After all have drunk from their wine glasses (Cup of Blessing) the glasses are filled again. Leader says: This is Elijah’s cup, who it is foretold will come before the Messiah. Jesus tells us that in John the Baptist Elijah has already come (Matt 17: 10-13) and this prepared Jesus’ way as our Messiah.

THE SEDER or PASSOVER MEAL

This cup is also called the Cup of Wrath because of the scriptures associated with it: “Pour out your wrath on the nations that do not know you, and the kingdoms which do not honour your name, for they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his home. Pour out Your fury on them, pursue them in anger and destroy them under your heavens”. (Psalm 79:6-7, Psalm 69:25, Lamentations 6:66) We do not drink from this Cup of Wrath because we believe Jesus chose to drink this cup himself, taking the Wrath meant for us upon himself. SONG: From Heaven You Came “When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives” (Matthew 26: 30) All say Blessed are you Almighty God and King, great in praises, God of thanksgiving, Lord of wonders, who enjoys our singing and our worship. All SHOUT: NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM! The leader says Our Seder is now complete according to the laws and customs of our people. As we have observed it here, so may we fulfil it i n our lives in the days to come. 12

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MAUNDY THURSDAY 21st APRIL 2011

PESACH SERVICE (Adapted as principle source from “A Little Kosher Seasoning” by Michelle Guinness).

INTRODUCTION Welcome to this celebration of the Passover. The festival is called Pesach from which we get the word “Paschal” from the Hebrew for ‘passing over’ or ‘sparing’. It lasts for 7 days and starts with the meal we are about to share which is called the Seder which means “Order”. The festival should be held with family and friends - the Torah is strict on this - no one should be left on their own. The Torah commands that it is celebrated annually - even after the Messiah has come. This is a time to remember God’s great mercy in taking the Israelites out of Egypt and the Bible tells us to teach this to our children (Exodus 12:26). As believers in Jesus as our Messiah, it is also a time to remember how he shared in this same celebration with his disciples on the night of his betrayal. It is likely that the disciples were arranged in a horseshoe around a low table. Jesus also gave new meaning to Pesach by taking the bread and wine as a remembrance for his body and blood, the basis of our Communion. The order of the meal is laid down in the Haggadah, which is usually in Hebrew and Aramaic. The first part is very old and predates Jesus. The latter parts have adapted over time by various Jewish communities, but a recurring them is the suffering of the Jewish nation and God’s redeeming mercy. There are strict rules laid down about how we should observe Passover. Various ritual foods will also be eaten which remind us of particular parts of the story. At various points, your wine glass is filled and drunk. This is a celebration, and I would urge you to enjoy yourselves and celebrate God. THIS MEAL DOES CONTAIN NUTS 2

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Jesus on the night that he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (1 Corinthians 11:23-4). GRACE AND THANKSGIVING All fill their wine glasses (The third cup is the cup of blessing, in Hebrew Baruch, in Greek Eucharisto). All say together: Blessed are you O Lord our God King of the Universe who provides the fruit of the earth for our use. Teach us to remember that it is not by bread alone that we live. Grant us evermore to feed on him who is the true bread from heaven, Jesus our Messiah and Lord. The leader says: O God our heavenly father, look in favour on the homes of your people. Defend them against evil, and supply all their needs, according to the riches of your wonderful grace. Make them sanctuaries of Peace, Love and Joy. May we always abide under the shadow of your love, through Jesus the Messiah. Amen. All say Blessed are you O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine. All sip from their wine glasses. Whilst this is being done, the leader reads this passage: “In the same way after supper he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, ‘Drink this all of you; this is my blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me”. (1 Corinthians 11:25-6) GraceSpace

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All dip Maror into the Haroseth and the leader says: Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has commanded us to eat bitter herbs. This is the second dipping. In Middle Eastern custom the host gives his most favoured guest a dipped morsel: “So when Jesus had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot.” (John 13:26). The father makes small sandwiches out of two pieces of bread from the third matzah filled with Haroseth and also Maror and gives these out. This fulfils the verse “With unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it” (Num 9 11) and also reminds us of the mud and straw bricks that were made in Egypt. THE MEAL During the meal the leader hides the Afikomen. During coffee the young at heart look for the Afikomen which the leader will redeem for something tasting much nicer! After the meal the Afikomen is broken and shared with everyone. Nothing more may now be eaten. (Afikomen means that which is to come and both represents the Passover lamb and the Messiah). After the meal, we all say together, Jesus the Messiah, our Passover lamb has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the feast, not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. (1 Corinthians 5:7). 10

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THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLES The mother lights the candles and says: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has made us Holy by your Word, and commanded us to kindle the festival lights. KIDDUSH AND FIRST CUP All fill their glasses, hold them up and say Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine. The leader continues: Blessed are You O lord our God, King of the Universe who has grafted us into the root of Israel through your son Jesus our Messiah, your living Word. In Your love you have given us times for gladness, rejoicing and festivals; You have given us this feast of unleavened bread as a celebration of the freedom You give us and in memory of the departure of the Jewish nation from Egypt. All now drink (a sip will do!). THE FATHER WASHES HIS HANDS (URHATZ) A helper pours water over the Father’s hands (This originates from the ritual washing before offering sacrifices in the Temple). PARSLEY (KARPAS) DIPPED IN SALT WATER Parsley is dipped into the salt water and given to each person. BEFORE we eat it the leader says: Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth fruit from the earth. The parsley is eaten. (Parsley represents the sprig of hyssop used to daub the gateposts with the blood of the lambs, whilst the salt water is variously thought of as the tears of the Israelites in Egypt or the Red Sea, through which they passed). GraceSpace

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THE BREAKING OF THE MIDDLE MATZAH The middle one of the matzah is taken out from between the napkins, and broken in half. One half is wrapped in a serviette and kept hidden by the Father. This is the Afikomen which means “thing to come” and is eaten last to represent the Passover lamb. It is hidden by the leader for the children to find later in a treasure hunt. The other half matzah is returned to lie amongst the other two. (The three matzah together are a sign of the Trinity to Messianic Believers, whilst the Afikomen has been taken as representing Jesus the Messiah who was to come).

All now lift their wine glasses and say: Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who redeemed us and our forefathers and has kept us alive to eat unleavened bread and Maror tonight. The leader says: So, Lord our God, God of our fathers, grant us health and happiness so that we can enjoy many more anniversaries and festivals in future. Blessed are you O Lord who has redeemed Israel.

The leader then raises the other half of the broken matzah and the Seder Dish and says:

All say Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who created the fruit of the vine.

This is the bread of affliction, which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let all who are hungry come and eat. Let all who are in need come and celebrate the Passover.

All drink from their wine glasses.

All fill their glass THE FOUR QUESTIONS These are four ritual questions asked by a child: Why is this night different from all other nights? 1. On all other nights we eat leavened and unleavened bread. Why on this night only unleavened bread? 2. On all other nights we eat all kinds of herbs. Why on this night only bitter herbs? 3. On all other nights we do not dip herbs at all Why on this night do we dip them twice? 4. On all other nights we eat in the ordinary manner. Why on this night do we dine with special ceremony?

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HANDWASHING The leader says: Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who commanded us to wash our hands. All now wash their hands. “During supper Jesus... rose from the table, laid aside his garments, and girded himself with a towel. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with a towel.” (John 13: 2-5). EATING THE PASSOVER SYMBOLS The Father breaks off a piece of the middle matzah for each person at the table and says: Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth and who has commanded us to eat unleavened bread. GraceSpace

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Matzah – Unleavened Bread We eat unleavened bread this evening because time was short for our forefathers on that night and they could not wait for dough to rise. (This is made carefully so that it does not rise. As a precaution it is pierced to prevent any fermentation during baking (“He was pierced for our transgressions” Isaiah 53). Maror (lettuce & horseradish) - Bitter Herbs We eat these tonight to remember how the Egyptians embittered the lives of our forefathers. Baked Egg This is a symbol of mourning in the Middle East and it baked to remember that the Temple was burnt. Since then the Jewish people have not been able to offer sacrifices. This symbol which is not mentioned is a reminder of that sadness. All say together:Therefore it is our duty to thank, praise, glorify, exalt, honour, bless, extol, and adore him who performed all these miracles for us and for our forefathers. He brought us from slavery to freedom, from anguish to rejoicing, from mourning to feasting, from darkness to light, from bondage to redemption. Let us therefore sing a new song to him, Hallelujah! SONG: I Will Enter His Gates

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All reply: Why? To remember that we were all slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt; but God brought us out from there with His mighty hand and outstretched arm. If the Lord had not brought our forefathers out of that country, we, our children and our children’s children might still be slaves. It is important for us to remember this. The leader continues: Joshua told the people: “The Lord God of Israel says, ‘I took Abraham your father out of the land east of the river Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. There I increased his family and gave him Isaac his son. Isaac had two sons – Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the country around Mount Seir, but Jacob went down into Egypt’”. (Joshua 24 2-4). “Blessed be God, who keeps his promises He made to Israel. Blessed be He, for He calculated the exact number of years we should spend in slavery in Egypt so that He could fulfil what He had told to Abraham. He said, ‘One day your children will be strangers in a land that isn’t theirs. They will be slaves to the kings and peoples of that country and will live in misery for four hundred years. But I will punish that cruel nation and they, your children, will come out with great wealth’”. (Genesis 15 13-14) (Moses is not mentioned anywhere in the Seder, so that all the Glory goes to God for saving his people). All now raise their glass, but do not drink it.

The leader continues: This is the promise to which we and our forefathers have clung. Pharaoh is not the only tyrant who has tried to destroy us. There have been Pharaohs in every generation, but the Holy one, blessed be He, delivers us from their hands.

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My father was a wandering Aramean. He went down into Egypt because of a famine in Canaan, and took refuge there. From seventy people who went we multiplied and became like the stars in the Heaven, growing strong and great and powerful. The Egyptians grew afraid of us and so mistreated us and made us suffer terribly. Then we cried to the Lord, who heard us and saw our sorrow, toil and oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, He himself did this and no other in the power of His might. He said, “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and will strike down every firstborn in the land both man and cattle. I will destroy all the Egyptian gods, for I alone am the Lord.” And these were the ten signs which the Holy One, blessed be He, brought upon the Egyptians: As the plague is mentioned all dip their finger in their wine and then touch this on their plate. All say the plagues: BLOOD FLIES HAIL FIRSTBORN

FROGS PESTILENCE LOCUSTS

LICE BOILS DARKNESS

(The wine signifies the spilling of blood, and it is a form of grieving even for the hurts of your enemy). The glass is set down WITHOUT DRINKING FROM IT.

DA-YAINU (da-yainu means “it would have been enough for us”). This is a way of counting our blessings 1. If He had only brought us from Egypt and not executed judgement on them da-yainu 2. If He had only slain their firstborn, and not given us their wealth da-yainu 3. If He had only given us their wealth and not divided the sea for us da-yainu 4. If He had only divided the sea for us and not caused us to go through on dry land da-yainu 5. If He had only satisfied our needs in the wilderness, and not fed us on Manna da-yainu 6. If He had only brought us to Sinai and not given us His law da-yainu 7. If He had only brought us into the land of Israel and not built His temple for us da-yainu In building the Temple, He gave us a place to atone for our sins. Therefore how much more must we go on thanking God and remembering His mercies, now Jesus our Messiah has given a final Pascal Atonement for sins. THE SHANKBONE, MATZAH AND MAROR ARE EXPLAINED The leader explains three of the items on the Seder plate: The Passover Lamb – the shankbone Our forefathers ate the Passover lamb whilst the Temple stood to remember how God passed over them and spared them when He killed the Egyptian firstborn. (A shankbone is used because “He brought us out of Egypt with His outstretched arm”).

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