COMMENTATOR:

Passover is close to 3,300 years old and is certainly the oldest known festival in the Western world that’s been celebrated continuously. Throughout Jewish history, Passover (Pesach) has been kept in every part of the world, even during the most difficult times. No matter how difficult, Jews have remembered the message of freedom and hope which is the key to the festival.

The theme of Pesach is the Exodus, when the angel of death passed over the Israelites, and God's mighty hand led them out of Egypt to freedom in the promised land. The freedom was not just a passport to "do what ever you want". The people had to learn new responsibilities and to live together according to God's law. Freedom could be enjoyed if the people were prepared to bind themselves to their God and live as His Chosen Ones.

The Spring time festival of Passover is the continuing story of hope which stems from creation - hope that there is life which is made new again and again. Around the family table from generation to generation this is a story that is endlessly repeated - the promises of salvation; of life after passing through death.

As we sit round the table and listen to the unfolding story of what happened so many centuries ago, we are reminded that central to the Jewish faith was the “household”. We are reminded that good company, good food, and good wine are most important elements in the celebration of a God who is rich in blessings.

Tonight we will recognise many of the words that are the roots of our own Mass and we will celebrate them. Jesus, the Messiah, comes as the ultimate liberator; He frees us from sin. He leads us with his light into the fullness of the promised kingdom of God our Father. The Passover ritual says: "You shall tell your children saying ' This is because of what the Lord did for ME when I went free from Egypt.' "

The Jews at Passover are not just remembering a past event, but celebrate their present freedom. So too for us our Eucharist makes present the Passover of Jesus. We celebrate an ongoing journey from darkness into light, from death to life; a journey into full communion with our Saviour.

The host welcomes everyone and invites us to join together in the opening psalm of praise:

Psalm 99: Praise to God, creator and shepherd

Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.

Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.

Go within his gates, giving thanks.
Enter his courts with songs of praise.
Give thanks to him and bless his name.

Indeed, how good is the Lord, eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.

(THE CANDLES ARE LIT DURING THE FOLLOWING PRAYER:)

HOST:

We welcome every holiday with the lighting of the candles. As we light these candles in honour of Passover, we pray that their brightness and warmth may bring joy and hope to us and all our dear ones.

CANDLE LIGHTERS:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who has made us holy through your commandments, and commanded us to light the holiday candles.

Blessed are You Lord our God, king of the universe, who has kept us alive and has enabled us to reach this day.

(THE WINE CUPS HAVE ALREADY BEEN FILLED FOR THE FIRST TIME.)

HOST:

In gratitude to God, who grants all men to be free and who has put a love of freedom in our hearts, we rise to recite the Kiddush over the first of our cups of wine

ALL STAND

EVERYONE:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine. Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, who chose us from all peoples and exalted us among the nations, and made us holy with His commandments. With love You have given us feast days to be glad on, holy days for happiness, and this festival of unleavened bread to celebrate our freedom, and to gather together in holy remembrance of our liberation.

Blessed are you, Lord King of the universe, You have given us life and preserved us to this day.

EVERYONE:

To Life!

ALL DRINK THE FIRST CUP OF WINE.

(THE HOST TAKES THE GREEN VEGETABLE , AND DIPS IT INTO THE SALT WATER.
PASS THE SEDER PLATES AND EVERYONE TAKE A PIECE OF PARSLEY OR LETTUCE AND DIP IT INTO THE SALT WATER. IT IS EATEN AFTER THE BLESSING.)

FIRST PARTICIPANT:

A green vegetable symbolises the coming of spring and the rebirth of hope. We dip the vegetable into the salt water to remind ourselves of the bitter tears our ancestors shed when they were slaves of Egypt. They were able to survive their cruel ordeal because they dared to hope that one day God would help them to become free.

HOST:

We join in thanking God for the things that grow in the earth.

EVERYONE:

Blessed are you Lord our God, king of the universe, who created the fruit of the earth.

ALL EAT THE GREEN VEGETABLE.

SECOND PARTICIPANT:

Hospitality to strangers and to those in need is required of all Jews. This is especially true at Passover time. We must make it possible for everyone who wishes to do so to observe Passover Seder. In the prayer that follows we invite those in need to join us at our Seder table.

(THE HOST RAISES THE PLATE WITH THE MATZAH BREAD AND UNCOVERS FOR ALL TO SEE)

HOST:

Behold the bread of poverty, which our ancestors ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are needy come and celebrate Passover with us. Now we are together here; in the age to come may we be together in God’s kingdom. Now, many are still oppressed; next year may all men be free.

COMMENTATOR:

On the main table there are three loaves of unleavened bread – matzahs - sharing the one napkin. The number three reminded the Jews of the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. As Christians we recognise the unique unity of three persons in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Host will break the middle piece of matzah into two, which to us represents Jesus, the second person of the Trinity - broken, symbolic of His death. The larger piece is wrapped separately and hidden under the main napkin. It is called in the Jewish Passover the Afikoman. It will be hidden and then searched for after the seder meal. We see Christ's burial and resurrection dramatised in this act. Jesus used this bread to become the first Eucharist.

(THE CUP OF WINE IS FILLED FOR THE SECOND TIME.)

YOUNGEST:

Why is this night different from all other nights?
MAH NISH-TA-NAH HA-LAY-LAH HA-ZEH, MI-KOL HA-LEY-LOT?

HOST:

(UNCOVERS THE MATZAH.)

This night is indeed different from all other nights of the year, because tonight we are acting out one of the great dramas in Jewish history – the Exodus from Egypt. Our Father, Abraham, was a wandering Aramean. Few in numbers, he went down for refuge into Egypt; there he became a nation - great, mighty and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace, and inflicted harsh slavery on us.

Then we called on the Lord, the God of our Fathers.
He heard our voice, and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression. With mighty hand and out-stretched arm, with great signs and wonders, he brought us out of Egypt; and he led us into a land of freedom.

The foods we eat, the rituals and the prayers and songs all make that exciting story come alive.

EVERYONE:

Blessed is he who keeps his promise, who shows us love; blessed is he, the holy God; blessed is he.

His faithfulness stood by our fathers, and stands by us; for it is not one man alone who has risen up against us, but in every generation have risen up those who would destroy us.

Blessed is he who keeps his promise, who saves us; blessed is he, the holy God; blessed is he.

HOST:

In four different passages the Torah commands a Jewish father to tell the Passover story to his children. Why is it necessary to repeat this command four times? The reason is that no two children are the same, and each child must be told the story in a different way.

The wise son questions his father thus:

CHILD 1:

What mean these things to us that God has given?

HOST:

Tell him all there is to know of the festival.

The wicked son asks:

CHILD 2:

What’s this all to you, the many silly things we are doing?

HOST:

See it was not you God saved, but me.

The simple son cries:

CHILD 3:

Dad, what’s this?

HOST:

To complications give a miss, but simply and with patience tell how God delivered Israel.

And as for one who cannot ask, he has a happy task; he takes the symbols one by one and shows them to his baby son.

OLD TESTAMENT READING:

Exodus 6, 2-13

THE READER ENDS WITH:

The Word of the Lord

EVERYONE:

Thanks be to God

THIRD PARTICIPANT:

Despite Moses' plea and the threat of God's punishment, Pharaoh stubbornly refused to free the Israelite slaves. One plague after another was brought upon the Egyptians. After each one, Pharaoh would promise to obey God's command. But as soon as the plague had passed and relief came, Pharaoh changed his mind. Only after the tenth and most horrible plague, the death of the first born did Pharaoh finally agree to let the Israelites go.

HOST:

We will now remember each of the plagues, by pouring off drops of wine from our cup. We do this to show our sympathy for the Egyptians. The cup of wine is the symbol of joy. But our cup is not full of joy when we recall the suffering of the Egyptians. Although they were our enemies and enslaved us, yet we still feel their pain. They, too, were human beings, children of the same God in whom we believe.

EVERYONE SAY TOGETHER SLOWLY, DIPPING A FINGER IN THE WINE AND PLACING A DROP ON YOUR PLATE WITH EACH PLAGUE:

Blood

(Dahm)

Frogs

(Tz'far-dey-ah)

Vermin

(Ki-nim)

Beasts

(A-rov)

Cattle disease

(Deafer)

Boils

(Psyching)

Hail

(Ba-rad)

Locusts

(Ar-beh)

Darkness

(Ho-shech)

Slaying of the first born

(Ma-kat b'cho-rot)

HOST:

The story of the plagues contains a number of reminders and a warning to all nations. When they oppress any of their people, when they show no concern for human beings, when they do not care about human suffering they are preparing for destruction. A nation that wants to grow and prosper must grant "liberty and justice for all."

The Torah commands: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants.

THE HOST INTRODUCES THE LITANY OF THANKSGIVING:

Over and over again must we thank the Almighty, the holy God, for all he has done in our midst, for all his deeds of loving kindness.

Had he freed us from Egypt and not divided the sea for us…..R
Had he divided the sea and not brought us through dry shod.….R
Had he brought us through dry shod and not cared for us in the desert…..R
Had he cared for us in the desert and not brought us to our land…..R
Had he brought us to our land and not sent his son to live among us…..R
Had he sent his son to live among us and not raised him from death…..R
Had he raised his Son from death and not raised us up too…..R
Had he raised us up from death and not called us to his Kingdom…..R

EVERYONE:

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord, tell his name;
Make known his deeds among the peoples.
O sing to Him, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works.
Be proud of his holy name, constantly seek his face.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his love endures for ever.

HOST:

All the symbols of the Passover are important. A person who does not explain these symbols at the Seder has not fulfilled his duty. They are the roasted bone, the matzah, and the bitter herbs.

EVERYONE:

Why do we have the roasted bone on the Seder plate?

FIRST PARTICIPANT:

This roasted bone is a reminder of the Passover lamb sacrificed on the very first Passover, in Egypt. For the Lord passed over the houses of our forefathers in Egypt, as it is written in the Torah:

CHILD 4:

On all other nights we eat either bread or matzah.
Why on this Passover night only matzah?

(HOST RAISES THE TOP MATZAH)

SECOND PARTICIPANT:

It is a reminder of the flat baked dough that our ancestors ate as they fled from Egypt. Thus the Torah tells us: "They baked the dough they had taken out of Egypt into cakes of matzah. In their haste to leave Egypt, they did not wait for the dough to rise .

CHILD 5:

On all other nights we eat herbs when we wish.
Why do we eat bitter herbs on Passover?

THIRD PARTICIPANT:

They are eaten to remind us how bitter the Egyptians made the lives of our ancestors. We read in the Torah:
“The Egyptians made their lives bitter with hard labour, with mortar and brick, and with every kind of work in the field. All labour which the Egyptians forced upon them was harsh."

When we eat the bitter herbs during the Seder, we are reminded of the bitterness of slavery.

HOST:

We must thank and praise God over and over again. All these signs He has brought about for our fathers and for us. Let us pray before Him a new song of Alleluia:

Psalm 112: To the God of glory and compassion. A psalm of worship

Alleluia (sung)

Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!
May the name of the Lord be blessed both now and for evermore!
From the rising of the sun to its setting praised he the name of the Lord!

High above all nations is the Lord, above the heavens his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God, who has risen on high to his throne
yet stoops from the heights to look down, to look down upon heaven and earth?

From the dust he lifts up the lowly, from the dung heap he raises the poor
to set him in the company of princes, yes, with the princes of his people.
To the childless wife he gives a home and gladdens her heart with children.

Alleluia (sung)

Psalm 113: The wonders of the Exodus. The one true God

When Israel came forth from Egypt, Jacob's sons from an alien people, Judah became the Lord's temple, Israel became his kingdom.

The sea fled at the sight: the Jordan turned back on its course, the mountains leapt like rams and the hills like yearling sheep.

Why was it, sea, that you fled, that you turned back, Jordan, on your course?
Mountains, that you leapt like rams, hills, like yearling sheep?

Tremble, O earth, before the Lord, in the presence of the God of Jacob,
who turns the rock into a pool and flint into a spring of water.

Alleluia (sung)

HOST:

Let us now raise the second cup of wine.

EVERYONE:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe, Who created the fruit of the vine.

A toast - To Freedom.

HOST:

We are now ready to have the Seder meal. Before we eat, however, we must wash our hands and say the blessing:

EVERYONE:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, Who has made us holy with Your commandments and commanded us to wash the hands.

COMMENTATOR:

In the time of Jesus, the requirement of the keeping of the feast was for all the participants to have a full bath! This ritual washing symbolised an overall cleansing and restoration of innocence. As with many of tonight’s actions and prayers, its equivalent is to be found in our modern celebration of the Mass.

HOST:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, Who brings forth bread from the earth.

EVERYONE:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, king of the universe, Who has made us holy with Your commandments and commanded us to eat unleavened bread.

CHILD 6:

On all other nights we need not dip any food into another even once.
Why on this night do we dip twice?

HOST:

The bitter herbs have reminded us of the bitterness of slavery. The haroset reminds us of the mortar our ancestors used as slaves to build cities for Pharaoh. We will now dip them together as a reminder of those bitter days.

EVERYONE:

Blessed are You, lord our God, king of the universe, Who has made us holy with Your commandments and commanded us to eat bitter herbs.

CHILD 7:

On all other nights we eat either sitting or reclining.
Why on this night do we recline?

FOURTH PARTICIPANT:

In ancient days, slaves ate hurriedly because their masters did not wish them to waste a single moment when they could be working. and so the slaves ate either standing up or sitting on the ground. The masters, however, ate leisurely in a relaxed mood as they reclined on couches. Since our ancestors became free on this festival, how natural that we should eat reclining in the style of free men.

SING TOGETHER:

Eat this bread, drink this cup
Come to me and never be hungry
Eat this bread, drink this cup
Trust in me and you will not thirst (repeat verse three times)

The service resumes with

COMMENTATOR:

When this bread was broken at the start of the service, it symbolised for us the breaking of the body of the Son of God who is our High Priest. When the loaf was wrapped in linen, it spoke prophetically of the wrapping of the body of Christ in linen after the crucifixion. When the wrapped bread was put under the bottom napkin it symbolised His burial in the sepulchre by Joseph of Arimathea (Matt. 25: 57-60). Now the napkin is removed signifying the removal of the stone by the angel (Matt. 28: 1-2). Then the wrapped bread is taken and unwrapped, significant to us of the resurrection and new life.

It is probably at this stage of the Seder that Jesus took this Afikoman and made it His body, broken as a sacrifice for our sins.

"Then he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, `This is my body given up for you; do this in remembrance of me.' He did the same with the cup after supper, and said, `This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for you.'" (Luke 22: 19-20)

The bread is now broken into small pieces, and every member of the family must partake of it.

HOST:

The Torah tells us: "When you have eaten and are satisfied you shall thank the Lord your God." Let us now therefore join in expressing our gratitude to God for the food we have eaten.

THANKSGIVING
Psalm 135: Litany of praises:

Alleluia! (sung)

O give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his great love is without end.
Give thanks to the God of gods, for his great love is without end.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his great love is without end;

who alone has wrought marvellous works, for his great love is without end;
whose wisdom it was made the skies, for his great love is without end;
who fixed the earth firmly on the seas, for his great love is without end.

It was he who made the great lights, for his great love is without end,
the sun to rule in the day, for his great love is without end,
the moon and stars in the night, for his great love is without end.

The first-born of the Egyptians he smote, for his great love is without end.
He brought Israel. out from their midst, for his great love is without end;
arm outstretched, with power in his hand, for his great love is without end.

He divided the Red Sea in two, for his great love is without end;
he made Israel pass through the midst, for his great love is without end;
he flung Pharaoh and his force in the sea, for his great love is without end.

Alleluia! (sung)

HOST:

Blessed are you, Lord our God, king of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

EVERYONE:

To Peace.

HOST:

On the central table there is a large cup of wine which none of us has touched.

CHILDREN
ALL TOGETHER):

Who is the cup of wine for?

FIRST PARTICIPANT:

We have reserved it for a special guest. His name is Elijah, the prophet.

FOURTH PARTICIPANT:

According to tradition Elijah never died. He will return one day so that all people can live in peace. No one occupies his place. Tradition says that this place is for Elijah to arrive and announce that the Messiah has come.

COMMENTATOR:

As Christians we know that this cup and chair were meant for Jesus himself. Jesus spoke of John as His forerunner and said John indeed fulfilled the traditional duty of the prophet Elijah to herald the Messiah. It was this same John who saw Jesus coming to him, and who said, “Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29)

CHILDREN
ALL TOGETHER):

Why do we drink four cups of wine at the Seder?

SECOND PARTICIPANT:

The reason is to be found in the Torah. When God sent Moses to the Israelites in Egypt he put his promise to bring them out of slavery in four ways:

“I will bring you out from the burdens of the Egyptians”
“I will deliver you from their bondage”
“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”
“I will take you to be my people”

These four promises are celebrated with four cups of wine.

EVERYONE:

Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who created the fruit of the vine.

EVERYONE:

To Jerusalem.

HOST:

You will notice that some items on the Seder plate have not been eaten. Hebrew people, since the destruction of the temple are unable to observe the Passover according to the law of Moses. That law said the Passover lamb was to be offered only in the tabernacle where God placed His name (Deut. 16:5,6 Kings 9:3).

In the years that followed, the Jews provided a symbol for the Passover lamb by placing a roast lamb shank bone on a plate. To it the rabbis have added an egg. This is to be a reminder of the Hagigah, which was the "voluntary peace offering" on the second day of Passover. It evokes mourning for the destruction of the temple, and the loss of worship there.

COMMENTATOR:

All of this directs us back to Christ, the true ‘Lamb of God’. Through His death, symbolised by the shank bone, He voluntarily offered Himself, making peace with God, reconciling us to Him. As scripture says: "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself"

As Christians, we recognise that repeated sacrifice is no longer necessary. The offering of our Messiah fully satisfied this requirement. In His death, there is life. In the shedding of His blood there is atonement for our sin. In the Messiah's coming, our Passover is completed.

HOST:

As we come to the end of our Seder, let us pray. You are a people consecrated to the Lord Your God. It is you that the Lord God has chosen to be His very own people, and so you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your strength.

May we celebrate again together next year in joy, freedom, and in peace.

EVERYONE:

Amen.

ALL SING SHALOM:-

Shalom, my friend, shalom my friend
Shalom, shalom.
The peace of Christ I give to you today
Shalom, shalom.

Shalom, my friend, shalom my friend
Shalom, shalom.
The peace of Christ I give to you today
Shalom, shalom.

Shalom, my friend, shalom my friend
Shalom, shalom.
The peace of Christ I give to you today
Shalom, shalom.

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