A Christian Seder Meal

First of all, what is a Seder Meal?
Simply put, it is a meal celebrated every year by the Jewish people which symbolically, through food, prayers and actions, retells the night of liberation of the Jews from Pharaoh in Egypt. This meal retells the night the Angel of Death "passed-over" the houses marked with the blood of the lamb. It was this meal that Jesus and his disciples were eating the night Jesus was arrested, the day referred to by Christians as Holy Thursday.

Why is there a Seder Meal every year?
This meal is repeated every year, in the same way, because God told the people to repeat it every year. The custom of retelling the deliverance from Egypt through a meal comes straight from Scripture: "Tell your children of that day, saying 'It is because of what the Lord did that I came forth from Egypt." (Exodus 13:8)  But in retelling their story of liberation, the Jewish people were to do more than just enjoy a good meal and hear an old story. Through participating in this very special ritual of eating and praying together, each person at the meal was to "look on it as though he or she themselves had come forth from Egypt."(The Passover Haggadah, by N.Glatzer)  This meal, very literally, was to extend that liberation from Egypt to each person who ate, each year, even if they lived generations later.

Seder Plates

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A Seder Plate with the special food.
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Seder Plates vary widely from home to home.
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They are often family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation.
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Some are traditional, and others are modern.

What happens at a typical Seder Meal?
Watch the short video below to find out!
A Christian Seder Meal
If you watched the video, you would have noticed many similarities between a Seder Meal and our Catholic Mass. In order to help us understand the Mass more completely, as well as to remind ourselves that our faith comes from Judaism, we often celebrate Christian Seder Meals during Holy Week, usually on Tuesday or Wednesday evening.

What Do We Need?
As the video showed, Seder Meals can be as elaborate or as simple as the family desires. Here's what you'll need for a Christian Seder Meal:
  • a large plate (this is not actually used for eating, but to display the special food

On the Seder Plate place:
  • 2-3tbs of chopped parsley (or spinach or any green herb/leaf)
  • half a cup of chopped apples, mixed with honey, nuts, brown sugar and cinnamon
  • a small bowl of saltwater (use warm water so that the salt will melt into it)
  • a lamb bone, or a chicken leg (or even just a picture of one will work)
  • a couple of small radishes, sliced (or any bitter veggie. Horseradish will also work.)
  • Easter eggs (cascarones, or dyed and hard boiled eggs, or even wrapped chocolate eggs will work.)

 Have nearby:
  • red wine (or grape juice for the kids)
  • 2 candles and a lighter or match
  • a bowl of holy water, if you have it. If not, just use regular water.
  • a towel (a kitchen towel is a good size)
  • 3 pieces of matzos (flat cracker bread, or just use saltines), with a napkin close by
  • a Bible or movie clip to watch the Exodus story and listen to the Dayenu Litany

What Do We Do?
Download the guide below to have a Christian Seder Meal in your home. Set your table festively and place all of the items above on it. Make sure everyone has a plate and  a glass. Give yourself about 45 minutes to an hour to complete it together. There is a place in the Seder Meal that calls for a retelling of the story of Exodus.  Decide beforehand if you will read this from Scripture, watch a movie clip or a YouTube video. There are a few options for you below. Also, below is a YouTube clip of The Dayenu Litany, a song of praise within the Seder Meal.  If possible, have dinner ready to eat after, so that this meal becomes a celebration of the saving work of God!
guide_for_a_christian_seder_meal.pdf
File Size: 321 kb
File Type: pdf
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Photo from Meg Stewart