Passover in the Christian Tradition

On Holy Thursday, we celebrated Passover together, perhaps experiencing the meal in a similar way to the disciples of Jesus during their Last Supper, which was in fact a Passover Meal.

In the photo, we see Jamie who is serving as the "father" and leader at the family meal. In front of him are the basic foods that everyone partakes throughout the meal as we read through the Passover ritual. Each food represents a part of the story and helps those at the meal to experience the meal as though we were actually there in Egypt, as though we were the ones being brought through the Red Sea on dry ground, as those now free to worship the Lord our God as God's own people. We even had to eat horse radish to remember the bitterness of slavery, and dip parsley in salt water to remember the tears. We had a lot more than saltwater to eat though. Brad Morrison cooked up some lamb stew that was fabulous, and we all ate plenty of matzo too.

One of the most wonderful aspects of the Passover was how the experience involves the children. One of the first tasks is to hide some bread (with leaven, or yeast) around the room and allow the kids to find it all and "put it outside" as a symbol of our putting out any sin from our midst. The kids also have the role of asking questions throughout the service so that the story may be told to all.

When Jesus celebrated the Passover during the Last Supper, he diverted a bit from the tradition. First, he washed the disciples' feet. This would have been the role of a slave in the house but certainly not the "father" of the meal. In this act of service, Jesus modeled for us how the greatest is to serve the least.

Even more astounding, Jesus altered the actual ritual. When Jesus gave the disciples the afikomen (middle section of matzo that had been hidden which symbolized the hope for the future), he gave thanks, blessed it, and gave it to them saying, "This is my body, broken for you." When Jesus gave the disciples the third cup (Elijah's cup of redemption), Jesus said to them, "This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Radical. Amazing love.

Thank you to all who made this experience possible: Brad Morrison, Rosemary Herd, Chris Ward, Becky Snoddy, and all who attended, and most especially to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen!