SEDER MEAL –APRIL 1

This very special event is being planned for everyone in the congregation (children through adults) by the Education Ministry Team. A Seder Meal is a part of the Jewish celebration of Passover. For Christians, we know that Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples on the night in which he was betrayed. And during that meal he shared his body and blood with his followers.

The Passover celebration goes back many years to the time when the Israelites were held in slavery to the Egyptians. Moses was called by God to seek freedom for the Jews. Nine plagues were sent upon the Egyptians, but Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go.

The tenth plague declared that the Lord would send an angel to kill the first-born in every household. On that night the Israelites were told to sacrifice a lamb and put some of its blood on the door post. The angel would pass over the homes bearing the blood of the sacrificial lamb and not harm anyone in those homes.

Each year since that night the Jews have celebrated the Passover by eating certain foods and retelling the old stories of their captivity in Egypt. The foods include parsley, which represents the meager diet of the Jews while they were in the wilderness; salt water to represent the tears shed by the Israelites during their slavery, and unleavened bread which they ate because the bread did not have time to rise. Bitter herbs are eaten to remember that the Egyptians embittered the lives of the Israelites. The bitter herbs are combined with an apple mixture which represents the mortar they used in making bricks for the Pharaoh. The lamb is a reminder of the Sacrificial Lamb and an egg is a symbol of the new life the Israelites were to lead.

Throughout the Seder, the story of the bondage and freedom of the Israelites is recounted. There is a deep appreciation for and acknowledgement of God’s saving grace in the life of the Jews.

As part of the Seder this year we will have a soup supper prepared by Ethel’s Edibles. There will be a free-will offering received for this meal.

Following the Seder at about 7:15pm we will go into the sanctuary for our Maundy Thursday worship service. This service helps us to better understand the meaning of The Lord’s Supper and the great sacrifice Christ made for our salvation.

Please put your name on the sign-up sheet on the information table in the Fellowship Hall. This will help us set up the room and to prepare the special foods.

Date: Thursday, April 1
Time: Seder & Soup Supper 6:00 pm
Worship at about 7:15 pm

GOOD FRIDAY – APRIL 2
From 7:00 am until 7:00 pm members of the congregation will participate in a Good Friday Prayer Vigil at the church. Feel free to come in at any point during the day for prayer if you have not signed up for a particular time slot.

At 8:00 pm we will offer a Service of Darkness and Shadows. During this service we will hear the reading of the Passion according to St. John. There will also be time for prayer as the sanctuary gets progressively dark. All are encouraged to come to this moving worship service which leads us towards our Easter celebration.

EASTER SUNDAY – APRIL 4
Our joyous celebration of Easter will include the following:

Worship…….8:15 am and 10:30 am
(Festival Services of Word & Sacrament)

Breakfast…….9:15 am – 10:00 am