do not fit into the other, more specific categories.
|
|
do not fit into the other, more specific categories. |
|
Biblical Studies Foundation (a wonderful resource for serious Bible students) written by Daniel B. Wallace, Ph.D. Professor of New Testament Studies Dallas Theological Seminary "The following essay is the transcript used in a recent Seder that I conducted with some friends. With a little imagination, you can see how it was implemented. This evening we will be celebrating the Passover as it was celebrated in the first century A.D. Our records are scanty in some places, but the majority of aspects of the evening are certifiable as authentic at that time. We will not eat gifilta fish, nor have a boiled egg or a bare lamb shank bone on our plates, since this practice does not date back to the time of Jesus. The meal itself will be simple: hors d'oeuvres, lamb, unleavened bread, and wine; the symbolic significance of the meal, however, will be rich and complex. The Passover was a festive occasion—a celebration of the nation's release from Egyptian bondage. We should celebrate it tonight as Jesus' disciples did, for only later did they realize the irony of this joyous occasion that pointed to the death of the Messiah. As we replicate what the Jews of Palestine did at the time of Jesus, try to reflect on what may have been going through the disciples' minds as well as our Lord's, as we partake of that last Passover before his death. At certain points we will punctuate the ceremony with references to that Thursday evening of April 2, A. D. 33." Dr. Wallace presents a Christian Seder that does not deviate from what he believes can be known or inferred from the Seder of Jesus's time. For the complete description of his Seder, go to his page Passover in the Time of Jesus and for a well thought out presentation of the Biblical witness go to "Was the Last Supper a Passover Seder?". |
|
Domino Theory by Michael Roepke In 1999, we at Northway Christian Church in Dallas held our first Christian Seder Dinner. We surprised ourselves by hosting over 180 people. This year we hosted two Seder Dinners for well over 200 people. And we are already doing some planning for next year. Easter week is the most joyous time of the year for those in the five fold ministry. But it is also a very busy time. So what could I say to convince an already overworked pastor and/or pastoral staff to add an additional ceremony to their already full Holy week? A week after Easter, my teenage daughter dropped a copy of her school newspaper on my desk. She attends a Catholic High School and has been writing a viewpoints column for each edition focusing on the current holiday. The paper on my desk contained the following article: "Every Sunday at church, the priest recites words from Jesus' last evening with his disciples. "When supper was ended, he took the cup...." The Last Supper plays an indispensable part in Christian tradition, but how many of us really understand it? Even though we intellectually know that the Last Supper took place during Passover, few of us know enough about that event to make sense of the connection. First of all, Jesus' choice of last days was no accident. He entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, knowing the risks because, as he told his disciples, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer." (Luke 22:15) Passover has been celebrated annually for over 3500 years, making it the oldest continuous celebration in the world. It began at the time of the Egyptian captivity, when God commanded the ancient Israelites to observe the ceremony, remind themselves of it and tell their children why it is important. The purpose of this meal is to remind the faithful people of God that He has delivered them from Egypt and given them their own land. But the best part is that the story is not merely heard. It is seen, felt and tasted throughout the evening. How can a person taste a story? Every part of the meal is ceremonial, imbued with meaning. Parsley dipped in salt water represents the newness of spring, as well as the tears of those in exile. The bread used is unleavened, both because the Bible likens leavening to sin and because our Jewish ancestors could not wait for their bread to rise before departure from Egypt. One piece of unleavened bread is broken, and half of it is wrapped in a white cloth and hidden until the end of the meal. This piece is called the afikomen, or the coming one. The rest is divided among the participants three times: first it is eaten alone, then with horseradish to symbolize the bitterness of slavery, and finally with horseradish as well as kharoset, a sweet mixture of apples, honey and nuts that covers the bitterness of slavery with the sweetness of God's promise. Through the course of the evening, everyone drinks four glasses of wine. The first, the cup of freedom, starts the evening and represents God's promise to save the Israelites from slavery. The next, the cup of plagues, is filled-but a full cup is a symbol of joy, and God's punishment of the Egyptians was a solemn thing which we should never rejoice in. Because of this, each participant must flick out ten drops of wine; one for each plague. In this way, we show that we do not exalt in the suffering of any people, not even those who harm us. After supper, the table leader brings the afikomen back to the table, where it is divided and distributed. The bread was broken for our transgressions and was the bread Jesus used when he said, "This is my body." The cup of redemption, the third of the evening, is the one most theologians believe that Jesus called the cup of his blood, "the cup of the new and everlasting covenant." Just as the blood of the lamb at the first Passover brought salvation to the people of God, the blood of our lamb, the Christ, "shall be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven." After the cup of redemption comes the cup of praise, called the Hallel. It is drunk in thanks to God for all that He has done and for the saving grace that has been given to us. After the Hallel, the dinner is over and is often closed with the traditional words, "Next year in Jerusalem!" The Passover meal is integral to our understanding of Christianity and the Church, as it was the ceremony that the early Church celebrated when it gathered. It enriches and supports so much of our knowledge of the things we do every Sunday and offers insight into one of the greatest Mysteries of the Church." You see, our Seder Diner was a falling domino. And it fell against, and toppled another domino, my daughter who wrote an article which teaches Christ. That article was read by about 500 students plus their friends and parents. And that was only one of the dominos we toppled that evening. The Seder Dinner isn't as much a teaching about Christ as an experience of Christ. And when we experience Christ, we not only change, we have the power to help others c hange. Do we have time during this busy week for a Seder Dinner? We at Northway Christian Church do. |
|
Reformed Worship, Issue 58 a quarterly magazine that provides practical help and support to worship planners. Responses to RW 54 on the Seder Editor's note: We asked Arlo Duba, RW editorial council member, to write the following introduction to a lengthy and passionate letter, which is printed below. Duba is professor of worship (emeritus) and former dean of the theological faculty at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, Debuque, Iowa. RW 54 contained a "teaching service" on the Jewish Seder by Diane Quintance. The Seder meal provides an intergenerational and integrative interpretation of the exodus, and is, of course, central to our understanding of the first great covenant God made with humankind. When observed in a Christian congregation, this celebration can be viewed as an interpretive family meal. In a box within that article, Father John Grabner wrote about the use of the Seder as an inter-religious issue, urging us to be particularly sensitive to Jewish difficulties with any uncritical Christian use of the Seder. Grabner is particularly negative about the mixing of the Seder with the celebration of the Lord's Supper on the Thursday of Holy Week. Our Jewish friends might see that as comparable to our reaction if someone used our communion order to introduce a "cocktails and hors d'oeuvres" party - probably not evil, but not appropriate. We would think it sacrilegious. Among the responses to this article was the letter that follows. Arlo Duba Hot Springs, Arkansas For the last year my mission has been to encourage every possible Christian Congregation to observe a Christian Seder/Last Supper and I have read everything I have found about it, including opposing points of view. Recently Reformed Worship (54) printed an article in which Father John Grabner states that Seder "belongs to the Jews" and is "not the common property of Jews and Christians." ("Guidelines for the Christian Use of the Seder") I have spent time in thought and prayer, trying to determine if my course is correct. I can confidently say that if the Christian World ever lays aside its differences and comes together, it will be around The Lord's Table. The problem is that no one seems to know exactly how to set that table. I am Protestant, and as such, believe that, with the help of The Holy Spirit, we can determine the Will of God for us through Scripture I am Catholic and Episcopal as well and rely heavily on tradition and authority to guide and correct me. But I am also Jewish. And, as an heir of Abraham, I have a passion for understanding my Hebrew roots. When I need to learn about those things that existed before the time of Christ, I go to those roots. Fr. Grabner tells us that the Passover story, unleavened bread, bitter herbs and cups of wine are undeniably from the time of Jesus, but that Seder tray, heroset, plagues as drops of wine, opening the door for Elijah, the song "Dayenu," and the terms Seder and Haggadah would not have been known to Jesus. Haggadah is a Hebrew word meaning "the telling." Used as a noun, it refers to the order of service of a Passover Dinner. Rabbis will tell us that it goes back to (at least) the Mishnah (200 AD). Perhaps no First or Second Temple Hebrew needed an order of service. Today we do. Must we give it a new name? Seder seems to be an acceptable word for the Dinner during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. A Jew might tell us that King David celebrated Seder. Are we being disrespectful to call the dinner that Jesus hosted a Seder? Do we need a new name? At my last Christian Seder there was a Seder tray at each table. It was a cafeteria tray holding six plastic bowls. One of our bowls contained a Lamb shank. We held it up and explained why our Jewish brothers and sisters have this shank (or in some cases, whole lamb) on their Seder Plate. We, of course, have no need of lamb or shank, as our P assover was sacrificed once and for all. Father Grabner tells us that the questions of Seder were altered and moved to their present position in reaction to Christian Jew, who, in celebrating Seder, attached a new significance to the bread and wine. That may be true, but it also tells me that part of the foundation that my church is built upon is the Seder Dinner. And finally, Father Grabner tell us that Seder is a "ritual of home and family around the dinner table..." There is no doubt that the first Christian Seder was a family affair, but not in the usual sense. I cannot say if The Last Supper was an event attended by Jesus and the twelve only, or was comprised of others. I feel certain that the room it was held in was the same room where 120 waited for the Holy Spirit. Either way, the family was the Christian idea of family. Though I certainly agree that the aspect of dinner table must be preserved. Holy Week was a living parable, not told but acted out. In fact, it could be said that the Passover in Exodus occured in order to prepare us for this living parable. We cannot truly understand Holy Week if we do not partake in the Passover Feast. And we will never truly understand Jesus until we come to understand Jesus as Jew. Father Grabner concludes by writing that if we persist in Christianizing the Seder, we should celebrate it on Wednesday, rather than Thursday. I could not help but remember a line from the Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, a Christian writing that was almost included in our New Testament. And I believe that this line may have been the reason it was not included: "But do not let your fasts coincide with those of the hypocrites. They fast on Monday and Thursday, so you must fast on Wednesday and Friday." Didache 8:1 Jesus made one obvious and simple request. "Do this in remembrance of me." This may mean the bread and wine or it may mean the entire meal. I do not really know which, but I choose to do the entire Megillah. I promote the Seder dinner because I believe that we were requested to participate. I promote the Seder dinner because I believe it is essential to learn as much as we can about our Jewish Savior. I use every source available for recreating this important event of redemption and salvation from Exodus. And I have been influenced by the Messianic Jewish community. Thousands of thousands of people, mostly of Hebrew origin who, while preserving their Jewish religion, acknowledge Jesus as Messiah. But ultimately, I promote the Seder because it comes to us as an experience of redemption and salvation. It is our opportunity to experience the highest goal of the Christian life. The experience of Christ. by Michael Roepke |