchildren (and any children with us) will be told to go search for the bag. Whoever finds it gets a prize.
I love it when ALL of our grandchildren can attend, because they are all so challenged to find the bag and received the prize. That step is usually eliminated when we only have adults attending.
This part of the Seder teaches children (and adults) how the gospel can sometimes be hidden from us. We must search and search for it until we find it. It is important that we search with all of our hearts. When the time is right; we will find the greatest prize of all. We will find The Messiah!
After such a stressful year; it will be wonderful to turn the calendar into the month of Nisan and begin by enjoying a Seder with our Heavenly Father and our Messiah.
We will celebrate the fact that they are still with us, even in all of this trouble we have been going through. They will lead us to know the keys to the healing of the nations.
Everyone will look forward to celebrating Resurrection on the 2nd day of Unleavened Bread; three days after this Passover observance has happened. We are thankful for hope for the future again.
After this observance all of us know that the mystery of Messiah is hidden in every aspect of this time called Passover.
The word “Tzafun” means “hidden.”
BARECH
At the end of the evening; we will share a third cup of wine.
Then we will have a blessing to offer thanks for our meal. (It is traditional to offer thanks for the meal AFTER the meal instead of before.)
We are reminded in this that the Israelites traditionally prayed their “blessing” at the end of the meal instead of the beginning. So we too will offer up a prayer thanking God for our meal and our time together, and most of all for Jesus Christ, the Precious Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.
This is when we will drink the third cup together.
We remember that the order of the Passover, called the Seder, was formed long before the coming of Jesus Christ. We consider that it was commanded by God for all generations to remember that first Passover where the Israelites put the blood of the sacrificial lamb over their doorpost and all of the firstborn sons of Israel were saved from death.
Later Jesus came to earth. Before He was crucified as The Lamb of God, He took the Passover with his disciples as both a “firstborn son” and “The Lamb of God.”
Our Messiah took the cup that represented His holy and pure blood and blessed it and gave it to His disciples.
We have called this cup The Blessing Cup.
It is the cup that provides our Salvation.
This cup represents the holy blood of Christ poured out for us.
HALLEL
Holding hands after the prayer; we will sing a joyful song together.
It is traditional in Jewish homes to sing a song with words from Psalms 114-118.
The very word “Hallel” in Hebrew means “a joyous praise song to God.” This is where we get our word “Hallelujah.”
The Hallel is often called The Great Hallelujah.
If you know the song called “Hallelujah;” you will remember the words that say “there was a very special cord that David sang before the Lord.” That line is speaking of the Hallel that is always sung at the end of the Passover.
The passages of the Psalms used here are very Messianic in nature.
This would be the very song that the disciples sang together after the Last Supper (between the third and fourth cup) before they went out to the Mount of Olives.
At the time of The Last Supper; Jesus said these words which are recorded in the scriptures in Mark 14:25; “Truly, I say to you, I shall not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God”
Then later in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus said: ‘My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but thou wilt’” (Matt. 26:39).
Also we remember how we have heard of Jesus being offered wine mingled with myrrh as He hung on the cross; but He refused to drink.
The Passover would not be officially finished after The Last Supper until the Lamb of God was hung on the cross.
It would not be officially finished until after that fourth cup had been drank.
Finally, right before He died, Jesus said “I thirst.” He was given wine to drink from a stalk made of hyssop. Hyssop was normally used by the ancients to sprinkle the blood of the Lamb by the High Priest at the altar on Passover. (It was also used to sprinkle the blood of the Lamb on the doorpost of the homes of Israel in the first Passover.)
Then Jesus said “It is finished.”
The Passover is over.
The Lamb has been slain.
The sacrifice has been given and accepted.
THE FOURTH CUP
This end of the Passover is the time when the fourth cup is traditionally poured out and drank.
In a Jewish wedding the time that the bride takes of the cup of wine is the time that she commits to the marriage. In ancient times when a Jewish couple became engaged the man would negotiate a bride price. Then he would hand the bride-to-be a cup of wine and say “This is the cup of my covenant.” (Exactly what Jesus did at The Last Supper.)
If the woman drank it meant “I do.” If she refused the wedding did not happen.
At that point (when she drank the glass of wine) she had all rights of a wife but no marital intimacy until the wedding night.
Then at the wedding, they would drink another cup of wine together in the House of the Groom’s Father.
A TEMPORARY GOODBYE
Like those disciples that went out to the Mount of Olives; this is where we all usually hug and depart from one another, each going to their next destination that God has ordained for them in this life. (My husband and I will simply remain at home, speaking our temporary goodbyes at the door.)
Everyone typically goes home with their favors being handed out to them at the door as they leave.
These favors will remind everyone that tomorrow is the first day of Unleavened Bread, and the beginning of the counting of the Omer.
NIRTZAH
Nirtzah means “accepted.”
This is God’s part of all of this observance.
Remember how Abel’s gift of firstfruits was accepted by God?
The Lamb of God has been accepted as the firstfruits sacrifice for God’s people.
He accepts us as his people and continues living in our midst.
There is nothing we do ourselves at Nirtzah; each person simply carries all that he has learned in his heart; then goes out into the world as a witness for God.
THE PEACE THAT PASSES ALL UNDERSTANDING
It is hoped that even with all the human aspects of this family Seder meal (which will never be absolutely perfect until we take it with Christ when He comes again) that we have learned more and grown in our relationship with our Creator.
Knowing this fact will make the world we live and walk around in every day a much friendlier, more hopeful and better place to be.
This meal from Heaven has never been more needed than the present. Thank God for the experience of The Passover to bring us the peace that is otherwise unexplainable.
Together; we have worshiped our God in this gathering on this set aside and sacred night.
We will carry God’s blessings over us as we depart for the unknown.
YOUR PASSOVER CAN BE TAILORED TO YOUR FAMILY’S NEEDS
I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into how we sometimes conduct a Christian Passover Seder.
People all over the world in all periods of time have conducted such observances in honor of God’s love for mankind. Even in hard times and suffering; they have made a way to honor God. Our suffering is nothing when we pause to think of all the people who were in the Holocaust and how they honored God with the Passover in whatever way they could; even then. It is nothing compared to those who have lost both home and loved-ones in Ukraine. Most of all it is nothing compared to Jesus who hung on a cross and died for us.
To always keep God’s Holy Days is a way of true obedience to God’s commandments. In doing so; we know and celebrate the fullness of God.
I pray that you were able to see that every little part of this night, no matter the present circumstances of the world outside, tells the story of Messiah and brings us hope.
He is our true Salvation.
Every year is slightly different; depending on how God leads us. This is okay; this is allowed as long as we remember the story.
Knowing the story of The Lord’s Passover is the beginning of joy. It starts our sacred year with a sense of peace.
What begins in slavery; ends in freedom.
What seems impossible; becomes evident.
What started out sad; turned into joy.
SEVEN DAYS OF OBSERVANCES
We will know more of this as the week progresses.
You can’t know the end until you have absorbed the beginning.
Passover is a whole week; not just one night.
Every moment of life with God is a teaching moment. This fact will have you living inside out and upside down.
I pray that God will lead and guide you in formulating just the right way to bring your family to His Passover table.
Blessings; and a beautiful and blessed Passover to all of you!
May the peace of God flood your homes as you are obedient to His will for your lives.