Tonight I had the privledge of participating in a Passover Seder. It is a special meal where each food has special significance that tells the story of the Israelites exodus. There is a cup of water with salt, a vegtable (lettuce at our table) which was dipped twice in the water which represented the bitterness and harshness of their slavery. Then there was the Charoset; a sweet brown mixture of brown sugar, apples, cinnamon and red wine. This represented the mortar used to build the storehouses in Egypt. The Z'roa is lamb (we used beets) that represents sacrifice; a visual reminder of death passing over the Israelites homes. Next was the hard boiled egg represents life. The last item is Matzot - unleavened bread broken into three pieces. The three pieces to some represent the trinity- God Father, Son, Holy Spirit; to others it represents Abraham, Isaac & Jacob and still others it represents the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. There were also four glasses of wine during the meal; each representing something-sanctification, plagues, redemption and praise.
As you can imagine there was a significant amount of preparation that lead to this meal. While in the midst of each food there was scripture read, blessings read and prayers given. It was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I truly was in the presence of the Lord during this meal. In James 4:8 it says Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. During part of this meal we were to stop and wash our hands--a sign of cleansing our bodies and souls.
This celebration was to be for generations to come according to Exodus 12:17. While I am not Jewish this Seder opened my eyes in a new way to Christ in Luke 22:19 "And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” I have taken communion many times over the years but tonight it was such a sacred moment (not to say that the others weren't). Going through this ritual drew me into a closer relationship with God and understanding of His love and compassion for us. I only observed a portion of the Seder tonight but I look forward to next year and excitedly anticipate participating in the full 7 days. I am not Jewish and this isn't necessary for me to serve the Lord but what a wonderful way to worship and reflect my reverance for God.
At one point during the Seder a blessing is read. Have you ever read a blessing over your children? If you haven't, let me encourage you to make a blessing over your children. As we enter into Passover pause to see how God would desire you to observe this next four days.
Praise God He is risen and desires to share life with us!
