Preparing for Passover

Passover begins Wednesday night! Our family LOVES the Passover festival, its such a special time of learning about Christ and praising God for His abundant blessings!

I wanted to share some links for those who might be interested in what a Christian (or Messianic) Passover is all about:

• Biblical Holidays has a wealth of information about why Christians should celebrate Passover, how to celebrate Passover, and how Christ appears in the Passover celebration
• Here is the Passover Haggadah (a basic order of service for the Seder (Passover meal)) that we've used - its a simple one, which makes it easier for the children to understand and get involved. We all take turns reading around the table.
• Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience did a beautiful post about their Passover celebration, which helps bring it to life much better than my words ever could
  

The children take such delight in the Passover meal. Just months after it passes, they are already asking when it will come again, and the week leading up to Passover is filled with their excited anticipation and counting down of days. They love singing the "Dayenu" song, which is all about God's abundant blessings, and they especially enjoy it because with each verse we sing it louder and faster and keep rhythm by tapping on the table, clapping hands, stomping feet... it really is a joyous noise by the end! And yes, we do sing it in Hebrew (the best we can, anyway)! We also do a hunt for the Afikomen at the end - a piece of matzah is hidden away, and one child each year is chosen to search for it. Once it is found, the child brings it to their father and "barters" for a gift they would like in exchange for the Afikomen.

The Seder does not begin until after sunset, and usually takes several hours to complete, so it makes for a late night, but we all retire to bed afterwards full of good food and joy in the Lord. Breakfast during the week of Passover usually consists of Matzah Brie, a yummy fried Matzah-egg-pancake type of meal, topped with syrup or honey or cinnamon and sugar... Michael especially loves Matzah Brie and will ask for it for snack, lunch, and dinner, too ;-)

I personally enjoy Passover because of the significance of Christ in the festival. Seeing the comparison between the Lord saving His people through the blood of the sacrificed lamb, and leading them out of Egypt into the promised land, and knowing how He has saved me through the blood of His perfect lamb, and led me out of my sin into His eternal life... my heart can't help but overflow with love and gratitude! When we break the matzah, and discuss how the matzah is without leaven, pierced and striped and broken, and how our Savior, without sin, was pierced, striped, and broken for our inequities, I am humbled again at His amazing grace.

Passover is such a full, rich holiday of the Lord. If your family has never considered having a Seder, I'd like to highly encourage you to give it a try. It doesn't have to be a huge, fancy ordeal, so don't be intimidated! When our entire extended family does it together, we love to invite guests, and it really does become a feast, often with 20 or more people! But even just as a simple celebration within a small family, it is quite a blessed time.