Our First Seder Experience
April 19th, 2008 by natalie
This afternoon our family joined several other families from our church to celebrate the Seder together. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and gaining a greater understanding of this Jewish tradition and its significance for us as Christians. Here are a few pictures capturing the occasion:
A group of five families gathered for the feast.
After the Removal of Chametz, we began with each of the mothers lighting a candle for the family.
Next was the first of four cups throughout the feast, each with its own significance:
1. The Cup of Sanctification and Freedom
2. The Cup of Judgment (Deliverance)
3. The Cup of Redemption
4. The Cup of Hope
The Ceremonial Hand Washing - an interesting side note that I had never thought about…Jesus treated this part of the ceremony a little differently. When He left his seat to wash his disciples’ feet and then returned to His seat it was symbolic of His leaving His place in heaven to come and offer cleansing from sin and then returning again to His heavenly home.
Mom and Dad break off a piece of bitter herb (parsley) before dipping it in salt water and then eating it.
After the Breaking of Bread: The Matzah, we ate the first course of the meal. The meal was spread out over about two and half hours with plenty of time for eating and talking and discussing the symbolism of each part. Max and Tamsey (pictured above with their littlest guy, Benaiah) graciously opened their home and organized the Seder and provided us with recipes for the items we were supposed to bring!
Now for the main course - the lamb roast. Interestingly, Orthodox Jews do not include lamb in their Seder because they are no longer allowed to sacrifice animals. Since we believe that Jesus was the sacrifice for our sins, once for all, we did partake of the lamb.
Our Seder was conducted picnic-style. We enjoyed the beautiful Spring day while reclining and feasting! It was a wonderful and memorable experience that we hope to repeat again in the future.