Introduction to the Seder
Tonight we will re-create to some degree the First Passover of the Nation of Israel when the Lord came down with an outstretched arm and mighty signs and wonders to deliver His people from the slavery and bondage of Egypt.
This Seder has few of the elements of a traditional "Jewish" or
"Messianic" Seder - While these Seders are wonderful and full of
revelation and power, this one is s little different. We still "tell
the story" to our children, we answer the question,"Why is this night
different from every other night? But we approach it from a different
perspective.
Imagine that we are now in the home of an average Hebrew family. We have already witnessed nine of the ten terrible plagues God brought on the land of Egypt.
If you are not ready to leave your life of Bondage - Passover will always be a religious day with little meaning and no power in your life. The Lord is ready to come in to where you live, but you must also be ready to get up and leave with Him as well.
Download Seder PDF formatted to print in half-page booklet (81/2" x 11" paper)
A Non-traditional Seder for Believers in Messiah Jesus
Overview and Background
A non-traditional Seder for the celebration of PassoverTheme: Why is this night different from every other night? Exodus 12:24-26
General Purpose:
- Teach that the Feasts of the Lord are still "active" special days appointed by God - not man.
- The rule(s) is LOVE - it is the only rule. God is Love we will be meeting with Him at a His predetermined time, what else could you expect?
- These are specific times of intimacy and celebration in the Lord - they commemorate historical acts and they show us the operation of Salvation and the Kingdom of God.
- There is a treasure of revelation, knowledge, wisdom and strength available when you purposely meet the Lord on these days. They are for all believers - some (Tabernacles) are actually open to the whole world.
- They are not religious requirements, Keeping these days does not measure our "Spirituality", our "Maturity", or our "Holiness"
- They are similar to Anniversary Celebrations for married couples - an Anniversary is not the marriage, it is not required to stay married, but when you are in Love - both husband and wife will eagerly anticipate and creatively celebrate the Day. But the Feasts are so much more.
- God points to several days during the year and He has declared them for Days of Rest (Shabbat) and intimacy. Each day and season is different and has different purposes and practices.
- They all speak of Jesus the Messiah
- They all have past, present, and future implications
- They all coincide with various harvest seasons in the Promised Land, Israel
- They have personal significance as well as significance to the whole Church
Forward
Passover is one of the three yearly gatherings that the Lord has given to His people to celebrate and remember who we are, who God is, what he has done for us, and what He has promised to still complete. These Feasts, also called Sabbaths, are specific places in time that he has prepared for ALL his people. The knowledge and practice of these Feasts has been robbed and hidden away from a large portion of the Church for almost 2,000 years. It began with the accusation that Jews were God-haters and that anything associated with their traditions should be completely rejected and abandoned. In the fury of hatred, blame, and religious self-righteousness, the teaching and observation of the Lords intimate seasons were lost - but only for a season.
In recent times, the Lord, blessed be His Name, has seen fit to re-ignite and re-veal the Truth and power that is hidden in these times. All of the Feasts speak of our Messiah, Jesus. They describe and reveal the operation of the Kingdom of God. As Heb 8:5
says of the
Tabernacle, they are "a copy and shadow of what is in
heaven." So while we may not be able to see clearly into the realm of
Heaven, we can see the shadow that it casts on the earth through the Feasts.
The Feasts are not heaven, but they are quite accurate in their details.The observance of these times is by no means to be construed as some alternate method of salvation.
Ephesians 2:7-10
says"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." New International Version
BEGIN SEDER
Music - Prophetic Worship as People AssembleSONG - Hold On Deliverance is Coming
Light Two Shabbat Candles
Call to the Feast Come up - Come Up!
Come up to the Feast, God's appointed time, the Set time of the Lord!
Step in and Step up!
Come into the Passover of our Lord,
it is Jesus the Christ, our Passover, the Eternal and Everlasting,
It is our Day of Deliverance, and Judgment - Holy is the Lord
Come up - Come up - Come Up - Come out of the world and Come into this Sabbath,
Perceive now the Glory of the Kingdom of God
Prayer: Lord give us all eyes to see - Open the eyes of our understanding so that we can see clearly the reality of this place in time that You have chosen.
This is Your time of intimacy and remembrance, renewal and completion. We are coming to you now, together as one people, the fruit of your Redemption. We come with thanksgiving and expectation and great joy into this eternal Sabbath.
It is the LORD's Passover
We come in obedience to your command, the desire or your heart to meet with us and share a meal together and declare your loving-kindness to every generation. Great is the Lord and Greatly to be praised!! Amen
Come and hear the History of Old when the Lord came down and rescued us, His people, from the hand of the Egyptians and those who held us in cruel bondage. Come and hear as we tell of His mighty hand and His outstretched arm to deliver us out of slavery and into the jealous protection of His ordinances, His instructions, and His powerful mercy that remains new every morning even to this day.
Come and be seated in the place prepared for you. Come and remember the Lamb
Remember how we took the Blood and it saved us from Death.
Renew now our memory and refresh in us your everlasting Covenant and deliverance from death!
Remember and listen as we tell His Story and we tell Our Stories in the presence of this cloud of witnesses who have gone before - once dead but now living and present in this assembly.
Come up Come up Come up! and enter the Passover of our Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Anointed one of old once slain but alive again forevermore. Selah!
- SHOFAR Blast - Shiggionoth *-
Exodus 12:24-27
"Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'"
NIV
Setting the Stage
Leader:Tonight we will re-create to some degree the First Passover of the Nation of Israel when the Lord came down with an outstretched arm and mighty signs and wonders to deliver His people from the slavery and bondage of Egypt.
Imagine that we are now in the home of an average Hebrew family. We have already witnessed nine of the ten terrible plagues God brought on the land of Egypt.
We have suffered with Egypt as the Nile River was turned into Blood, and later as Frogs and Lice over ran the land in unprecedented numbers.
We have witnessed the Lord demonstrate His judgment upon the Egyptians, their Gods, and their authority with plagues of Flies, Death of Cattle, Disease, Hail, Locusts, and Deep Darkness. We have seen these things come upon our oppressors, but they did not affect us, our homes, or our possessions.
As a result of these truly awesome events, we are convinced that the Lord is here, that He is speaking and working through the man Moses, and that the Lord is truly for us and able to deliver.
It has been over a year since these plagues and events began. Initially were feared the Egyptians more than the LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At that time we could not even consider to make a blood sacrifices of lambs to this God of Moses because we knew of how the Egyptians despised these animals and we feared their wrath against us. This life of slavery is not a good one, but it seemed better than a sentence of death at the hand of the Pharaoh.
All that has changed -
We are prepared for today -
The final plague has been prophesied - actually it is the first message that Moses gave to Pharaoh...."say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the LORD says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.'"
NIV Exodus 4:22-23
Now we are all Taking Lambs -
A Lamb for every House, A Lamb for every family.
We understand Covenants; we understand signs and symbols, because we live in a land driven and governed by images, offerings, and ruthless authorities both the seen and the unseen. This animal and this blood that we have placed on our doorposts is an affront and a challenge to everything of Egypt. We no longer fear them. There is another God in Egypt - He has come for us and He will deliver us tonight.
When He comes through the Land killing all of the firstborn He will come into our Homes. He will Passover the threshold of the doorways that are marked with the sign of our Covenant with Him.
It is Life and Death tonight, and Blood of this Lamb is the Covenant of Life He has given to us, the redemption price of our firstborn. We don't altogether know why He chose a Lamb, but we know that what He says happens, we trust Him, and He is our only Hope.
Foundation Scripture
READER 1:Ex 12:1-13
12:1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt,
2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.
5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.
6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.
7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts.
10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand.
Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.
12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn--both men and animals--and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD.
13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. NIV
READER 2:
The Four "I will" promises
Before the Plagues even began, Moses went to Pharaoh to demand the release of the Hebrews. That's when things went from bad to worse for the Lord's people. Moses questioned God, the people did not believe and they wanted him to just go away before things got worse, but the Lord confirmed his promises made long ago to the patriarchs of Israel.Perhaps you are in the position of these people from long ago - and you can't quite see or believe that the promises of God are really for you - and you certainly can't see how they could work out in your life.
Tonight we will once again repeat and remember the for "I will" promises of Exodus 6:6
,7 because they are still real and relevant for us
today. The one thing left standing after everything else fails is the Word of
the Lord. Take heart tonight as we remember these great truths. We will Drink 4
cups of remembrance through out the
service.The Four "I will" Promises Exodus 6:6, 7
I will bring you out
I will free you from being slaves
I will redeem you (buy you back) with outstretched arm and mighty acts
I will take you as my own (marry you) and be your God
LEADER:
Drink the first cup - I will bring you out.
Lets all take our glasses in hand as we remember the first promise.
Blessed art thou, Oh Lord, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Thank you for your great and precious promises. The Truth is our strength for surely you will bring us out from the Land of the Egyptians into the spacious and fertile Promised Land. Amen.
All drink.
READER 3:
Original Passover instructions
Read Exodus scripture Ex 12:21-27
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, "Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb.
22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning.
23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24 "Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony.
26 And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?'
27 then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'"
NIV
READER 4:
Let's describe and re-create that scene here today and do as they did on that first Passover Day.
· Take a lamb
Before you arrived tonight, we went out and took the flesh of a lamb as did the Hebrews· Kill, Sprinkle the blood on the door posts
The Lamb was slaughtered, and we symbolically painted our threshold to show that this house is in Covenant with the Lord.1 Peter 1:18-20
God paid a ransom to save you from the impossible road to heaven which your fathers tried to take, and the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver as you very well know.
But he paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
God chose him for this purpose long before the world began, but only recently was he brought into public view, in these last days, as a blessing to you. TLB
- Roast and eat the meat with bitter herbs and unleavened bread
READER 5:
- Eat with your Staff in Hand , Sandals on your feet - Be READY to leave
If you are not ready to leave your life of Bondage - Passover will always be a religious day with little meaning and no power in your life. The Lord is ready to come in to where you live, but you must also be ready to get up and leave with Him as well.
The Staff is no ordinary walking stick - it is the representation of persons' Name and Authority. The staff of an Egyptian slave is relatively meaningless, but the staff of a man in Covenant with the Lord is a powerful weapon. Every Family walked out of Egypt with their God given authority in hand. They had it even before they left. It is on this night that is begins to make itself known.
Ex 12:11
This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD's Passover.
NIV
Later when Moses raised His staff, the Red Sea parted, and Israel experienced another level of deliverance from the power of Egypt.
Jesus said -in John 14:12-14
I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
NIV
READER 6:
· Tonight, we Stay inside - stay "under" the blood
Everywhere outside of their homes, death took the firstborn of every living thing. There is one place of safety -that place is inside of the canopy of His covenant. There is room here for your whole family, the houses of the former slaves have become the houses of refuge from death. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life. Later, in the desert, Israel stayed under the cloud during the day and under the pillar of fire at night - but on the night of deliverance the only place of life is inside of the one who comes inside of you.Col 2:9-10
For in Christ there is all of God in a human body;
so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power. TLB
LEADER:
Drink the Second Cup - I will free you
Lets all take our glasses in hand as we remember the second "I will" promise.
Blessed art thou, Oh Lord, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Thank you for your great and precious promises. The Truth is our strength for surely you have freed us from the bondage and the power of sin
Now sin is the sting of death ( 1 Cor 15:56
), but you have come and given us a new covenant of
life. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. Amen.All drink
READER 7:
What happened on this night?
A blood covenant was ratified between Israel and God (some non-Israelite born people were included). This covenant was open to anyone who would obey the instructions- God "passed over" the threshold and came into the house
When the LORD goes
through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top
and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not
permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. - The angel of Death killed the firstborn of Egypt Imagine that right now the firstborn of everyone and everything is suddenly dieing right now.
Ex 12:29-36
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
- The lamb went into the bodies of all Israel
8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.
9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire--head, legs and inner parts.
NIV
LEADER:
Lets do as they did now and stand to eat .
Eat Lamb with unleavened Bread - Eat the meat standing.
Let's all Stand - and eat some of the meat - we are standing because we are ready to go!
Do not fear the death
Stand ready to more.
Stand ready to be moved out.
Stand in your authority.
Your staff in your hand, your garments ready for battle.
This is not the food of slaves it is the strong meat of deliverance.
Eat in haste the Lord is near and your deliverance is at hand.
There is strength here that you have never known before.
Drink the Third Cup - I will redeem you with outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgment
Blessed art thou, Oh Lord, King of the universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Thank you for your great and precious promises. For you have bought us out of slavery by the power of your word and the strength of your unprecedented wonders! We thank you for coming down and for coming in. Surely there is no God like you. You are a mighty warrior and your mercy endures forever!
Amen
READER 8:
- They were released from Egypt - with the wealth of Egypt - this later was used for the construction of the Tabernacle
32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me."
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. "For otherwise," they said, "we will all die!"
34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing.
35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing.
36 The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
NIV
- The calendar was reset to zero - it is a new era!
This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.
NIV
God forever stamped this day as a Feast Day.
Scripture: Lev 23:4-6
'These are the LORD's appointed feasts, the sacred assemblies you are to proclaim at their appointed times: 5 The LORD's Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. 6 On the fifteenth day of that month the LORD's Feast of Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast.
NIV
LEADER:
Today, We Eat Sitting
Eat sitting to remind us that we are seated in Christ - we are no longer wanderers or strangers in the house of GodEat Matza with bitter herbs to remind us of our slavery to Sin
The bitter herbs remind us of the bitterness of slavery.
Exodus 1:14
"They made their lives bitter with
hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all
their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly."Serving the Lord is not difficult. Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and my burden is light."
(EACH PERSON BREAKS A PIECE OF MATZA AND DIPS IT INTO THE BITTER HERBS - horseradish or with the bitter greens)
As the bitter herbs bring tears to our eyes, so did the great affliction bring tears to the Jewish people in slavery.
(ALL EAT MAROR AND MATZA)
Eat matza with haroset to remind us of the sweetness of freedom
Charoset is a traditional food eaten at Jewish Passover Celebrations, it is a sweet mixture of Apples, Raisins, Dates and other fruits with nuts, there are many recipes and combinations for Charoset.
The color and texture of charoset reminds us of the mortar the Hebrews made to hold bricks in place. The sweetness speaks of the sweetness of liberty and freedom that the Lord gave them after years of bondage.
(ALL EAT OF MATZA, CHAROSET)
Eat matza with meat if you like to remind us of the fullness of His provision
(ALL EAT OF MATZA, CHAROSET, AND BITTER HERBS, MEAT, any combination)
Drink the Fourth Cup - I will take you - it is the "marriage" cup
1 Peter 2:9-10
you are a chosen people, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the
praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful
light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once
you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. NIVThis is serious biblical wedding talk!
Hosea 1:10-2:1
"Yet
the time will come when Israel
shall prosper and become a great nation; in that day her people will be too
numerous to count-like sand along a seashore! Then, instead of saying to them,
'You are not my people,' I will tell them, 'You are my sons, children of the
Living God.' Then the people of Judah
and Israel
will unite and have one leader; they will return from exile together; what a
day that will be-the day when God will sow his people in the fertile soil of
their own land again. TLBBlessed art thou O God, King of the Universe, Creator of the fruit of the vine. Who has purchased our lives from slavery to bring us into the fullness of life that can only come with our marriage to you, our Savior and Kinsmen Redeemer-
Hallelujah and Amen.
All Drink
Conclusion
So let us go out from this place in full confidence knowing
that we are delivered from the yoke of sin, it has no more power over us, we
are bought with a price freely paid, and we are accepted as the Lord's very own
people.2 Cor 5:19-21
This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others. We are Christ's ambassadors. God is using us to speak to you: we beg you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, receive the love he offers you-be reconciled to God. For God took the sinless Christ and poured into him our sins. then, in exchange, he poured God's goodness into us! TLB
Closing Song/Celebration
End Notes:
This Passover Seder has been prepared by Pastor Tom Marxen © 2006Permission is freely granted to copy, reproduce and use this Seder in its entirety for Passover Celebrations, Teaching, and Bible Study etc.
Copies must be complete and contain the proper references to the author and links to www.your-study-bible-online.org must remain in place.
This document is freely given and cannot be sold for profit in any way. Reasonable reproduction costs may be recouped by those distributing and using this haggadah.
All other rights reserved.
For other permissions contact:
Tom Marxen
Email: info (at) your-study-bible-online.org
Postal: 108 3rd St. S
Delano, MN, USA 55328