Passover (Pesach)
Hosting a Passover Seder at the Vintage Barn
If you had told me seven years ago that I’d be leading a Passover Seder, I would have laughed at you. Mocked you, probably.
And yet this year, on the 14th of Nissan at twilight, I had the honor of leading 67 precious souls through an annual celebration rooted in the Exodus and fulfilled on the Cross! What a joy!
The Haggadah
As many of you know, I’ve been working closely with Simka Foundation since the end of 2022. Dr. Gayle and I have spoken about creating our own updated Haggadah (or Passover Guide) since 2023 when I brought ancient pottery replicas home from Jerusalem to assemble our first Festival-in-a-Box.
The Hebrew word Haggadah means “guide”. This year, I did what I do best for Simka: make things work well and look beautiful. Not only is Simka’s Passover Seder Guide more visually appealing, it’s now even more engaging.
If you’ve never attended a Passover Seder, I cannot recommend it enough!
It puts our faith in an entirely new perspective when we see how intentional the Exodus was during the time of Moses. When dots connect and you realize that Yeshua really is our Passover Lamb, the scriptures come alive!
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.
1 Corinthians 11:26
The Bread
Yeshua, knowing that he would bear the affliction of our sins in His own body, held up the Matzah and broke it saying: “This is My body given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (Luke 22:19).
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha’olam,
ha matzah lechem min ha’aretz.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe,
who brings forth bread from the earth.
The Wine
The Passover dinner is structured around four promises of God symbolized by four cups of wine or grape juice. The significance of the four cups are taken from scripture (Exodus 6:6-8):
FIRST CUP — Cup of Sanctification
“I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians...”SECOND CUP — Cup of Deliverance
“…and I will deliver you from their bondage…”THIRD CUP — Cup of Redemption
“…and I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments…”FOURTH CUP — Cup of Hope
“…and I will take you for My people, and I will be your God: and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
Baruch Atah Adonai Elohaynu Melech ha’olam,
Boray p’ree hagafen.
Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe,
Who creates the fruit of the vine.
The Ten Plagues
Recounting the story of the ten plagues makes for a fun-filled evening, especially when props are involved to bring the story to life. It was truly an event for all ages, with guests ranging from newborns to elders in their 90s … and everything in between!
Joy! Joy! Joy!
The Community
Gathering with friends and family for Passover has been a long-held tradition since the time of Moses and well documented during the first-century Church. It’s time for believers to embrace the heritage of our faith and get in sync with God’s calendar.
To stay up-to-date with the Biblical calendar, subscribe to our Rhythms Newsletter.
I’m Gr8ful.
I think what you are doing is similar to how the Orthodox Christians and the Catholics are doing Communion. Did you ever took the time to look at how those churches have been teaching their followers about how to prepare for Eucharist because I found that you are missing the fasting part and learning to purify the body? If you forgot to do that, it might end up being a disservice for Christians.