A PASSOVER For a Messianic Seder Compiled and Edited by: John B. Connel
1 A Passover Haggadah (for a Messianic Seder) TABLE OF CONTENTS Kadesh: Sanctification of the Day --------------------- 2 o Lighting of the Candles ------------------------ 3 Kos Kiddush: The 1 st Cup Sanctification ----------- 4 Urchatz: Washing the Hands --------------------------- 5 Karpas: The Rebirth of Hope----------------------------5 Yahatz: Breaking of the Matazh ------------------------ 6 Motzi Matzah Maror: Bread and Bitter Herbs ------ 7 Koreich: Symbols of Slaver and Freedom -------------8 Maggid: Telling the Story ------------------------------- 9 o The Four Questions ----------------------------- 9 o The Exodus Story -------------------------------10 Markot Mitzrayim: The Plagues of Egypt ---------- 12 Kos G ulah: The 2 nd Cup Redemption ------------- 13 Shulchan Orech: The Meal --------------------------- 14 Kos Bareich: The 3 rd Cup Blessing- --------------- 15 Tzafun: Finding the Hidden Bread ------------------- 16 Welcoming Elijah: -------------------------------------- 17 Hallel: Praise to the Lord ----------------------------- 18 Kos Hatza-ah: The 4 th Cup Acceptance ----------- 19 Messiah: The Final Cup The Cup of Christ ------ 20
2 KADESH: Sanctification of the Day Now in the presence of our Lord, with the Passover symbols before us, we gather for this sacred celebration. Today it is our mitzvah, our duty, to tie the past, present, and future together by reliving the story of our spiritual ancestors a story that began with the calling of Abraham and was fulfilled with the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus. We tell of our deliverance by the hand of God, for it is written: Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. Exodus 12:17 Remember the day on which you went forth from Egypt, from the house of bondage, and how God freed you with a mighty hand. Exodus 13:3 As this story is retold, may we learn to appreciate more deeply the freedom we enjoy, and may we look forward to the day when all people everywhere can be free.
3 Lighting of the Festival Candles Light has always been a symbol of the holiness of God. Tonight we will light candles to show the significance of this holy occasion. We praise Thee, God, majestic sovereign of all life, who hallows our lives with commandments and bids us kindle festive holy light. (The candles are lighted as the blessing is recited) Group May the festival lights we now kindle Inspire us to use our powers To heal and not to harm, To help and not to hinder, To bless and not to curse, To serve you, O God of freedom.
4 KOS KIDDUSH: The First Cup Sanctification The fruit of the vine that we drink tonight is sweet. It is a symbol of our joy. Tonight we will drink to the many reasons for the joy that God has given us. The first is the cup of sanctification, for God has set us apart as a holy people for a holy purpose. As it is written. (Each person holds up a cup of wine.) You will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. Exodus 19:6 Blessed art Thou Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine. (All drink the first cup.)
5 URCHATS: Washing the Hands Throughout the centuries, ceremonial washing has been done as a way of connecting to the purity of God. The priests at the Temple would wash their hands before beginning any holy duties. Our Lord Jesus washed his disciple s feet as he ate his Last Supper with them. As we participate in the symbols of Passover, let us wash our hands. (Leader takes a pitcher and bowl and pours water over the hands of each participant.) KARPAS: The Rebirth of Hope We take a green vegetable, which symbolizes the coming of Spring and the rebirth of hope. We dip the vegetable into the salt water, which reminds us of the bitter tears our ancestors shed when they were slaves. They were able to survive their cruel ordeal because they dared to hope that one day God would help them to become free. We join in thanking God for the things that grow on the earth. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the earth. (All dip greens in the salt water and eat.)
6 YAHATZ: Breaking of the Matzoth The matzah before us stands for freedom. Unleavened bread is the bread of the poor. But it is also the first thing our spiritual ancestors ate as free people. The matzah also has significance to believers in Jesus. The three pieces represent the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave up the presence of God to be broken for us. He was wrapped in a shroud and buried in the earth. As a symbol of his sacrifice, I will remove the middle piece of matzah, break it, and conceal it. This symbol is known as the afikomen, from a Greek word for dessert. Later we will share it, just as the Passover offering itself was shared in Jerusalem in days gone by. (The leader takes out the middle matzah, breaks it and wraps it in a napkin.)
7 MOTZI, MATZAH, MAROR: Blessings for Bread and Bitter Herbs (Leader holds up top and bottom matzah.) Among people everywhere, sharing of bread forms a bond of fellowship. We join our hearts with all who are now in chains, for our redemption is bound up with the deliverance from bondage of people everywhere. Now we will bless the bread that is before us for God has given us food to share. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth. (Leader divides the top Matzah among the group.) This matzah is more than just food, though. Tonight we eat matzah to remind us of the fulfillment of a promise. Let us bless it. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with his word and has commanded us to eat matzah. (Do not eat the Matzah yet.) God promised to deliver us from slavery. Tonight we will eat maror, bitter herbs, to remind us of the bitterness of slavery. Let us now bless the maror. Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with his word and has commanded us to eat maror.
8 KOREICH: Symbols of Slavery and Freedom Preserving a bond with the observance of our spiritual ancestors, we follow a practice handed down from the time when the Temple stood. The matzah and the maror are combined and eaten together. Together they shall be the matzah of freedom and the maror of slavery. For in the time of freedom, there is knowledge of servitude, and in the time of bondage, the hope of redemption. (All dip the bread in the maror and eat.)
9 MAGGID: The Story of the Exodus Questioning is a sign of freedom, proof that we are free to seek the truth for ourselves. Because we encourage our children to question and to join in our observance, now let one of them ask the Four Questions, about the differences that mark this night. Youngest of the The Four Questions Why is this night different from all other nights? On all other nights we eat either leavened bread or unleavened bread. Why now do we eat only unleavened bread? On all other nights we eat any vegetable we wish. Why now are we supposed to eat especially bitter herbs? On all other nights we do not dip any food into another. Why now do we dip our food twice? On all other nights we eat normally? Why now do we recline and eat with a special ceremony? On this night, there are many questions. Let us now begin to answer them. The history of our people leads from slavery to freedom. We were slaves to Pharaoh and God freed us with a mighty hand. Had not the Holy One delivered us from Egypt, then we, our children and our children s children would still be slaves.
10 The history of our people leads from separation to redemption. We were slaves to sin and God freed us with a mighty hand. Had not the Holy One delivered us through His Son, then we, our children and our children s children would be lost forever. God has commanded that we retell the story of the Exodus. Therefore it is our duty to pass the story on from generation to generation. The more we discuss it the better we will understand how terrible slavery is and how wonderful it is to be free. The Exodus Story The Lord led our father Abraham to the land of Canaan and gave him many descendants. Abraham s son was Isaac. Isaac s sons were Jacob and Esau. Jacob had twelve sons who went down to Egypt because of a famine. Joseph, Jacob s beloved son, was already in Egypt when his family arrived. He was a slave but God was with him and Pharaoh raised him to a position of great power. Under Joseph's leadership Egypt survived the famine and became a very rich and powerful nation. Joseph brought his family to Egypt, where they multiplied and became a great nation. After Joseph died, there was a new Pharaoh who did not know about what Joseph had done for Egypt. He forced our people into slavery and ordered all our baby boys to be put to death!
11 One such boy was saved from the king's evil order by his mother's courage and love. His name was Moses. By a strange twist of events, he was raised in the Pharaoh's palace. He could have lived peacefully and happily, enjoying all the palace had to offer. But Moses saw the suffering of our people. In his anger, he killed an Egyptian, and had to run away from Egypt. Many years passed, but God did not forget our suffering. When the time was right, God called to Moses from a burning bush, and said: I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...I have surely seen the suffering of My people in Egypt and I have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. So I have come to deliver Despite them out of the hand of the Egyptians to a land flowing with milk and honey...therefore come now and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people out of Egypt. Exodus 3:6-10 Moses' plea and the threat of God's punishment, Pharaoh stubbornly refused to free our people. God brought ten plagues upon the Egyptians. Only after the last and most horrible plague, the death of the first born, did Pharaoh finally agree to let us go. Pharaoh, however, changed his mind and chased after us. But God helped us to escape by parting the Red Sea so we could cross on dry ground. He then closed the sea on Pharaoh and his army. Finally we were free! (All raise cups.) We give praise to God for His promise to free His people. In every generation there are those who rise against us. But God will always sustain us, and one day soon, will deliver us into His dwelling place. (All replace cups untasted.)
12 MARKOT MITZRAYIM: The Plagues of Egypt The ancient rabbis taught that when the Egyptian armies were drowning in the sea, the angels broke out into songs of jubilation. Yet God silenced them and said, My creatures are perishing, and you sing praises? As we mention each of the plagues, we will spill some wine into our plate. We do this to show our sympathy for the Egyptians. The cup of wine is the symbol of joy. But our cup of Joy is not full when we recall the suffering of the Egyptians. Although they were our enemies, we still feel their pain. They, too were human beings, children of the same God in whom we believe. (As each plague is mentioned each member of the group dips a little wine out of their cup with a finger and puts it in their plate.) 1. Blood 2. Frogs 3. Gnats 4. Flies 5. Cattle Disease 6. Boils 7. Hail 8.Locusts 9. Darkness 10. Death of Firstborn
13 KOS G ULAH: The Second Cup Redemption Now let us share the second cup the cup of redemption. For God has given us freedom from oppression. As it is written: (All lift cups.) I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgement. Exodus 6:6 Blessed art Thou, Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, creator of the fruit of the vine. (All drink the second cup.)
14 SHULCHAN ORECH: The Meal The three major Passover Symbols: The Lamb: The lamb represents the Passover sacrifice God commanded the Jews to make during the first Passover. Blood from this sacrifice was put on the door posts. When God saw the blood he would "pass over" that house and they would be saved from the plague of death. The lamb reminds us that freedom never comes without sacrifice. The Unleavened Bread: This poor bread is a reminder of freedom. When the Jews were set free, the had to leave quickly. They did not have time to wait for their bread to rise. The matzah can also remind us that we should not delay our decision to obey God. The Bitter Herbs: The Hebrew word for bitter is maror. It is a reminder of how bitter the Egyptians made the lives of our spiritual ancestors. The maror helps us to understand the suffering of those who are poor, hungry, sick, or alone. It helps us to care about others. (All now share in a time of eating and fellowship. During the meal the afikomen is secretly placed in another napkin and hidden by an adult.)
15 KOS BAREICH: The Third Cup Blessing Let us bless Him Whose bounty we have partaken and through Whose goodness we live. Now we will share the third cup the cup of blessing. For God has sustained the world with goodness, with grace, and with infinite mercy. He has given food to every creature. We praise You, O God, for bountiful blessings. As it is written: (All lift their cups) I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey. Exodus 3:17 Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine. (All drink the third cup.)
16 TZAFUN: Finding the Hidden Bread Before the meal I told you that we would share the afikomen as a symbol of our Savior. (The leader opens the empty napkin and discovers that the bread is missing.) The tomb is empty. The Lord is risen. It is now the job of the children to go and find Him. (The children search for the afikomen. It is customary to reward the one who finds it)
17 Welcoming Elijah On this night which reminds us of many injustices, we also remember Elijah the prophet. Scripture tells how Elijah helped the weak and oppressed. It was the spirit of Elijah who preceded the Messiah in the body of John the Baptizer. As the scriptures foretold he was, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make way for the Lord. Elijah stood with Moses at Jesus transfiguration to bring comfort to the Lord before his death. So at this time, we ask the spirit of Elijah to be with us. Let us open the door, that his spirit of comfort may come and dwell with us. (A child is sent to open the door.)
18 HALLEL: Praise to the Lord As inheritors of the priceless gift of liberty, we join now in praising God's holy name. (Group sings. Either of these two songs may be used.) From the Rising of the Sun from Psalm 113 From the rising of the Sun To the going down of the same, The name of the Lord shall be praised. From the rising of the Sun To the going down of the same, The name of the Lord shall be praised. So Praise ye the Lord Praise ye the Lord From the rising of the sun To the going down of the same The name of the Lord shall be praised I Will Call Upon the Lord from Psalm 18 I will call upon the Lord Who is worthy to be praised. So shall I be saved from my enemies The Lord liveth and blessed be the Rock And let the God of my salvation be exalted. The Lord liveth and blessed be the Rock And let the God of my salvation be exalted. I will call upon the Lord.
19 KOS HATZA-AH: The Fourth Cup Acceptance As our Seder draws near an end, we once again take up our cups of wine. The fourth cup is the cup of acceptance for God has promised to make us His own. Therefore, as God s chosen people, we have been called to share this message of hope to those who are lost. For it is written: (All lift cups.) "And I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God." Exodus 6:7 Blessed art Thou, Oh Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine. (All drink the fourth cup.)
20 MESSIAH: The Final Cup The Cup of Christ It was after the Seder meal that Jesus instituted the Christian memorial known as the Lord's Supper. As the Passover commemorates the redemption of the Jews from slavery to the Egyptians, the Lord's supper commemorates the redemption of all people from slavery to sin. As it is written: "Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.'" Matthew 26:26 (Leader breaks the afikomen, says a prayer, and gives it to the group to eat.) The Bible says that after the supper Jesus took the cup, meaning the cup of Elijah. In doing this Jesus was saying that the Messiah had come the old covenant had ended and the new covenant was beginning. Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them saying, Drink from it all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" Matthew 26:27-28 (Leader takes the Elijah cup, says a prayer, and gives it to the group to drink.) Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom." Matthew 26:29 Once we were slaves and now we are free. Today on earth, tomorrow in heaven!