Seder

Preparing the Lamb

Yesterday, 25 March 2015, at 4:00 Berlin time, we commenced our Seder tradition.  We were with the Whites and their friends Ben and Melissa.  Ben and Melissa are Mennonite Brethren church planters here in Berlin.

This is the 9th time that we have celebrated Seder, and it has become a significant event for us during the Easter season.  The first 5 years we celebrated in Pasadena during seminary.  Since then, our friends have scattered but we've continued to observe the tradition whenever possible. We have gathered in Ritzville WA, Sauderton PA, Toledo, OH, and now Berlin Germany.

Preparing the Toum

In addition to being a wonderful feast with good friends, the Seder meal is an important faith experience for me as well.  It recounts the Exodus story, and the liturgy we use connects the story of Israel to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.  It's very rich in tradition, and it makes significant connections between both testaments of the Christian scriptures.  My faith iss always deepened each year through both the liturgy and the conversations that have taken place around our 9 Seder tables.

Preparing the Falafel

Preparing the Salad

At the end of a Jewish Seder liturgy, I understand that it ends with the line, "Next year in Jerusalem."  The liturgy we use ends with the line, "Next year in Peace."  We've often adapted that closing statement to point toward the location of the next time and place where we might celebrate Seder.  The last time we celebrated Seder was two years ago when the Whites were just preparing to move to Berlin.  We ended that Seder with, "Next year in Berlin!"  It took two years, but we are glad that this year, we were able to fulfill that hope.



So this year in Berlin.  Next year, who knows.  But wherever it may be, may it be done in the peace that God offers the world    through the resurrection of Christ.