Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Easter. Show all posts
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Friday, April 02, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Of "Christian Seders"
This morning's Houston Chronicle had a lengthy article about some controversy surrounding local Christians celebrating the Passover seder.
The article reminded me of the seders I have participated in over the years. Back when I was in college my home church in San Antonio celebrated the Passover seder under the direction of one of the local rabbis. That was my first introduction to this tradition, and I found it powerful and compelling.
Many years later I organized a seder for the church we were attending. My next door neighbors were Jewish and their daughter was a very good friend of my two daughters. They invited us to their home for the seder that year and I was surprised that they didn't realize that the Christian sacrament of communion was derived from it. My neighbor offered to help me plan the seder at church. She and her daughter attended and she brought an heirloom plate for the bitter herbs that had been handed down in her family.
Our pastor insisted that we close that seder with communion--clearly an adaptation that some interviewed in the Chronicle article would see as offensive. I remember being uncomfortable with that at the time because I worried it would make my neighbor uncomfortable. However if it did, she never let on and to me was enthusiastic about the experience, even joining in the communion herself.
Has your church celebrated a Passover seder? Did you incorporate Christian interpretations to the event or did you replicate a purely Jewish seder?
The article reminded me of the seders I have participated in over the years. Back when I was in college my home church in San Antonio celebrated the Passover seder under the direction of one of the local rabbis. That was my first introduction to this tradition, and I found it powerful and compelling.
Many years later I organized a seder for the church we were attending. My next door neighbors were Jewish and their daughter was a very good friend of my two daughters. They invited us to their home for the seder that year and I was surprised that they didn't realize that the Christian sacrament of communion was derived from it. My neighbor offered to help me plan the seder at church. She and her daughter attended and she brought an heirloom plate for the bitter herbs that had been handed down in her family.
Our pastor insisted that we close that seder with communion--clearly an adaptation that some interviewed in the Chronicle article would see as offensive. I remember being uncomfortable with that at the time because I worried it would make my neighbor uncomfortable. However if it did, she never let on and to me was enthusiastic about the experience, even joining in the communion herself.
Has your church celebrated a Passover seder? Did you incorporate Christian interpretations to the event or did you replicate a purely Jewish seder?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)