Passover Seder Etiquette for Christians

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thomasf said:
My sister-in-law goes to a catholic church that has a seder dinner. I don’t quite understand that. Is this frequently done?
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there’s a thread here somewhere on christian seders. They are a very different thing from what the OP is going to attend. They are held on Holy Thursday adn are centered around the euchriast and Jesus’ last supper (I think).
 
Valke2 said:
there’s a thread here somewhere on christian seders. They are a very different thing from what the OP is going to attend. They are held on Holy Thursday adn are centered around the euchriast and Jesus’ last supper (I think).
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Yes, it’s on Holy Thursday. So it’s not the same as the Jewish Seder?
 
thomasf said:
Yes, it’s on Holy Thursday. So it’s not the same as the Jewish Seder?
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I’ve never been to one. But from what I read on a thread here, it is based around the story of Jesus more than the story of Exodus.
 
When my church had passover at our school we had a rabbi come and explain everything about it. I think I took 4 full pages of notes about it. Then afterwards I think I had another 3 pages of my personal reflections about it. It was totally interesting, and we had a great time with the rabbi. We opened it up to our entire community but I think the only ones who showed up were Catholics and a couple of Episcopalians. It was a very positive experience for all of us. We enjoyed the rabbi and his guests and how much we could learn from them.(Rabbi’s wife was a hoot!!!) I wish I still had my notes to share with you but I never got them back after people made copies for their ccd classes and RCIA etc… Figures, I did all the notes and I don’t even have a copy.
 
thomasf said:
My sister-in-law goes to a catholic church that has a seder dinner. I don’t quite understand that. Is this frequently done?
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It’s meant to be an educational re-enactment of the Last Supper. I don’t participate in these kinds of things anymore, ever since realizing how offensive it must be to the Jews, but I used to attend them because I thought at the time that they were a way of connecting with Christ in the Eucharist.

A Christian “seder” is nothing at all like a real Jewish Seder, though, and probably has very little relationship to what Jesus did at the Last Supper, too.
 
My church in Nebraska use to hold a sedar every year, and it was all OT, not NT at all.
As for the authenticity,I have no idea.
All I know is that I love lamb and horseradish sandwiches 😉
 
Being invited to the home of someone who is Jewish that has asked you to attend Passover is completely different than attending a re-enactment of a seder at your local church.

Passover is a solemn ritual for your Jewish friend. And if you are lucky enough to be invited, you are in their home for dinner as well as this solemn ritual. When in someone else’s home as an invited guest, common sense and simple courtesy dictates that you show respect to their traditions and their way of doing things. To do so shows no disrespect to your own faith; indeed, it shows that you are willing to follow our Lord’s admonition that we treat others with the same sort of respect we would like to receive.
 
For all of you who provided comments and advice regarding the Passover Seder for my son, here is something he wrote to thank you and tell you a little about the experience.
To all who helped and gave me advice (through my Dad):
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Thank you for all the help and advice regarding the Passover Seder. I was just going to have my Dad say thank you on my behalf, but he suggested that I give a little information about it.
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The Pesach Seder was done by friends who were Jewish, but converted to Christianity a few years ago. So it differed in some ways from the traditional Seder. The Haggadah was read, but they gave English translations on much of it. Those of us who were new to the celebrations asked questions about what we did not understand, and about traditions. We still participated in everything we could, even though the youngest person was 20 years old. It was kind of funny to see several 20-year old people search for the afikomen. Also, while nobody tried to explain the meaning of Isaiah 53, there was a Christian slant on parts—they expanded on some things in a Judeo-Christian viewpoint. All in all it was a very fun and interesting experience for me. If ever invited again, I will definitely attend. Oh, for anyone who is considering attending a Seder in the future: if somebody tells you to take a deep breath through your nose when eating the horseradish, even if they call it a “tradition,” you might want to refrain.
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Thanks again to all of you for your help. Happy Passover to the Jews, and Happy Easter to the Christians!
 
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