Precious Passover

Last night our family celebrated a Passover Seder for Christians. We had a blast! I was amazed at how Atlee enjoyed the 2 and a half hour service (his sister was with her boyfriend bowling, I had forgotten I told her the day before she could go which was a bummer). I found the Haggadah (telling) online and decided to give it a try. I’m sure that it wasn’t totally kosher but we did our best. We had fun working through it as a family.

We were amazed at how even though it was basically a Jewish Seder, Christ was everywhere! We were touched by the way the Jewish ceremony seemed to grieve the Egyptians loss of life so that they could go free. I was also impressed by their prayers for all of God’s children from many nations to be set free from their bondage.

The lighting of the candles was special for me as it represented the presence of God with us. It was good to remember the story of Exodus 12-14 and how God saved them at that time. We were also blessed by the new depth that was brought to us by learning about these customs and how they so beautifully intertwine with our beliefs.

It truly brought to us a new understanding of our Communion celebration. It made us conscience of our sin and ridding ourselves of it. . We drank deeply of the four cups: Sanctification/Freedom, Deliverance, Redemption and Thanksgiving all the while thinking about our Lord and what he has done for us.

Eating the matzah and thinking as they do not only about our deliverance from the slavery of sin but the expectation of what is to come was also very meaningful.

Shopping for our meal was a challenge and if I were to do it again, which we very well may, Lord willing, I would start a day or so in advance. The matzah (unleavened bread) was hard for me to find but apparently I went to the wrong stores so we had to use other cracker things with no yeast. The leg of lamb I found was huge and expensive so we went with the chicken option which was very good.

I loved how the Seder or order of the meal slowed it down and gave us a chance to spend quality time around the table together which is a lost practice in our society. We actually enjoyed our food as we talked about the deeper meanings of each phase of the Seder.

At one part we said together, “Blessed is he who has come in the Name of the Lord” from Ps 118:26, Matt. 21:9, 23:39, Mark 11:9 and other places with joy in our heart knowing that our Messiah has come and will return again!

I also liked how each member of the family had a part to do making it special for everyone. It was good for us to remember that this was a fun family time and we had a new experience that may become a lasting tradition.

While we didn’t have head coverings or the right matzah, food, linens and dishes; all in all it was a special time between God and us.