|
Seder Meal
Have you ever wondered what kind of meal Christ shared
with his Disciples at the Last Supper?
Maundy Thursday
The Seder is the ancient celebration of the Passover,
originally held in Jewish homes, involving both dinner
and worship. Seder literally means ‘order’. The
Seder is made up of a number of ceremonies and symbols,
designed to help people identify with the trials of the
Jews who were part of the Exodus - their very
difficult life of bondage and the overwhelming joy of
their rescue by God to freedom.
The Passover meal as presented here is somewhat
different than that of the Jewish tradition. It has been
shortened, is more simple and has been adapted so it can
be used by families trying to have a sense of the
ceremony.
Foods Needed and Set Up
Lamb, pita bread or matzah crackers, parsley or
watercress, horse radish, Haroset (applesauce mixed with
walnuts), eggs, wine or grape juice.
For the table:
- have flowers and several unlit candles.
- special platter with the foods listed below in
specified order.
- pitcher of wine or grape juice.
- cup of salt water.
- Bible.
Each person should have a glass and a plate with
parsley, haroset, and some horse radish.
An empty wine cup should be set in the center of the
table.
On the platter:
1. Three matzah (can use pita bread).
2. Bitter herbs (or horse radish).
3. The shank of a lamb.
4. A roasted egg (hard boiled is OK).
5. Haroset (applesauce with nuts, cinnamon, honey and
wine).
6. Parsley or watercress.
The Traditional Order of the Passover Service
The Sanctification
Narrator:
We are gathered here to celebrate two of the greatest
feasts in the history of humankind - the Jewish Passover
and the Last Supper. On the last day of his life, Jesus
took part in the Passover festival meal with his
disciples. It was during this meal that he gave us the
symbols of bread and wine, representing his body and
blood with the invitation "Take and eat, drink of it,
all of you." Tonight we will celebrate together a simple
adaptation of the Jewish Passover meal. As a symbol of
the glow that happiness brings, let us begin by lighting
the candles before us.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, Who has
sanctified us with your commandments and commanded us to
kindle the light of the holiday. As we light these
candles help us to remember to live according to your
word so that we may bring the light to others.
Narrator:
Now we fill the first cup with wine. This juice is
poured from a common pitcher, symbolizing our unity. All
may now drink.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, Creator
of the fruit of the vine.
Cleansing the Hands
Narrator:
The leader cleanses his hands, but he does not recite a
blessing.
Eating of the Greens
All:
Why do we eat the greens?
Narrator:
This ceremony marks the green that comes to life in the
springtime. This is parsley (or watercress) - a green,
spring plant. Passover is a spring feast; it reminds us
of the newness of life. It is now used as a token of
gratitude to God for the produce of the earth.
We will now all dip or green parsley in the salt water
and eat it. The salt water is like the tears of a people
who are trapped in slavery and are not free.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, Creator
of the fruit of the earth. Keep us ever mindful of how
much we have in our lands, and help us be aware of the
needs of others - for those who hunger for knowledge and
truth and your word, O Lord.
Narrator:
The leader breaks the middle matzah, leaving one half on
the dish; the other half is hidden as the Aphikomon to
be eaten at the end of the meal. It was probably this
second half that Christ took and blessed after the Last
Supper.
Breaking of the Matzah
Commentator:
Here we have the matzah. Let it remind us of people
everywhere who are poor and hungry. Let it call to our
minds people today who are still in slavery and who do
not have freedom.
Recitation of the Service
Narrator:
The Seder meal includes a recitation of the service,
which has many parts. Tonight we are only going to go
through one of the parts, about the Ten Plagues. So
first, fill the cups again. When Pharaoh refused to do
what God had commanded and wouldn’t release the
Israelites, he brought trouble on himself and his
people, for the Lord struck the Land of Egypt with
plagues.
Commentator:
These plagues came on the Egyptians because of their
evil; but we do not rejoice over their downfall and
defeat. We cannot be glad when anyone needlessly
suffers. So we mourn the loss of the Egyptians and
express sorrow over their destruction.
Narrator:
At this point in the service we spill wine from our cups
at the mention of each of the ten plagues. We cannot
allow ourselves to drink a full cup; our own lives are
diminished by the memory of this awful event. We express
remorse and sorrow that the Egyptians had to suffer such
terrible punishment. Please spill a drop of wine from
the cup as each of the plagues are mentioned, a symbol
of regret that the victory had to be purchased through
misfortune visited upon God’s creatures, the Egyptians.
All:
1) Blood. 2) Frogs. 3) Gnats. 4) Flies. 5) Cattle
disease. 6) Boils. 7) Hail. 8) Locusts. 9) Darkness. 10)
Slaying of the First-Born.
Commentator:
Raise the wine cup. It is our duty to give thanks and
pray, to sing praise to Him who performed these wonders
for our fathers and for us. He led them out of slavery
into freedom, out of sorrow into joy, out of mourning
into festivity, out of darkness into light, out of
bondage into redemption. He leads us out of these things
too. Let us sing Him a new song. May Your name be
sanctified in the midst of all the earth and all peoples
be moved to worship you with one heart.
All Wash Hands
Narrator:
The following blessing is recited as hands are cleansed
prior to the eating of the Passover dishes.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, who has
made us holy with your commandments, and commanded us
concerning the washing of the hands.
Eating the Matzah
All:
Why do we eat matzah?
Narrator:
This is the matzah - This is in memory of the unleavened
bread which the Jews ate when they were freed from
Egypt. It reminds us of how the Hebrew people left Egypt
in a hurry and did not have time to prepare for the
trip. They had no time to bake their bread. They could
not wait for the yeast to rise. The upper matzah is
broken and distributed. As the matzah is blessed, broken
and passed around, we are reminded that the sharing of a
single matzah represents unity.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, who
brings forth bread from the earth.
Tasting the Bitter Herb
All:
Why do we eat bitter herbs?
Narrator:
These bitter herbs (horse radish) bring to mind the pain
and suffering of slavery. The bitter herbs remind us of
the bitterness of slavery. We dip the bitter herbs into
the sweet haroset as a sign of hope.
The Haroset helps us remember the hard work of slavery
and the making of mortar and bricks. Mixed together this
looks like the mortar which the Hebrew slaves used. The
Hebrews were able to withstand the bitterness of
slavery, because it was sweetened by the hope of freedom
that God would bring.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, Creator
of all growing things and Who made us holy with your
commandments. Keep us ever mindful of the gifts of
freedom, liberty and justice.
Narrator:
The bottom matzah on the plate is now broken and
distributed. Horseradish, haroset and this matzah are
eaten together in accordance with the verse in
Scripture, "They shall eat it upon unleavened bread and
bitter herbs."
A Reminder of the Temple
All:
Why do we eat the roasted egg and the lamb?
Narrator:
The egg is symbolic of the free-will festival offering
which accompanied the sacrifice of the sacrificial lamb
in the temple. The egg also reminds us of the new life
that grows in spring. The lamb is a reminder of the
lamb, which the Hebrews sacrificed to God in remembrance
of the night the Holy One passed over their houses.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the universe, Creator
of all living things. Let this lamb help to remind us of
our brothers and sisters everywhere who go hungry. Let
us share this meal in joy, remembering that Christ is
with us. A reading from Matthew 26: 26-29.
All:
Christ is with us. Amen.
Eating of the Passover Meal
Eating the Aphikomon
Narrator:
At the conclusion of the meal, children are given an
opportunity to find the Aphikomon. The leader receives
it and distributes pieces of it to all present.
Grace After Meal
Commentator:
Let us say grace. Let us praise Him of whose generosity
we have taken part in, from this time forth and for ever
more. Grant us grace, mercy, life and peace on this
Feast of the Unleavened Bread.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
Remember us this day in kindness.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
Visit us this day with blessing.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
Preserve us this day for life.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
Give thanks to God, for He is good, and His mercy
endures forever. Blessed are they who trust in the Lord.
The Lord will give strength to His people. The Lord will
bless His people with peace.
All:
Amen.
Praise the Lord
Narrator:
The cups are filled for the third time.
Commentator:
Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the Universe, Creator
of the fruit of the vine.
Narrator:
The fourth and last cup of wine is filled. An additional
cup, the Cup of Elijah the Prophet is set on the table.
Legend is that the prophet Elijah visits each seder to
wish all present a year of peace.
Commentator:
It is not for ourselves alone that we offer prayer to
God. It is His wish that all might enjoy the blessing of
liberty and the joy of redemption. So we invoke the
spirit of Elijah. May Elijah’s spirit enter this home
and renew our hope. May war come to an end and people
live in peace. May our hearts be united in His service
and our lives sanctified by His will.
Narrator:
Holding up the fourth cup of wine, we hear the following
prayer.
Close the Service
Commentator:
This festive service is now completed. Once again we
have recited the glorious tale of Israel’s liberation
from bondage. Let us pray that all people, freed from
violence and from wrong, and united in an eternal
covenant will celebrate a universal Passover in the name
of the God of Freedom. Blessed are you, Lord God, King
of the Universes, Creator of the fruit of the vine.
Narrator:
All drink the fourth cup of wine.
Commentator:
May the Lord bless us and watch over us.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
May the Lord causes the light of His countenance to
shine upon us and be gracious unto us. May He cast out
of all hearts the darkness of ignorance and the blight
of prejudice.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
May the Lord lift up His countenance upon our country
and make it a true place of liberty and a defender of
justice. May He grant us and all the world, peace.
All:
Amen.
Commentator:
May this service as celebrated be acceptable before the
Lord.
|
