Around 2000 years ago, on the evening before His crucifixion, Jesus participated in what is known as The Last Supper.
Supper. For us western hemisphere Christians, that word conjures up something a little different than what was actually going on in the upper room with Jesus and His disciples. It was not an everyday supper, like a meat-and-three with the guys.
It was the Jewish Passover, which was one of the highest and holiest festivals of the year. And, because Jesus was sacrificed the very next day as the ultimate Passover Lamb, it would be the last one that would ever be required for Jews to perform.
It is no longer required; but as a means to understanding and experiencing our religious heritage, it is still a powerful, educational tool and a tremendous blessing.
So, every year our family puts forth the effort and planning so that we – western Christian gentiles – can partake in a Messianic Jewish Seder. It connects us to our religious Jewish heritage. It humbles us and breaks us out of our western mindset, even if just for a moment. And it brings to life the awesomeness of everything that Jesus the Jewish Messiah fulfilled. We are honored to participate.
That is the WHY.
You might also be wondering HOW in the world we pull this off. Because, let’s be honest, a Messianic Jewish Seder isn’t exactly something we learned how to do in Home Ec. What do we eat? What do we do and say? How do we set it all up?
I am going to share our family’s seder script with you
and give you a few fun ideas for making your own seder feel authentic.
First, the script. Click the link below for the PDF of a detailed plan and script that you can easily follow.
http://www.agoodtired.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Family-Seder-1.pdf
I HIGHLY ADVISE that you read through it several times before your family actually gathers for the seder. There is a lot of speaking and recitation, and if you want it to flow as seamlessly as possible, being prepared is crucial.
Decorating and setting up your table is one of the really fun parts! We actually provide yarmulkes for all of the boys and men to wear, which is always entertaining and the girls wear pretty shawls. The table is set up with white candles and all of special foods required for the seder. It is also very helpful if you make enough copies of the seder to place at everyone’s seat.
Before and after the seder we sing hymns:
When it is time to eat the actual meal, we serve a huge authentic Mediterranean dinner, buffet style! We make enough so that everyone can go back for fifths if they so desire.
The menu: Lemon garlic chicken covered in feta and pickled onions, tzatziki sauce, loaded hummus dip and pita, salad, falafel, and honey almond cake. Yum!
Celebrating Passover has become a tradition that we truly look forward to every year. Our goal is to honor the hard history of the Jews and their sacred festival, while celebrating that the Messiah has entered the picture. This is a MESSIANIC seder. A seder that celebrates the true Passover Lamb that took away the sins of the world. (John 1:29)
Enjoy!
If you’ve never considered celebrating Passover before,
give it a try this year!
Feel free to reach out in the comments if you have any questions.
Mazel Tov!
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