A NIGHT TO REMEMBER By Deborah Lynn

A Night to Remember

By Deborah Lynn

            For the past eleven years, Sojourner Ministries has held a Christ in the Passover Seder at the Hyatt Regency in North Dallas.  They usually have as many as 500 guests in attendance.  The director and founder, Steven Ger is a fourth generation Jewish believer in Jesus Christ, or Yeshua, as many Jewish believers say.  He is a Professor, speaker, author and musician as well as a husband and father.  His organization is dedicated to exploring the Jewish heart of Christianity. The evening begins with the customary kindling of the candles and offering of the blessing by his wife, Adria, and then one hears the blowing of the Shofar to usher in the evening.  Steven begins by teaching traditional Passover songs such as; Dayenu and Hevenu Shalom Aleichem.  These songs are fun and the children clap and learn to sing in Hebrew.  Steven then gives a thorough look at the history of Passover and how Jesus can be seen throughout its entirety.  His presentation is peppered with humor showing his wit and charm but never diminishing the seriousness of the evening.  

the compartments represent God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  The middle Matzo represents what the Bible says is Yeshua, THE BREAD OF LIFE, who was broken for us and wrapped and buried until the appropriate time.  Even the Matzo is a picture of Yeshua.  Yeshua had holes put in Him and his back was striped by the whip; likewise the Matzo has holes and stripes. After giving this explanation the Matzo is wrapped in a napkin and hidden away for the children to find later for a small token. 

            After the Four Questions:  “Why is this night different from all other nights…?” participation in the elements of the Seder begins.  First, there is the Parsley which represents the hyssop which was used to put blood on the doorposts of the Hebrew homes, so the Death Angel would pass by.  This parsley is dipped into Salt Water and eaten; the salt water symbolizes the Hebrews tears while in slavery. Secondly, the Bitter Herbs, Horseradish, pictures the bitterness of slavery. The guests dip a piece of Matzo into the horseradish and eat it…a big enough bite will bring tears to your eyes!  This bitterness is followed up with the sweetness of Charoset which is an apple, nut and honey mixture and this depicts the mortar used by Hebrew slaves to make bricks, it is also a reminder of the sweetness of Freedom.  Steven also explains that on many Jewish tables there is a Shankbone to remind them of the discontinued Temple sacrifices.  But, Christians don’t put the Shankbone on the table because the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Yeshua, is already finished and never needs to be repeated.  He explains the Roasted Egg that is sitting on all the tables; it is a reminder of the additional Passover freewill offering, called the chagigah; and also a symbol of resurrection.

            What follows is the Drinking of the Second Cup, the Cup of Deliverance.  It is very interesting what they do with this cup.  Each guest places their pinky in the cup of Grape Juice and diminishes the cup by one drop for each of the ten plagues.  So each one will flick a drop of juice onto a plate or a napkin while they recite each plague:  Blood, Frogs, Lice, Flies, Pestilence, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness, and Death of the First Born.  Then they drink the cup.  The Cup of Redemption is next.  Each guest takes a piece of Matzo and the cup and Steven explains how this is the cup that we as Christians are familiar with drinking at church when we take the Lord’s Supper.  This is the Bread and the Cup that Jesus gave His disciples the night he was betrayed.   The Cup of Elijah is not touched.  That is for Elijah, who will never come to drink it because Elijah has already come in the person of John the Baptist.  He was the forerunner of Yeshua to announce that the Messiah had come.  The last cup is The Cup of Consummation, the cup that Yeshua will drink with His bride, (the Church) when He comes back for her.  The evening ends with the Aaronic Benediction which Steven sings in Hebrew and then recites in English, it is taken from Numbers 6:24-26.  “The Lord bless you and keep you.  May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and give you peace.”   

            Next year, if you are looking for a taste of tradition, and hoping to enrich your spiritual life, make a reservation to attend this event.  This is a great opportunity to teach school-aged children about different cultures and for Christians, it is great to learn about the roots of your faith. To know that inside of you beats “a Jewish Heart”; the heart of our Savior who is Jewish!  For more information about Sojourner Ministries you can contact Steven Ger at SojoSteven@aol.com or call at 972-226-7654.  He also has a web site which is www.sojournerministries.com and their address is P.O. Box 497972, Garland, TX 75049-7972.