Maundy Thursday: An Approriate Regard for the Passover Meal or Seder

Maundy Thursday

An appreciative  regard for the Passover Meal or Seder

Explanation:  As Christians, we would be a bit shocked if non-Christians persons would begin to celebrate Holy Eucharist, even if they were doing it to understand our practice in an appreciative way.

As Easter is a “movable” feast because it is “moved” by the lunar calendar, the same one used for determining Passover, it means the occurrence of Maundy Thursday and Passover in temporal proximity has given the occasion for some Christians to understand or appreciate the Passover Meal as an originating meal from which the Holy Eucharist derived.  We need to remember to be sensitive about having “Christian Seders.”  We need to be careful to honor and respect the integrity of the Seder within the setting of the families of members of the Jewish faith.

So, perhaps the most authentic way to learn about the Passover meal is to be honored by an invitation of a member of the Jewish faith to be present for a Seder.  This keeps the integrity of the Seder within its proper setting.

If one is not invited to a Seder by a member of the Jewish faith, one can in a family setting honor some of the universal themes expressed in the Seder as being relevant to all people of faith.

In this spirit, the following prayers are offered to accompany the family evening meal on Maundy Thursday.

Prayers:

O, God, ruler of the universe you have blessed this earth with people of diverse faith expressions.  We ask you to bless our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith in their holy observance of the Passover Meal. Amen.

Memory: O, God we thank you for the memory of the great deliverance of your people from slavery.  Amen.

Optimism and Hope: O God, we thank you for the hope of living in freedom.  Amen.

Faith: O God, we ask for faith in the difficult times and in the times of favor and blessing.  Amen.

Family: O God, we thank you for family and for the importance of passing our faith tradition on to our children.  Amen.

Responsibility:  O, God we ask for strength to take of up the work of justice so that everyone has the freedom to express their calling in life.  Amen.

O, God, we thank you for the traditions of the Hebrew Scriptures which we share with our brothers and sisters of the Jewish faith.  Grant to us all joyous and hopeful Paschal seasons.  Amen.