PASSOVER: TRADITIONAL SYMBOLS REMIND CHRISTIANS OF SACRIFICE

If God had brought us out of Egypt,

It would have been enough for us!

If God had given us the Torah and no more,

It would have been enough for us!

If God had only sent the Messiah,

It would have been enough for us!

--Dayenu, a Hebrew song sung at Passover

As Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Easter Sunday, Jews will begin the Passover celebration this weekend. Although the two are separate observances, many of their symbols and roots are the same.

In fact, Passover is not an accident of history nor is it disconnected from the celebration of Easter, area pastors and Christians say.

"Christ is the Old Testament fulfillment of all the scriptures," said the Rev. Jeffrey Sippy of Hanover Lutheran Church. "Everything points to the cross, resurrection and his coming into heaven."

Many churches and Christian groups celebrated the Passover Seder during Holy Week to remind members of the sacrifices of both the Jewish people and Jesus Christ.

Youth from First Christian Church celebrated the Seder on Palm Sunday. The Centenary United Methodist Women celebrated Passover Tuesday as a way to "get back to their roots," said member Dorothy Trotter.

For the Jewish people, Passover began at sundown Friday. It is an eight-day festival that commemorates the exodus from Egypt. Only the first two nights and the last two nights are celebrated with the Seder meal.

During the meal, the story of the Israelites' flight from Egypt is told by reading the Haggadah. The foods eaten at the meal are symbolic.

A presentation explaining the symbols of Passover as they relate to Christ will be presented April 26 at 9 and 10 a.m. at Hanover Lutheran Church. It is presented by a member of the Jews for Jesus organization.

"The object of the story is redemption," said Jan Moskowitz of Jews for Jesus, a group that recognizes Christ as the Messiah. "But it's also a story of the rebirth of a nation and the Passover is sort of the story of those birthing pains."

The story foreshadows the life of Jesus who is really the Paschal lamb. His blood, like the blood of the slain lamb, will avert our judgment, he said. Yet for most Jews, the story is one of historical significance.

And many times Christians hear the stories of the Israelites' so often they don't make the connection to Christ, Sippy said. The symbols of the Seder make those connections for Christians, however.

The meal can last anywhere from three to five hours. Before the feast can begin, every piece of leaven must be removed from the house. Leaven is much like yeast and causes bread to rise; however, Jewish custom relates it to sin and corruption. Therefore, no leaven is allowed in a home during the Passover celebrations.

When the Seder begins, every adult drinks from a cup of wine, which is refilled four times throughout the evening. The Kiddish is the cup of benediction. It is followed by four questions, asked by the youngest child present. Each question asks about the food and its symbolic explanation.

The first question asks why only unleavened bread is eaten on this night. At this point a piece of matzah is broken in two, and one half is hidden to be found later by the children. The second question asks why only the root of bitter herbs are eaten; the third asks why the herbs must be dipped in salt water; and the fourth asks why with such bitter foods do they eat a sweet mixture or Haroset.

The foods are eaten as each question is asked and answered. Then comes the second cup of wine. It is usually filled and then some amount of wine is poured out to symbolize the 10 plagues poured on the Egyptians.

After the meal, comes the third cup of wine, which symbolizes the cup of Redemption. It is drunk after eating a piece of matzah and concludes the meal. It is likely at this point that Jesus had communion with the disciples.

A place at the table is always set for the prophet Elijah, who will announce the coming of the Messiah. At this point in the evening, a door in the home is opened for him. Then the Jews drink from the fourth cup of wine, the cup of Praise.

Passover is meant to be a personal story of redemption and renewal, said Rob Meisel. He presented the "Christ in the Passover" presentation last week at St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

The Passover shows Christians "a deeper meaning of Jesus' fulfillment of God's word," Sippy said. "The Bible isn't just a guide for good living or merely a story but has been pointing to the cross all the way back to Genesis."