Passover Dinner

People around the world celebrate Christmas, believers and non-believers enjoy this festive season alike. There are many more christian celebrations besides christmas and this weekend is one of them. It is my heart's desire to share a little about this weekend's christian celebration with all my faithful bloggers. As widely celebrated like any festivals eg. Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Deepavali etc, this weekend starts with the 'Passover Dinner' which is a requirement for the Jewish people (Ex 12:14) and we believe that Jesus observed the feast in what we know as the 'Last Supper'. As Christians and people of the new covenant in Christ, we have no obligation to observe this Old Testament feast. However, this feast is significant to our understanding of God's redemptive purposes (1 Cor 10:11). The proceedings of this symbolic dinner is outlined as follows; 2 candles are lighted at the start to remind us that we are not here to feast but to observe and remember what Jesus has done for us. To get our hearts ready to celebrate and tell the story of deliverance, freedom and redemption.

In the days preceeding the Passover, it is tradition to clean the house thoroughly and the evening before the passover all trace of leaven/yeast is removed from the house. In removing the leaven, we symbolize our willingness to obey God in preparation for celebrating the deliverance He has already brought to his people. This meal has no leaven, it signifies the attitude of penitence, the willingness to remove any corrupting influence in our lives and submit to God in obedience. We are suppose to search for any hidden sins in our hearts that might prevent us from celebrating the joy of this festival.

God gave promises of freedom to His people with 4 cups from the fruit of the vine (wine) to celebrate what we call God's promises to Israel and to us. In the 4 cups we drink, celebrates the 4 'I will' promises of God; Freedom, Deliverance, Redemption and Thanksgiving.

Food on the dinner plate are as follows;

Matzah - unleaven bread reminds them (the Israelites) of the haste in which they left Egypt.

Maror - a bitter herb usually horseradish reminds them that they were servants to slavery.

Karpas - a sprig of vegetable (parsley or celery) dipped in salt water symbolises the coming of spring which brings hope and the salt water are the tears they cried in Egypt.

Charoset - is a sweet desssert made from apple, nuts, spices and wine has the appearance of straw in remembrance of the mortar used to build ther treasure cities for pharoah. It is a symbol of hope of freedom that enabled their ancestors to withstand the bitter slavery.

Zeroa - the shankbone remind them that there has to be blood sacrificed to save their lives.

Our Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, Holy is your name! Your Kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, adn forgive us our trepasses, as we forgive those who trepass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the Kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen.