Passover is the oldest religious holiday that is still celebrated today. It began over 3500 years ago when the Lord freed ancient Israel from Egyptian bondage. After His deliverance, the Lord commanded the children of Israel to celebrate this feast each year to remind them how He had freed their ancestors from captivity. In obedience to that ancient commandment, Jews still observe this holiday today, and many Jews believe that the promised Messiah will come to free them on Passover, just as the Lord freed their ancestors so long ago.
As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ did redeem His people during the feast of Passover, when He suffered and died in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago. Though I am a deeply committed Christian, I love celebrating the Jewish holiday of Passover. It has become one of my favorite holidays because of its beautiful symbolism and ritual, and because it teaches me so much about the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, our true Passover Lamb. I invite you to join in this ancient celebration, to gain a greater appreciation of the faith of your ancestors and the redemption of your Savior. As we remember God's deliverance of an ancient people in a foreign land, we gain renewed confidence that He will also deliver and uphold us, and will free us from those things that bind us, that in Him we can have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). Today we celebrate an ancient festival, but with new eyes.
Here are some resources to help you in planning and hosting your own Passover meal:
A Triclinium Passover:
▪ Video describing a possible setting of the Last Supper
▪ Pictures of a triclinium Passover dinner (2016) (2014) (2013) (2012)
Preparations:
▪ Introduction to a Christian Seder
▪ Jewish Passover resources
Recipes and Food Preparation:
Preparing for an ancient Passover Feast is quite the job. Most people will not be familiar with the spices and seasonings common at the time of the Bible, so likely will be hesitant to help at first. I have found that it is best to create a Google doc that can be shared with others with slots to sign up for more simple side dishes, and more complex main dishes. Below are three of my favorite recipe books (by order of preference), which include many great ancient recipes.
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Music:
Music adds a great deal to the ambiance of the feast. I recommend having at least one of the below CDs on hand to play while the guests are arriving, eating the actual meal, and leaving (do not play the music during the reading of the Haggadah).
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Passover Hagaddah Handout:
The Hagaddah is a booklet containing the Passover story and order of the Seder. Each participant in the Passover meal should have his or her own Hagaddah to read along as the meal progresses.
We have created three versions of the Hagaddah: a more ancient version (designed for a triclinium dinner), and a more modern version (similar to a modern-day Passover) with both a full and abbreviated version. Please use whichever best fits your needs and timetable.
To print as a booklet, print the first half, then turn the pages over and print the remaining pages on the reverse. Staple in the middle of the booklet. If you're assembling a lot of these, your local copy shop can help expedite the process (NOTE: when printing make sure 'Page Scaling' is set to 'None').
We have created three versions of the Hagaddah: a more ancient version (designed for a triclinium dinner), and a more modern version (similar to a modern-day Passover) with both a full and abbreviated version. Please use whichever best fits your needs and timetable.
Ancient Triclinium Haggadah
(view) (print version)
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Modern Haggadah short (view) (print version)
Modern Haggadah full (view) (print version)
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To print as a booklet, print the first half, then turn the pages over and print the remaining pages on the reverse. Staple in the middle of the booklet. If you're assembling a lot of these, your local copy shop can help expedite the process (NOTE: when printing make sure 'Page Scaling' is set to 'None').
These documents may be downloaded and copied for personal non-commercial use.