Project: Remember
Our goal with this project is to compile resources that will provide an opportunity for your family to understand the Providential Hand of God. In the busy world we live in, the tendency is to brush over ancient landmarks. The content on these pages should help your family understand the significance behind key holidays and events of our nation and the Bible. Take a moment to browse through the content. Grab an idea or two, print off a couple quotes to read, and check back often as content will continue to be added.
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Make this a time of remembering, with the whole family, what the Thanksgiving Holiday represents.
Do you have an article, fact, activity, or recipie that would be a blessing to us all? Please click here to submit. We would love to know how your family remembers and celebrates this important day.
INTRODUCTION HISTORY ACTIVITIES
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Introduction to a Blessed Thanksgiving Celebration
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Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river of Ahava, that we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for us, and for our little ones, and for all our substance. For I was ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king, saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that forsake him. Ezra 8:21-22 Verses used by Pastor John Robinson in his farewell address to the Mayflower Pilgrims
Numbering less than a couple hundred among the thousands in England, the Pilgrims of the 1600s were the subject of mmense persecution and the king’s direct attacks. King James was determined to induce submission
to his regime or he’d harry them out of the land. The future looked bleak for this small devoted body. What inspired them onward? What gave birth to courage amidst great fear? It was the unchanging principles, promises, 
and truths of God’s Word. Emboldened by these, they reached out by faith unto their Heavenly Father, they opened their mouth wide and God sufficiently filled, they were lead up upon the high Rock.
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History of the Pilgrims
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Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
O Come, let us sing unto th eLord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with Psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great king above all gods (Ps. 95:1-3)
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destrucction within the yborders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise (Is. 60:18)
We have a call upon us to Thanksgiving. Unto the One who has given us manifold blessings, may we not forget to render the thanks due unto His name. May this be a day of great rejoicing in each home across the nation. As our founding fathers below remind us, this is to be a day of prayer, praise, and penitence. May the simple realization of how greatly the hand of Providence has blessed us draw us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts. Happy Thanksgiving all! The below excerpts from Thanksgiving Proclomations would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving celebration.
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…No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.
And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it, as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes, to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity, and union….
Excerpt from President Lincoln’s official Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863. This was given shortly after Lincoln’s salvation.
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor;….Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence….And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;….and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
President George Washington, October 3, 1789
Read the entire proclamation here.
Whereas it is the incumbent duty of communities, as well as individual persons…. to recollect the innumerable blessings conferred upon them by their all gracious Father and Benefactor; and as the season of the year is now approaching when - in imitation of the example of our venerable forefathers - a day has been invariably set apart for this laudable and religious purpose:
I … accordingly appoint Thursday, the twenty-fifth day of November next, to be observed as a day of public thanksgiving and praise throughout this Commonwealth, hereby calling upon ministers and people of every denomination to assemble on the said day and … render to God the tribute of praise for His unmerited goodness towards us: in favoring us with so great a measure of health; in preserving us from desolating judgments; in so far smiling upon our trade, our liberty, and the works of our hands; …[and] in continuing to us the innocent enjoyments of social life, the means of religion, the right of private judgment, and the Holy Scriptures - which are able to enlighten and make us wise to eternal salvation…
And… it is highly becoming that we present our humble and penitent supplications to the God of all grace that He would be pleased mercifully to forgive our manifold sins., and through the sanctifying influences of His Spirit, correct our heart and manners and make us a holy and happy people; that He would be pleased to preserve to us our invaluable rights and liberties, civil and religious; to prosper the administration of the government of the United
States, and of this and other States in the Union;… to smile upon our university and all seminaries of learning so that streams may issue from them to make glad the city of our God; … to put an end to civil and religious invasions on the rights of men; and to cause the benign religion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to be known, understood, and practiced among all the inhabitants of the earth…
John Hancock, Governor of Massachusetts and Signer of the Declaration of Independence
- Gratefully Remembering - Part 1
The Thanksgiving season demands a twofold response from us Americans. First, a response of gratefulness; Gratefulness to what God has given us and what he has done in and through this nation, the United States of America. The second response is remembering. Remembering what God did in our past, His Providential Hand working in the lives of individuals, and what those individuals had to go through to make what we have to day possible.
Let us now enter into the spirit of the thanksgiving season by gratefully remembering what our forefathers accomplished, endured, and sacrificed.
During the early 1600’s, Living in small villages about the borders of Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire, England, was a small band of Christian reformers. The majority of them were yeoman; owners of small parcels of land which they diligently farmed and worked on. To the world at large they were insignificant. But God was preparing them to be the foundation blocks which future generations would build upon.
They had a true desire to, live their lives biblically and godly, follow Christ commands, and have true unity one with another. These desires implanted in them by God, caused them to separate from England’s state church. For it was downright impossible to fulfill their desires and still attend a church which they perceived was full of evil and hypocrisy. This resulted in much persecution. For you see, the King did not perceive their action from the same perspective. Consequently he utilized harsh measures to try forcing them into obedience to his laws.
These Christian reformers, also called separatist (because of their separating from the state Church), and later called Pilgrims, were divided into two different assemblies, each shepherded by a different Pastor. One, as time went on, fell apart and never recovered. The other, however, Pastored by John Robinson, continued on, meeting in Elder William Brewster House every Sunday for worship. This went on for years until persecution reached such levels that William Brewster lost his house, and the other Separatists were being watched incessantly. Consequently, they resolved to leave their native country as soon as possible and head to the Netherlands. Where they aniticipated, according to what they heard, a land in which there was religious freedom.
- Gratefully Remembering - Part 2
After many unsuccessful attempts, because of governmental interference, the pilgrims finally arrived in Holland. Deciding to preside in the city of Leyden, the pilgrims for the first time began to experience true religious freedom. Nevertheless, though escaping the persecutions in England they began to experience a whole new type of trials and difficulties in the pleasure seeking land of Holland. After eleven or twelve years of living in Leyden, the pilgrim leaders began to see a need for transplanting and their eyes kept being directed to the land far over the Atlantic Ocean—America. There were many reasons for this conclusion. 1. They saw their children becoming lukewarm “…were led by evil example in dangerous courses, getting the reins off their necks and leaving their parents.” * 2. The hard physical labor was hastening many of the pilgrims to quicker deaths. 3. “They cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundation, or at least of making someway towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ…”* these reasons with many other embolden them to begin the undertaking.
It took 3 to 4 years for this undertaking to actually begin. The English government kept throwing, obstacles and difficulties in the form of agreements, contracts, and charters, which greatly retarded their progress. The Pilgrims didn’t grow weary through this time but continued depending upon Christ for strength. What joy they had when the day finally arrived to actually embark on ships and begin their journey. The ships they sailed on were the Mayflower and Speedwell. Yet only after a short journey the captain of the speedwell complained of leaks and stated he had to return. This led to a dividing of the already small number of pilgrims to the point where there was only 41. After the speedwell left, the 41 pilgrim, with sailors, and another 61 adventures, settled on the Mayflower for the crossing of the Atlantic. Their journey was full of many privations and difficulties. Nevertheless they trusted in their God and depended upon him. God proved himself worthy of their trust, like he always has and always will and he brought them safely through. After 66 days they safely arrived in the Cape Cod bay of New England.
William Bradford gloriously captures their response to what they had gone through and to what was to come in his journals. It manifests the great foundation blocks they laid for us; ones which we can’t allow to be destroyed and which must be applied to every aspect of life.
“…What could the see but a desolate wilderness, full of wild beasts and wild men”…If they looked behind them, there was the mighty ocean which they had passed and was now a gulf separating them from all civilized parts of the world. What then could now sustain them but the spirit of God, and His grace? Ought not the children of their fathers rightly to say: Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness: but they cried unto the Lord, and he heard their voice, and looked on their adversity….Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever. Yea let them that have been redeemed of the Lord show how he hath delivered them from the hand of the oppressor. When they wandered forth in the desert-wilderness, out of the way, and found no city to dwell in, both hungry and thirsty, their soul was overwhelmed in them. Let them confess before the Lord his loving kindness, and his wonderful works before the sons of men!”*
* Excerpts taken from The Plymouth Settlement by William Bradford.
- John Tilley (1571-1620)
Here was a man of humble beginnings and an abrupt end. Little is known of his accomplishments in life; but with little doubt, Mr. Tilley recognized hand of God at work. He was the eldest of 8 children and lived in the small town of Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. He married his wife Joan in 1596. They had 6 children together and saw 5 of them reach adulthood.
As a part of the Seperatist movement, the Tilley family underwent much persecution. Their faithful Pastor John Robinson inspired the often weary, but visionary souls of the pilgrims. When the time came for the pilgrims to leave the continent of Europe, John Tilley, his wife, and youngest daughter Elizabeth joined 41 pilgrims on the long 60+ day voyage.
He was one of 41 men to sign the Mayflower Compact aboard the battered ship. Little did he understand the legacy he took part in leaving to the world by his signature. Sadly, both Mr. & Mrs. Tilley passed away the first bitter, cold winter that claimed nearly half of the 102 Mayflower passangers. Parentless, young Elizabeth Tilley went to live with Rev. & Mrs. Carver only to be turned out once again when this dear couple passed away the following year. Nevertheless, God had His hand upon the orphaned child and providentially orchestrated a marriage between her and John Howland.
As the upcoming report on John Howland will reveal, their marriage would eventually impact the lives of those living in the 21st generation today. John Tilley had every right to live a comfortable life as a member of the Churc of England. He could of even stayed in the careless town of Leyden, Holland where worship of God was tolerated by the government but undermined by the culture. Praise the Lord; however, that this Patriarch of faith with a multi-generational vision stayed the course.
Herein is one who, “…overcame…by the blood of the Lamb,… the word of his testimony; and loved not his life unto the death (Rev. 12:11). This legacy was passed on to his daughter Elizabeth who left, within her will, this charge to her children, “It is my will and charge to all my children that they walke in ye feare of ye Lord and in Love and Peace towards each other.”
- John Howland (1599 – 1673)
John was born in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England. At the age of twenty-one, he was employed by John Carver and shortly thereafter made the 66 day trip to America aboard the Mayflower. As many will recall, Rowland was the one who ventured above deck amidst a horrific storm, that lasted well nigh 2 weeks. Peeking aboved the rancid room below, the boat, which was riding up a large wave, came crashing down leaving pour John in midair and within moments the raging ocean. Despite evident disobedience, the Providential hand of God was upon him and a trailing topsail halyard from the boat came fluttering by to which John quickly grasped.
John Rowland was one of 41 men to sign the Mayflower Compact. Sadly, the original copy of this document was lost and the sole reason those fundamental words were not loast is due to the journal of William Bradford (never underestimate the powerful potential of journaling). After the establishment of the new government, John went ashore with a small group of men to explore the shores of Cape Cod.
Through what can only be attributed to diligence and dependability, Howland rose to a position of great respect and responsibility in Plymouth. He was called upon to be assistant to the Governor, served as a member of many Plymouth committees, was placed in charge of the Colony’s fur trading post at Kennebec, Maine, and was an influential member of the Plymouth Church. Seeing a need to owe no man anything and to be free from future problems, the pilgrims asked Howland for assistance in buying out the businessmen who had bankrolled the settlement of Plymouth. Howland was a ready, willing vessel through whom God was able to work powerfully.
In 1624, John (age 25), described as a ‘plain good-hearted Christian,’ married 17 year old Elizabeth Tilley. They went on to raise 10 children (4 sons & 6 daughters) through adulthood. Rowland understood the responsilibity of passing on the baton to the next generation. This is seen in the positions of leadership that his sons took in Plymouth. 400 years later, the influence of Rowland continues to affect the United States through his direct decendents: President George Bush, George H.W. Bush, Barbara Bush, Jeb Bush, and many more. He also assisted his brothers (namely Henry & Arthur Howland) in coming to New England. Their direct decendants include Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Winston Churchhill.
Howland died on February 23rd, 1673, and was “with honour interred”. This was given only to the leaders of the Colony, and meant that a squad of soldiers fired a volley over his grave. He is described in the records as a “godly man and an ardent professor in the ways of Christ.”
Was he perfect? By no means. However, herein was one who chose to follow the principles and paths of Christ. In 1620, 41 Pilgrims willingly climbed aboard the Mayflower, leaving left behind fortune, fame, and comfort to insulate themselves and posterity unto the increase of Jesus Christ.
We have a similar decision before us. The world we live in continues to embrace evil. I do not believe God is calling us to physically leave our wicked culture, but rather to willing climb aboard the Mayflower of separation and to prepare to be leaders and possibly martyrs. Let us not see how close we can come to the world but chose rather to be Godly and ardent professors in the ways of Christ. God has called us to be different. We are pilgrims on a heavenbound journey. And remember, you may be an influential John Rowland or a seemingly insignificant John Tilley, but both were used by God to impact our culture because of faithfulness.
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Thanksgiving Day Activities
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- Placing 5 kernels of corn on each plate in memory of suffering of the Pilgrims.
- Go around the table and have each person express one thing they are grateful for (of course we all should be able to go on and on as we count our many blessings, but we would not want the turkey to go cold).
- Prepare a small edible gift with a little Happy Thanksgiving label featuring a Scripture Verse & note of appreciation for your neighbors. We have found this to be a huge blessing, especially at Thanksgiving when no one expects such things.
- Have different family members conduct a short research on one of the Pilgrim era characters (we have a list of 100 or so). America is quickly forgetting who her true heroes were. William Bradford’s own journal of Plymouth provides dozens and dozens of names (both popular and unheard of). Some will dress up as the character for their presentation, others will read a short essay, and there may even be a short skit. It certainly makes for a memorable afternoon or evening.
Have a turkey hunt for the younger children. With a straight stick, a piece of rope, and several smaller sticks, you can have your very own ’close range’ archery set. Daddy goes and hides a pre-made cardboard turkey(s) in the yard and lets the hunters lose!- Make your very own, edible turkey.
- Prepare and play pin the beard on the turkey (same rules as pin the tail on the donkey.
- Read the account of the Pilgrims as told in the “Light and the Glory for Children.” We have done this many times over the years. This particular account captures the sacrifice and Providential hand of God amongst the Pilgrims.
- Draw a picture. Several people in our family have looked all over the place for nice Thanksgiving pictures. Here are some of their favorites. Click on the picture to print off a small format or click here for larger pictures.
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Important Dates & Facts to know
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- July 22nd, 1620 - the Pilgrims depart from Delftshaven, Holland in the Speedwell to pick up the Mayflower in Southampton, England. The Speedwell was to be the vessel left behind for the Pilgrims’ use in America once the Mayflower returned. Both ships leave August 5th.
- September 6th, 1620 - After leaving the leaky Speedwell behind, the Pilgrims leave Plymouth, England and officially begin their 66 day, westward journey.
Number of passengers: 41 Pilgrims from the Scrooby church, 18 indentured servants, and the remainder being financial opportunists and adventurers for a total of 102.- Winter of 1620-1621 – nearly half of Mayflower travelers die.
- Fall of 1621 – The very first Thanksgiving Feast - 2007 is the 386th Anniversary
- 1622 – The Plymouth settlement residents are reduced to only a 1/4 pound of bread per day for a portion of the year.
- 1623 - Once again, the Pilgrims are reduced to only 5 kernels of corn per person/day for a period of time before provisions were obtained.
- The tradition of placing five kernels of corn at each plate first started at Plymouth on Forefather’s Day, 22nd Dec. 1820 on the occasion of the Bi-Centennial of the Landing of the Pilgrims. Hosting the occasion was the newly founded Pilgrim Society with guest speaker, Daniel Webster.
- 1863 - President Abraham Lincoln issues an official Thanksgiving proclomation that is then continued by every subsequent president until 1941 when the 4th Thursday of every November became a National Thanksgiving holiday.
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Poems, Quotes, & More
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- A goal of the Pilgrim’s expedition across the Atlantic as recorded in William Bradford’s journal:
“‘Lastly, (and which was not least), a great hope and inward zeal they had of laying some good foundation, or at least to make some way thereunto, for the propagating and advancing of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in those remote parts of the world; yea, though they should be but even as stepping-stones unto others for the performing of so great a work.”
- A very touching poem that well depicts what the Pilgrims went through. Read this with passion, envisioning the suffering of our forefathers - prepare to be touched.
Five Kernels of Corn by Hezekiah Butterworth
‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!
“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!”
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!”
O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o’er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!
“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!”
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “Five Kernels of Corn.”
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!
- The song below was sung onboard the Mayflower prior to leaving the ship within Cape Cod Bay. Click here to print the music or to here the tune. For slightly different words and rythm, click here.
“Old Hundredth”
Also titled: “All People That on Earth Do Dwell”
(Sing to the tune of the Doxology)
1. All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell;
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
2. The Lord, ye know, is God indeed;
Without our aid He did us make;
We are His folk, He doth us feed,
And for His sheep He doth us take.
3. O enter then His gates with praise;
Approach with joy His courts unto;
Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,
For it is seemly so to do.
4. For why? the Lord our God is good;
His mercy is forever sure;
His truth at all times firmly stood,
And shall from age to age endure.
- A Thanksgiving Day Prayer/Poem
Heavenly Father, on Thanksgiving Day
We bow our hearts to You and pray.
We give You thanks for all You’ve done
Especially for the gift of Jesus, Your Son.
For beauty in nature, Your glory we see
For joy and health, friends and family,
For daily provision, Your mercy and care
These are the blessings You graciously share.
So today we offer this response of praise
With a promise to follow You all of our days.
–Mary Fairchild
George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclomation
John Hancock’s Thanksgiving Proclomation
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Scrum-dilly-licious Thanksgiving Recipies
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- Honey Corn Bread
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teasponn salt
2 eggs 1 cup whipping cream (millke is fine too)
¼ cup oil (vegetable or saflour)
¼ cup honey
In a blwo, combine four, cornmeal, sugar baking powder, and salt. In a small mixing bowl, beat the eggs. Add cream, oil, and honey; beat well. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Yield: 9 servings.
We always double this recipe and put in a 10”x15” pan.
- Lime Gelatin Salad
1 package (6 oz) lime flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
½ teaspoon vanilla exract
1 can (15 oz) mandarin oranges, drained
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup lemon-lime soda
½ cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 carton (8 oz) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
Dissolve gelatin in water. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in gelatin g mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla, oranges, pineapple, soda, and pecans. Chill until mixture mounds lightly when dropped from a spoon. Fold in three fourths of the whipped topping. Pour in a 13 x 9 x 2 inch dish. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or until firm. Cut into squared; garnish with remaining whipped topping. Yield: 16-20 servings.
Usually, we omit the pecans and do not cut into squares but either prepare it in a large bowl or leave it uncut in the 13×9x2 pan
- Home-Made Fruit Turkeys - Click here for all the details!
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The Seder Service for Christians – Order of Events
Please note: In Jewish homes, the Passover celebration would vary in its exact performance based on the leading of the Lord through the head of the household. While certain key elements remained the same, there would be differences from house to house. Here is an example to guide your family
I. Introduction
Leader: Today we are going to participate in a Traditional Jewish Passover Seder. It was a yearly event in the lives of the Jews designed by God to remind them of His power in delivering them from the bondage in Egypt but even more importantly it was to prepare the Jews for the coming of the Messiah who would deliver them from their real bondage of spiritual death. Most of us know of this Jewish Tradition from the account of the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples. That last supper was a Traditional Passover Seder much like what we are going to recreate here today. As we remember that event over two thousand years ago may we be awed by the grace and beauty of our heavenly Father as He used it to prepare for the coming of His Son. The Passover Seder was a very exciting and significant event in the lives of the Jews. We get a sense of that excitement in the words of Jesus before His last Passover Seder…… Luke 22:15 And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:
Let us with great desire enter into this celebration of Jesus Christ.
II. Preparation: Removal of Chametz (leaven)
Leader: Welcome to our Passover Seder. The traditional Jewish Seder was flexible in many ways. Families while making sure the key elements were present, freely celebrated as the father directed, emphasizing those things that the patriarchs deemed most needful to focus on. Let us ready our hearts to celebrate and tell the story of deliverance, freedom, and redemption. Scripture teaches us that we must all consider ourselves as having been slaves, that we must all consider ourselves to have walked in darkness, so that we might celebrate the deliverance in the Exodus as a forerunner of our own deliverance through faith. It is in the spirit of having been knit together by this common deliverance that we remember, through the Passover celebration, what a marvelous work God has done.
Leader #2: As the Israelites prepared for the exodus by obeying the commands of God through Moses, so in removing the Chametz or the leaven, we symbolize our willingness to obey God in preparation for celebrating the deliverance he has already brought to his people. Let us first find and put away the leaven from our hearts to prepare for our own celebration of deliverance. And as we do, let us search for any hidden sins in our hearts that might prevent us from celebrating the joy of this festival.Leader: Let us for the next few minutes prepare to celebrate by humbling ourselves under the mighty hand of God, asking God to reveal and remove the leaven of sin in our lives through a time of confessing that sin to God and each other as He directs. Action: Proceed with a time of confessing our sins and sharing our burdens.Leader: As we have confessed our sins and shared our burdens before God and each other we do so because we desire to experience in our physical day to day life the spiritual freedom we have been given by God. If we obey Him and remove the leaven form our lives He is faithful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness and then shall we walk in the truth.The father in the Jewish tradition had the responsibility of making sure the home was free of any leaven before the Passover could be celebrated. Its actual removal, and the symbolic removal at the beginning of the Seder, signifies an attitude of penitence, a willingness to remove any corrupting influence in one’s life and submit to God in obedience. Since dust was deemed to contain leaven this meant that the father had to make sure the house was well cleaned. Fortunately the father did not have to do all the cleaning himself, his family would help.And we are going to need the help of all those 14 and younger to clean the leaven out of this home before we start…..the leaven looks like this (hold up a piece of leavened bread). It is your job to go and find all the leaven and bring it back to your father.Action: Several younger children get up and go to the room where the Seder will be celebrated, search for and collect all the bread in order to remove the Chametz and prepare the room for the celebration of the Passover. When the bread is collected, have them deliver it to their fathers. The fathers, together, leave the room with bread as an action of purging the home of leaven.Each father (returning to his family): I have now purged my house of all leaven; I am now ready to keep the feast. Leader: “Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” 1 Cor. 5:7-8Leader#2: We praise you O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who hallows our lives with commandments, and who has commanded us to prepare for Passover by removing the leaven.Action: Move into the room where we the actual Seder Meal will be celebrated
III. Lighting the Passover Candles
Explanation: The actual Seder begins with the lighting of the Passover candles. Traditionally, the mother of the home lights the candles, just as she lights the candles that signal the beginning of Shabat (Sabbath). The candles symbolize the presence of God and mark this as sacred time.Leader #2: Now in the presence of loved ones and friends and before us the symbols of our rejoicing, we gather for our sacred celebration. With the household of Israel, our elders and young ones, linking and bonding the past and the future, we once again hear and obey the divine call to service. Living our story that is told for all peoples, whose conclusion is yet to unfold, we gather to observe this Passover, as it is written:1-Fathers lead your family in saying: And ye shall observe the feast of unleavened bread; for in this selfsame day have I brought your armies out of the land of Egypt: therefore shall ye observe this day in your generations by an ordinance for ever. [Exodus 12:17]
Leader #2: We assemble in fulfillment of the commandment:
2-Fathers lead your family in saying: Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten. [Exodus 13:3]
Leader #2: We praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has preserved our life so that we may again celebrate this festival. As we kindle the festival lights, we pray for the light of God in our midst that we might see anew the meaning and significance of this celebration.
Action: Mothers light the Passover candles Mothers together say “Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has ordained that we celebrate the Passover.”Fathers together: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us in life and preserved us, and has enabled us to reach this season. Action: Sing Hymn #1 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
IV. The First Cup: the Cup of Sanctification and Freedom
Preparation: The Leader will usually have four separate glasses for each of the four cups to be used in the service, while others will have a single glass that is refilled. It is effective to have rather ornate glasses for the Leader, a different style for each cup. The father will be responsible for distributing the grape juice. Each cup should only be filled part way. Leader: Our story tells us that in various ways, with different words, God gave promises of freedom to His people. With four cups from the fruit of the vine we celebrate and we recall God’s promises to Israel and to us. As we read this 3rd passage together pay attention to the” I wills” or promises that God gives.3-Fathers lead your family in saying: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. [Exodus 6:6-7]
Leader: In the four cups that we drink tonight we celebrate these four “I will” promises of God: Sanctification, Deliverance, Redemption, and Thanksgiving for fulfilling His promises that allows us to be His people.
Action: The Leader fills his first glass, as each father fills his family’s cups. After everyone’s glass has been filled, the Leader holds the cup in his right hand so the people can see it.
Leader: Blessed are you, O Eternal, our God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Blessed are you, O Lord our God. Ruler of the world, Who chose Israel out of all the people and selected them over all of the nations, giving them your commandments. And we thank you O Lord that you have chosen each of us and called us into fellowship in your Son. Read 4th reading
4- Fathers lead your family in saying: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: [Exodus 6:6]
Action: We all drink the first cup.
V. The Washing: Preparation
Explanation: In preparation for the meal, there is a ceremonial hand washing This is not a sanitary action but is symbolic of the “clean hands” with which one comes before God (Psalm 24:3-4).Preparation: Each table is to have a small basin of water with towel. Leader: We will now prepare for the meal by washing our hands, symbolizing the sacredness of this occasion, and the purity of heart and hands that we are called to exhibit as God’s people. We are also reminded that even the Temple Priests had to wash before entering the Temple to intercede for the Nation. Action: Fathers take the bowl to each of the members of their family. Each person dips fingers in the bowl of water as it is passed around and dries them on the small towel.
VI. Karpas - The Green Vegetables (Parsley)
Preparation: If they are easily available, fresh Spring flowers or a live flowering plant can be placed on the table, either before the service begins or at this point.
Leader: Passover is celebrated in the spring, the season of rebirth, renewal, and new life. The days are filled with more light than darkness. The earth is becoming green with new life.
Action: The Leader takes a sprig of fresh Parsley and holds it up for the people to see. Fathers now pass a sprig of fresh Parsley to each family member.
Leader: This vegetable, called Karpas, represents life, created and sustained by the Lord our God. We are filled with joy at the goodness of God in loving us and caring for us, and bringing into our lives all good things. And yet as good as God intended life to be, it is often mixed with tears.
Action: Fathers lift up the bowl of salt water so all their family can see.
Leader: Tonight, we are celebrating the freedom and wonderful deliverance that God brought to us as slaves in Egypt. But we do not forget that life in Egypt was hard and filled with pain and suffering and tears. Let us never forget that the struggle for freedom begins in suffering, and that life is sometimes immersed in tears.
Leader #2: Blessed are you O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who creates the fruit of the earth. Leader: We dip once to remind ourselves that life is often immersed in tears. Action: Everyone dips a sprig of parsley the salt water.Leader: We dip once more before eating the parsley to remind ourselves that God commanded the Jews to use hyssop to paint the doorposts with blood, so that when the death angel came, he would pass over us. Action: Everyone dips a second sprig of parsley the salt water and eats it. At this point, a salad is to be served. Once finished, all of these dishes must be removed from the table before the Matzah is served (Fathers to assign children to remove the dishes).
VII. The Breaking of Bread: The Matzah
Explanation: This part of the service begins to introduce themes that will become more obviously Christian as the service progresses. The Israelites waiting for deliverance and redemption in Egypt is a central element of the story that is to unfold. The hope in God who is the only One who can bring deliverance is also a crucial element. There is not only a sense of celebration at what God has done in the past, there is also an eager anticipation of what God will continue to do to bring deliverance to a world that still groans under its slavery to sin, and awaits its final redemption. The traditional saying “next year in Jerusalem” is an expression not only of the faithfulness of God in the past, but of faith and hope in God’s future as he continues to work out his redemption in the world. Jerusalem is really a symbol of the restoration of all things for which both Jews and Christians eagerly await. Among some Orthodox Jews the matzah has become a symbol of the Pascal lamb, which gives the Christian dimension of these unfolding symbolic actions deeper meaning.So, while the Seder is a celebration of deliverance already accomplished, there is a strand throughout the Seder that recognizes the yet to be fulfilled promises of God that all creation will be restored and all oppression, sin, and evil destroyed. We can trust that promise of future deliverance because he has delivered! For Christians, this expresses the Hope of the Second Coming.Preparation: On each table there should be three matzot on a separate plate covered with a napkin. Action: Each father uncovers the three Matzot, takes the middle Matzah, and holds it before him. Fathers remove the middle MatzahLeader: Now we will break the middle Matzah in two. Later we will share it together as the Passover offering itself was shared in this service in Jerusalem. Among people everywhere, the sharing of bread forms a bond of fellowship and community. Action: The Leader obviously breaks the middle Matzah in half, as each father does the same. Each father returns one half of the broken Matzah to the plate with the other two and leaves them uncovered. The other half he holds in front of him.
Leader: For the sake of our deliverance, we will say together the ancient words that join us with our own people and the beggar in the street. For our redemption is bound up with the deliverance from bondage of God’s chosen people everywhere. It is only the grace of our Lord God that sets us free! read the 4th reading5- Fathers lead your family in saying: Behold the bread of affliction which our forefathers have eaten. All who are hungry, all who are thirsty, celebrate Passover with us.Action: Each father wraps the Afikomen (the second half of the broken Matzah) in the napkin. The Afikomen is set aside and is hidden by the fathers sometime later during the meal. They will later make a game of finding it, and the one who finds it will receive a small prize. Leader: The Afikomen is a symbol of the redemption for which the Israelites longed for and which we know has come.Action: The leader fills his second cup of grape juice, and signals the fathers to refill their cups. DO NOT drink this cup yet.
VIII. The Story of Passover
Explanation: The Passover Story is the heart of the Seder and was traditionally recounted as a parent telling the exodus story to his children, following the biblical command, “When your children ask in time to come . . . then you shall tell them” (Ex 14:14; Deut 6:20-21). The four questions, actually five with the first general question introducing the four more detailed ones, are usually asked by the youngest child present that can read well, with the answers given by the father or grandfather.Preparation: The youngest child who can read in each family will ask one of the questions with that child’s father answering.Leader: The Torah tells us that our children will ask questions about who they are as God’s people. The Lord has instructed us that we should tell them the story so that they might know the Lord. It is both a duty and a privilege to answer these questions of the Passover and to recount the gracious acts of our God.Child: Why is this night different than all other nights? Father: Once we were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but now we are free and we set aside this night each year to remember the great things God did to redeem us with a mighty hand. If the holy and blessed One had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we would still be Pharaoh’s slaves.Child: Why on all other nights do we eat bread with leaven, but on this night we eat only unleavened bread? Father: When Pharaoh let our fathers go from Egypt they had to flee in haste. There was no time to wait for them to bake their bread. We eat unleavened bread to remember that they left in haste and to remind us to be aware of the leaven of sin that can enter into our lives and bring us back into bondage.Child: Why on all other nights do we eat of all kinds of herbs, but on this night we eat bitter herbs? Father: We do this to remind us of the bitterness of bondage in slavery. Child: On all other nights we do not dip our vegetables even once, but why on this night, do we dip parsley in salt water and horseradish in charoset? Father: The salt water reminds us of the tears of our ancestors and of their miraculous deliverance by God. The mixing of bitter horseradish with sweet charoset reminds us that although slavery was bitter, the lives of our ancestors was made sweet by the hope of freedom in God’s deliverance. Child: Why on all other nights do we eat in the normal way, but on this night we eat with a special ceremony?Father: Tonight is different than other nights because we have gathered to remember who we are, what God has done for us, and to tell to our children the story of God’s grace and deliverance. Praise be to God who is everywhere. Praise be to God who has brought us freedom and has delivered us from all that enslaves us!Leader #2: God had promised Abraham and Sarah that they would be a great people, a promise he renewed to each generation, to Isaac and Jacob. As time passed Jacob’s children came to live in the land of Egypt where his son Joseph was advisor to Pharaoh. But years passed and another Pharaoh came to power who did not remember Joseph and did not know his God, so he enslaved the Israelites. He forced them to work hard making bricks of clay and straw with which to build his cities. As the people increased in numbers, he feared that they might rebel against him, so he ordered every newborn boy drowned. They knew only toil, suffering, and tears.
Leader: They cried out from their cruel oppression, hoping that God would remember the promises He had made to the fathers. And God heard their cry and remembered the covenant He had made with Abraham. Through a trusting and obedient mother and sister, God saved the life of the boy Moses from the ruthless hands of Pharaoh. After he had grown up, God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, and promised Moses that He would be with him.
Leader #2: And yet when Moses asked Pharaoh to free the Israelites, he refused and increased their labor. So God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh and the land of Egypt so they might know that the Lord is God, and let the people go. Action: The Leader takes the second cup of grape juice and holds it.Leader: In a moment we will drink the second cup, the cup of deliverance, and we will celebrate in joy God’s deliverance of us from slavery. A full cup is a symbol of joy. …..While pouring a small amount out into another cup say…..Yet our joy is diminished because of the judgment that sin and iniquity bring. As we recount the plagues, we will spill a drop of wine from our cups for each plague to recall the cost of sin, and the consequences of evil in our world.
Action: As each plague is recited, a single drop of wine is removed from the cup, either with a finger or spoon, and placed on a plate. Traditionally, a finger is used to symbolize the finger of God’s judgment on sin. DO NOT drink from the second cup yet.
Leader: Blood. Frogs. Lice. Flies. Pestilence. Boils. Hail. Locusts. Darkness. Death of the First Born.
Action: The Leader replaces the second glass on the table WITHOUT drinking, as the participants do likewise.
Leader #2: Pharaoh continued to refuse to let the people go until the last plague, the death of the firstborn of all of Egypt, convinced him to release the people. By following God’s instructions and putting the blood of a lamb on the door posts of the houses, the Israelites were spared this plague as death “Passed Over” their houses.Preparation: The Seder plate at the Leader’s table should contain the lamb bone and the egg. Action: The Leader removes the symbolic lamb bone from the Seder plate and holds it up for all to see.
Leader: This is the symbol of the Passover lamb that was killed so that our children might live. It reminds us not only of God’s wonderful grace in providing for us life and not death, it also reminds us that we are called to obedience in response to God’s gift of life. The sacrifices at the Temple in Jerusalem were a reminder of that grace and that gift of life.
Action: The Leader replaces the bone and removes the roasted egg from the Seder plate and holds it up for all to see.
Leader: The egg is a symbol of mourning, and is to remind us that the Temple in Jerusalem, the place of sacrifices, is no longer standing, and so sacrifices are no longer offered. But since it has no beginning and no end, the egg is also a symbol of new life and hope, and reminds us that God’s grace is not confined to sacrifices in a temple.
Action: The Leader replaces the egg.
Leader #2: Even as the Israelites were leaving, Pharaoh hardened his heart and sent his army after them. Trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Sea of Reeds, the Israelites had nowhere to go. But God told Moses to lift his staff over the sea, and God parted the waters. They were able to pass through the midst of the sea. When the Egyptians tried to follow, the waters closed back over them. When the Israelites saw that they were free, Moses’ sister Miriam led them in rejoicing and praising God. Let us read #6 together
6- Fathers prepare and lead your family in saying: We Praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who hears the cries of the oppressed, who brings freedom to the captive, and who creates for yourself a people.
Action: The Leader takes the remaining half of the Matzah and holds it up for all to see.
Leader: Tonight we eat Unleavened Bread because our ancestors in Egypt had to leave in such haste that they could not wait for their bread to rise, and so had to bake it while it was still flat. Read the 7th reading
7- Fathers prepare and lead your family in saying: You shall eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you came out of the land of Egypt with great haste, so that all the days of your life you may remember the day of your departure from Egypt [Deuteronomy 16:3].Preparation: At the Leader’s table, there should be a small clear custard type bowl containing the Maror.Action: The Leader replaces the Matzah and takes the Maror (horseradish) and holds it up for all to see.
Leader: Tonight we eat bitter herbs to remind us of how bitter our lives were as slaves in Egypt. As sweet as our lives are now, we must never forget the bitterness of our bondage.
Leader #2: But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.. [Exodus 1:12-14]Preparation: At the Leader’s table, there should be a small clear custard type bowl containing the Charoset (pronounced ka-ro-set).Action: The Leader replaces the Maror (horseradish) and takes the bowl of Charoset and holds it up for all to see. Each father passes around the horseradish and has each family member put a small bit on their plate. They pass around the Charsoet and have each member put a spoonful on their plate.
Leader: Charoset reminds us of the sweetness that God can bring into the most bitter of our circumstances.
Leader #2: I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD, according unto thy word. How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! [Psalm 119:107, 103]
Leader: Tonight we eat with a special ceremony because it is God’s desire that in each generation, every person should know that he or she has actually been redeemed from Egypt, whether they accept it or not. We tell the story because we are the redeemed of the Lord, and we can sing a new song of praise because of His grace. And yet it is not a new song, because it has been sung by countless people through the centuries as generation after generation have experienced the deliverance and redemption brought by our God.
Leader #2: Once we were slaves but now we are free!
Leader: This is a traditional reading that follows the telling of the exodus story. Dayeinu (pronounced Die-YEAH-nu). The word means “it would have been enough.”God has shown us so many acts of kindness and grace. For each one, we say dayeinu. If only the Lord God had taken us out of Egypt . . .
People: Dayein!If only the Lord God had taken us out of Egypt and not passed judgment on the Egyptians . . .
It would have been enough
If only the Lord God had passed judgment on the Egyptians and not parted the sea for us . . .
Dayeinu!
If only the Lord God had parted the sea for us and not taken care of us and fed us manna in the desert for 40 years..
It would have been enough
If only the Lord God had taken care of us and fed us manna in the desert for 40 years and not given us the Sabbath rest . . .
Dayeinu!
If only the Lord God had given us the Sabbath rest and not brought us to Mount Sinai and given us the Torah . . .
It would have been enough
If only the Lord God had brought us to Mount Sinai and given us the Torah and not brought us into the land of Israel
Dayeinu!
For all these, alone and together, we say . . .
It would have been enough
IX. The Second Cup: the Cup of Deliverance
Action: The Leader takes the second glass, and raises it for all to see.
Leader: With the second cup we celebrate the deliverance that God has brought to us. We are privileged to thank God, to praise Him, to reverence Him, and to rejoice in His grace. He has brought us forth from bondage to freedom, from sorrow to joy, from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption.
Leader #2: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: [Exodus 6:6]. We praise you O Lord our God, who has freed your people.Leader: We praise you O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the earth.Action: We all drink the second cup.
X. The Meal
Explanation: Here begins the actual meal. It is traditionally preceded first by another ceremonial hand washing [which is here omitted] and the symbolic eating of herbs.Action: The Leader removes all three remaining pieces of Matzah and holds them in front of him as he recites the blessing.Leader: We Praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth.
Action: Each father takes the top and middle Matzoth (the half from which the afikomen was broken) and breaks pieces to distribute to his family. The bottom Matzah will be used later.
Leader: Let us all offer a blessing for the bread.
Leader #2: We Praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy with your word, and has commanded to eat unleavened breadAction: We eat a piece of Matzah (everybody eats, this is not communion yet).Explanation: The Maror or bitter herb is traditionally horseradish root. Since some people may not be not familiar with the “raw” version of this herb, it may facilitate a public service to use prepared horseradish. Do not use the “creamed” variety that is processed into a white sauce, but the type that is made with grated roots. To be effective as a symbol, however, it needs to have a little “edge” to it, even to the point of bringing tears. Although most prepared horseradish is relatively mild, it would be wise to check it ahead of time and perhaps warn people that this herb is very “hot.” Sometimes a second bitter herb is used to make the Hillel sandwich, usually romaine lettuce. For simplicity, the horseradish is used here for both.Preparation: In anticipation of someone getting too much Maror, it is wise to have a small glass of water at each place setting, or a few extra glasses and a pitcher of water, since it will be a few minutes before another cup is taken.Action: Each father distributes a small piece of Maror to every family member, or if the prepared Maror is used, passes a bowl of Maror for each person to dip a small amount onto their plate. They will need enough for the next two actions. If the prepared Maror is used, a small piece of Matzah can be used to dip the Maror.
Leader: With bitter herbs, let us remember how bitter our slavery was in the land of Egypt. As we eat, let us allow the bitter taste to bring tears of compassion for the pain that our fathers and mothers felt long ago. But let us also weep for those who are still enslaved and have not yet experienced the deliverance that our gracious God brings.
Leader #2: We Praise you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the universe, who has made us holy with your word, and has commanded to eat bitter herbs.Action: We eat the bitter herb by itself. (Maror, horseradish)Leader: As we are reminded of the bitterness of our slavery, so too are we reminded of the hope that we have in our Lord.
Action: Each father takes the bottom or the third Matzoth and breaks it in two. On one half he puts another small piece of Maror and places in on a plate (or if the prepared horseradish is used, he dips some onto the Matzah). Each father then takes the bowl of Charoset and holds it in front of him.
Leader: The Choroset is a sweet mixture of apples [dates], honey, and nuts. It symbolizes the mixture of clay and straw that the Israelites used to make bricks for the cities of Pharaoh. But the apples of the mixture also remind us of something else. Apple trees set fruit before the tree has leaves, and then grow leaves to protect the fruit. Tradition tells us that in slavery in Egypt, the women of Israel gave birth to children under the trees of the orchard to try to avoid the decree of Pharaoh, with no assurance of their safety and future. That hope in a future from God sweetened the misery of their slavery. Often, life is a mixture of the bitter and the sweet, of sadness and joy.Action: Each father instructs his family to take the Matzah and Maror and dip it into the Charoset. If the Charoset is very thick, it may have to be spooned onto the Matzah after a symbolic dip. The remaining piece of Matzah is used to make a “sandwich” of the Maror and Charoset.
Leader: In the days of the Jerusalem temple, Rabbi Hillel ate a sandwich of the Pesach, the Passover lamb, with bitter herbs and Matzah. Since the temple is no longer standing and the Passover lamb no longer offered, we cannot eat the lamb with our sandwich. So instead, we use the Charoset to take the place of the Pascal lamb to remind us of the hope we have in God, of the sweetness that He can bring into the most bitter of our circumstances.
Action: We eat the Hillel sandwich. The remaining piece of Matzah with the Maror and Charoset.
[Action: If this is a full meal seder, the seder plate is removed from the table, and the meal is served. Often, boiled eggs are the first course of the meal. Sometime during the meal, the Father(s) secretly hides the afikomen (the broken part of the middle Matzah wrapped in the cloth). After the meal is finished the dishes are removed from the table, and the seder plate is returned to the table.]
XI. The Third Cup: the Cup of Redemption
Action: The Leader fills his third cup of juice and replaces it on the table. NO ONE ELSE fills their cup yet.
Leader: This cup is for Elijah the Prophet. Elijah did not see death but was taken to heaven in a chariot of fire. It has been the hope of God’s people that Elijah would come at Passover, to announce the coming of the Messiah, the son of David. As the prophet Malachi said: “See, I will send you Elijah the prophet before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.” [Malachi 4:5]. This cup has traditionally been left untouched, awaiting the time when Elijah would appear to share the Passover.
*[Leader: We will now open the door to welcome Elijah to the Passover.]
Action: A child opens the door and a child from each table brings over an empty chair
*[Action: If there is no door handy to open (or as an additional symbol), a child can place an empty chair at the table to the right of the Leader to symbolize the hope of Elijah, and the Leader can say: We will now set a place to welcome Elijah to the Passover. The Leader then places the filled third cup at Elijah’s place.]
Leader: It is now time to reveal that which has been hidden. We will find the Afikomen so that we may conclude our meal. The Afikomen has traditionally symbolized hope for the future, a symbol of redemption, as God again acts in history to proclaim good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor [Isaiah 61:1-2 quoted in Luke 4:18-19].
Leader #2: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: [Exodus 6:6]Action: The children now search and find it and return it to their father for a prize. The older children can give clues and encourage the younger children in finding the Afikomen. After the children have received their prizes, the fathers hold a piece of the Afikomen in front of them in his left hand.Leader: As we have found the afikomen that has been hidden, we celebrate the fact that our long hoped for Messiah has come, and brought us a new freedom from a very old slavery. “Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not have a permanent place in the household; the son has a place there forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.” [John 8:31-34]
Leader #2: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. [Revelation 1:5-6]Leader: We will now fill the third cup.Action: The people refill their cups Leader: Jesus stood in the synagogue of his hometown of Nazareth and read from the Isaiah scroll that promised a new work of God in the world. When he had finished reading, he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” [Luke 4:21]. We still live in the “today” of that fulfillment, and so we celebrate the coming of Jesus the Messiah, and the faithfulness of God in working throughout history to bring deliverance and freedom to his people. Leader #2: Jesus has brought to us a new freedom from the chains of oppression and sin that enslave us. Jesus celebrated Passover with his disciples on the night before he was betrayed and delivered up to be crucified. He commanded that his disciples partake of the bread and the wine as emblems of his broken body and shed blood. We partake of these elements to participate in the new life, in the new birth that God in Jesus the Christ has provided for us.
Action: The Leader takes Elijah’s cup in right hand, while still holding the Afikomen in his left hand.
Leader: I have taken Elijah’s cup because we no longer wait for Elijah. We celebrate in joy today not only because Elijah has come, but because Messiah has also come!
Leader #2: We praise you O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you, O God, for giving to us your only Son, who suffered and died and rose again, that we might be reconciled to you. How great a love you have bestowed upon us! As we now eat this bread and drink this cup, may we remember the forgiveness we have in Your Son, may you give us the freedom that comes as you transform us into His image, and may you fill us with your presence through the Holy Spirit that we may truly become your people.
Action: The father takes the Afikomen and breaks off pieces for his family. The Leader holds up the bread for all to see. Leader: Jesus at this time in the last supper reveals to His disciples the true significance of the broken bread. He said this bread is my body broken for you. God years before the last supper instituted the Passover to prepare the Jewish people for the coming of the Messiah…..They were blind and missed Him…… This broken bread of redemption reminds us of the broken body of our Lord Jesus Christ that was broken for us. We have been given eyes to see. Take and eat this, remembering that Jesus died for us.Leader prays to bless the bread.Take and eat this, remembering that Jesus died for us.Action: All eat the bread. When finished, the Leader holds up the cup for all to see. Leader: When Jesus came to this third cup I imagine Him slowly looking over His disciples, reviewing the fact that they had just been arguing over who would be the greatest among them,pondering sorrowfully that one was about to betray Him and that the rest would scatter leaving Him alone to die, knowing that what He was about to go through meant taking all sin upon Himself and dying a death so horrible that even God would have to forsake Him. He was going to have to die alone and rejected. But still looking over His unknowing disciples with love and concern for them He lifts up the third cup ….the bible tells us that with great anticipation and desire Jesus looked forward to this particular Passover with His disciples…… I believe He was eager to share with them this moment, this moment when He reveals to them the significance of this cup…… He lifts up the third cup and says this is my blood………from the first time the Passover was instituted by God until now and forever this is and has been my blood… shed for you. still looking over them and probably praying for them because He knows the significance of the next moment…. He offers them an opportunity to come and share in this cup ….He is saying I am giving my life to you….will you receive it ………I am going to give more than you will ever be able to comprehend in order that I can spend eternity with you……. I am giving my life to you….will you receive it…. and …..in ……receiving it……. will you give your life to me…. He said to His disciples “come drink ye all of it…” in other words take all I give to you and give me all that you are and all that you have…..Jesus wants all of us. This cup reminds us of the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ that was freely spilt because of us and for us. Drink this, remembering that God was in Christ giving all to reconcile the world to Himself, and in receiving Him we are crucified, buried, risen, and hidden with Him in eternity. Leader #2: Praise be to God.He is saying to all of us will you give me control of your life……….Leader #2 prays to bless the cupAction: All drink the cup. This is followed by a song of praise. Hymn #2 Alas and Did My Savior Bleed
XII. The Fourth Cup: the Cup of Thanksgiving and Hope
Leader: Our Seder is now complete, just as our redemption is complete. We rejoice with thanksgiving, and yet are humbled by God’s love!
Leader #2: And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians [Exodus 6:7].Leader: Yet the story of God’s redemption is not ended. We celebrate what God has done in our history, and what he has done for us, but at the same time we still await a new future. All creation still groans and longs for its final redemption. As Jesus left, he promised he would come again and restore all things. We have faith enough to believe that Jesus Christ will come again and bring His Kingdom in fullness.Action: The Leader fills the fourth cup and signals the participants to refill their cups. The leader raises his glass in front of the people, and all the people also raise their glasses.
Leader: We raise our glasses a fourth time in Thanksgiving for God’s enduring grace and love to us. Blessed are you, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who has adopted us as your children, and allowed us to call you Father.
Action: All lower their glasses for the prayer.
People: Quote the Lord’s PrayerAction: All raise their glasses again and then drink the cup.Leader: The traditional conclusion of the Seder is a hope for the future expressed by Jews throughout history they would say: “Next year in Jerusalem.” We will conclude our Seder with the same expression of hope and faith in God, as we await the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.People: Come quickly Lord Jesus that we may celebrate next year in New JerusalemAction: Each father then extinguishes the Passover candles at his table. Final Action: Sing hymn: “One Day”
Compiled and Edited by the Wilkes Team using, among others, the following sources: http://www.crivoice.org/seder.html & 4th Presyterian Guide to the Passover.
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