seder

The word “seder” simply means order or arrangement.

We decided we would celebrate the Passover instead of Easter this year, which is a remembrance of how God liberated the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt.

Saturday evening Brad suggested that instead of a traditional seder with the bitter herbs and lamb that we should come up with our own foods that represented what God has done in our lives. The thought of it brought a huge smile to my face. I’m certain the ritual of the Jewish seder is beautiful but I knew that creating our own based on our own experiences could be awesome.

We decided to write down the foods and text that we used in our seder meal on Sunday evening. These are representative of our own experiences and are in no way meant to become ritualistic. Some of the foods we had on hand, others we had to buy. If we do this again next year we will most likely come up with an entirely new set of foods and text.

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The entire meal was eaten without silverware. This was to remind us that God calls us to simplicity even when it makes things more difficult.

We served ourselves because God calls us all to be active workers in his Kingdom.

We then ate these foods in this order. Brad read the description of the food and then one of us would read the verse that corresponded.

We poured the drinks for the person next to us because we are called to serve.

Eggs – Because God is a god of life, and to celebrate the coming spring. The season symbolizes the promise of the new life that we have in Christ, on earth and in heaven.

“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his.”
– Romans 6:3-5

Shot – Because when life comes hard and fast, God is there.

“If the Lord had not been on our side—
    let Israel say—
if the Lord had not been on our side
    when people attacked us,
 they would have swallowed us alive
    when their anger flared against us;
 the flood would have engulfed us,
    the torrent would have swept over us,
 the raging waters
    would have swept us away.
Praise be to the Lord,
    who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
    from the fowler’s snare;
the snare has been broken,
    and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.”
-Psalm 124

Lobster – It was slaughtered now for each of us personally, just as Christ perpetually dies personally for each of us. For some reason, sacrifice is a part of the world that God has given us. And in some ways, we each bare the full weight of the sacrifice God made for us.

 “and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,  through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—  he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
-Roman 3:24-26

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world .”
-1 John 2:2

Rice – God is everywhere. Everyone eats rice. Just as rice is eaten around the world, so is God’s love available and evident to all the peoples of the world.

“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.”
-Romans 1:20

Malta – Because when life is awful, God is there. (Malta is a Mexican soda we had in our fridge that we find to be, well, disgusting.)

“People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.  And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.  The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

“I baptize you with  water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with  the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
-Matthew 3:5-12

Hamburger – Traditional American traveling food – because God is with us wherever he may send us.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
-Matthew 28:18

Moscato – When life is sweet, God is there.

“Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
    praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power;
    praise him for his surpassing greatness.
 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
    praise him with the harp and lyre,
 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
    praise him with the strings and pipe,
 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
    praise him with resounding cymbals.
 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.”
-Psalm 150

Carrot – God is with us now, he delivers gifts to us. Just as the carrot comes from the ground ready to be eaten, so God meets each of us as we are, and has purpose for us.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above,coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”
-James 1:16-18

Baked Potato – God will be with us in the future. Some of his gifts develop over time. Sometimes God’s plans for us are messy, difficult and time consuming. But he loves us and is faithful to his promise to reward us in the present life, and the one to come.

“I thank my God every time I remember you.   In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,  so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,  filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
-Phillipians 1:3-11

Lick-A-Flavor Popsicle – Just as the flavor changes, so God changes us. He is a mystery, perpetually the same, yet perpetually adapting to meet us personally.

“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and  knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!”
-Romans 11:33