Passover 2010

I’m amazed at how my blog is being spread specifically in regards to my Passover posts! What an honor!
Here is what we did this year. It seems like each year we add a little more as we grow more each year spiritually as well as in attention spans.

 
  

 Four days ago we got our stuffed lamb out again. We set him on the platter after inspecting that he was   without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats(Exodus 12:5) as we read the corresponding verses.

Yesterday, we searched our house and removed any leaven(yeast or products made with yeast). I poured a few piles on windowsills, and dresser tops that the children had fun searching for and sweeping up, after the pantry and refrigerator had been cleaned out.
 We read Ex 12:19-20, 1 Cor 5:6-8 and 1 Cor 11:28.

This year we went a little deeper, and purchased a Haggadah. I’d put it off because I had never found one that was "right" for us, but I really liked this one, and it was extremely affordable!
I read through it last week and highlighted the parts we would do, as my children are still quite young.
I prepped everything during naptime, and we all anxiously awaited sun down!

Then tonight, we "killed" our lamb (hid him away until next year) (Exodus 12:6) and painted the door posts with his blood (Exodus 12:7) (red paint on paper taped to the doorposts). We used parsley (hyssop) as our paintbrush.

We started with the lighting of the candles and  prayer.
 (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-2)

We followed the candles with the washing of the hands after reading John 13:1-11.

Then we dipped parsley in salt water reading along in the Haggadah as we went.

This boy cracks me  up! You should have seen him try horseradish for the first time at church last week during the Passover presentation!

We broke the middle matzah and separated the "Afikomen".  I wrapped it in it’s special cloth and set it aside. This part was especially amazing to me this year, to learn how the middle matzah was so symbolic of Christ, how he was broken and pierced for us, how he was "hidden" in the tomb then raised from the dead… How there are 3 to symbolize the Father, Son and Holy Spirit..I love to see how God planned everything out so perfectly from the very beginning.

We retold the story of exodus and the plagues, talked about our roasted lamb, and how it represented Jesus (Isaiah 53:7, John 1:29).

We went into more detail with the matzah. (Zech 12:10, Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 53:5)
Then, tasted and talked about the relevance of the horseradish and charoseth as written in the Haggadah.

At this point we ate our dinner of lamb, salad with parsley, charoseth, matzoh soup (I had made some from a package and a sweet friend ended up showing up right before we started with some homemade from her grandmother’s recipe! How amazing was that?).

After we started eating,  I snuck off to hide the afikomen.
When the meal was finished the children searched for the afikomen, and I "redeemed" it with a quarter. We talked about how when it was hidden, it was like when Jesus was in the grave, and when it was found he was resurrected.

We broke it and had communion (Matt 26:26, John 6:32) along with the "cup of redemption" (Luke 22:20).

We finished up the Seder talking about Jesus coming back (1 Thes 4:16-17)and then singing some hymns (Matthew 26:30)

It was a truly blessed night and I felt the Lord’s presence. He really ministered to my soul through every step from the preparation to the finish.
The children played while I cleaned up, and then at bedtime we read Psalm 113-118 which are the traditional "hymns" sung at Passover to finish off our night.

Thanks for reading , I’d love to know how your family celebrates as well!