Friend,
I pray you are having an Amen Day!
I’m eager to share recipes (see below) with you and have you be a part of this amazing Passover celebration!
What is Passover? When is it? Who should celebrate it? How do we take part in this Festival
of Unleavened Bread?
What:
Passover is a Biblical holiday celebrating the freedom of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. They remember this event with a special meal called the Seder, where they retell the story and eat symbolic foods. In addition,
the Passover serves as a reminder of God’s faithfulness to all His followers. Thus, it is a Christian celebration! You can read my full blog from last year: What is Passover?
When:
Pesach 2024 (Passover) begins before sundown on Monday, April 22, 2024, and ends after nightfall on April 30, 2024.
Who:
YOU! Let’s talk about the reasons you should celebrate
Passover.
Here are 5 reasons:
1. It grounds you to your spiritual roots.
God remains unchanged in the Old and New Testament. Every detail in His Word is for His glory and our benefit. The stories of the Jewish people form our spiritual foundation, help us grasp God better by learning about His past actions.
2. Passover is a reminder of the value of
scripture.
Some sections of the Bible are more challenging to understand than others. However, God included nothing randomly. Therefore, it’s beneficial to ponder significant events like the exodus, which reminds us of the value of all the Word.
3. The feast of Passover connects you to Jesus.
Jesus observed Passover. He was of Jewish descent and embraced the customs of the Jewish community. By engaging in
the same celebrations as Jesus did, it connects you to His earthly identity and the culture in which He lived.
4. It helps us understand the need for sacrifice.
The first Passover required a sacrifice. Israelite families had to slaughter a lamb or goat and spread its blood on their doorways. This blood saved their lives. Jesus’ blood, as the ultimate Passover Lamb, redeemed our lives.
5. It enhances your gratitude.
Can you imagine how grateful the Israelites must have been when the Passover occurred?
God understands people can be forgetful, so He instructed them to remember His miraculous rescue every year. Each time we take a moment to strengthen our faith and celebrate God’s love, we recall all the remarkable things He has done for us.
How:
Hopefully, now you are excited to celebrate, how do we celebrate?
The Bible has explicit instructions on how to celebrate
Passover, and we can read about them in several books of the early Old Testament. Israelites received these instructions during their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. Later, these instructions were made law.
Let’s see what the Bible passages themselves say:
Leviticus 23:5-8
The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. On the fifteenth day of that month, the LORD’s Festival of
Unleavened Bread begins; for seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. On the first day, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. For seven days, present a food offering to the LORD. And on the seventh day, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work.
Deuteronomy 16:1-8
Observe the month of Aviv and celebrate the Passover of the LORD your God, because in the month of Aviv, he brought you out of Egypt by
night.
Sacrifice as the Passover to the LORD your God, an animal from your flock or herd at the place the LORD will choose as a dwelling for his Name.
Do not eat it with bread made with yeast, but for seven days eat unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left Egypt in haste—so that all the days of your life you may remember the time of your departure from Egypt.
Let no yeast be found in your possession in all your land for seven days.
Do not let any of the meat you sacrifice on the evening of the first day remain until morning.
You must not sacrifice the Passover in any town the LORD your God gives you except in the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name. There you must sacrifice the Passover in the evening, when the sun goes down, on the anniversary of your departure from Egypt.
Roast it and eat it at the place the LORD your God will choose. Then in the morning, return to your
tents.
For six days, eat unleavened bread and on the seventh day hold an assembly to the LORD your God and do no work.
Based on the above passages, we see how the celebration was closely tied to rituals which the Israelite people observed every year. The entire nation took part, from old men to young children. It was a time of feasting, rejoicing, offering, singing, and more.
As I mentioned before, our Lord and Savior
also celebrated Passover! Remember Jesus, who was left in Jerusalem at twelve years old? He and His parents were there for the feast of the Passover.
Later, of course, we see Jesus traveling to Jerusalem with His disciples to observe the feast. The Last Supper was a Passover meal.
Mark 14:12
“Where will you have us go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
The New Testament writings assure us we are
not subject to Moses’ law. Jesus fulfilled the law and in Him, we have all our righteousness. We can thank God for Paul, who was so faithful to expound on this truth repeatedly.
Therefore, gentile Christians are not obligated to celebrate Passover. Nor are they prohibited from celebrating it.
In fact, it states in Romans 14:6, “The one who observes the day observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the
Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.”
How Christians celebrate Passover may differ from how Jewish people approach Passover Seder. Jewish tradition calls for specific foods, and practices that must be observed in a certain order, at certain times, and in a certain way.
For us, celebrating Passover can be as simple as a delicious feast, a Bible devotion, and
plenty of fellowship with other believers. Plus, fun activities for kids!
Here are some ideas for celebrating:
Read the Passover story as a family. Seize the opportunity to teach your kids about God’s liberation of His people from bondage.
Discuss how the sacrifice of the spotless lamb is a picture of Jesus and how He saved us from our sins.
Invite family and friends over to celebrate. Play worship music, read in Exodus, have the kids dress up as Bible characters, and feast
together.
Attend a seder (or host one). A seder is the more traditional Jewish approach to Passover and it can very illuminating to learn about the various steps and rituals and what they mean according to Torah.
Eat traditional dishes. Enjoy classic Passover foods such as matzo ball soup and charoset. Include foods that reference the original story such as bitter herbs, roasted lamb, and more. For a traditional Passover meal plan, check out these meal ideas.
Make unleavened bread. Here is an easy, delicious unleavened bread recipe to try!
Act out the Exodus story.
This may be most enjoyable for kids, but adults can certainly take part. In fact, this is one way your kids can prepare for Passover! Kids can recite memorized portions of the story, eat bitter herbs in remembrance, and dip sticks into water to brush over the front door.
Want free recipe and devotional videos and festivity guides to help you celebrate Passover, The Feast of Unleavened Bread, and more biblical festivals? Get a free course on celebrating Jesus in the Feasts of the Bible.
If you would like to learn more about this incredible celebration, you can read my full blog:
A Christian’s Guide to
Celebrating Passover According to the Bible.
Also, I have a digital download of amazing recipes to celebrate Jesus during Passover and Resurrection Day!
Celebrate Jesus in the
Holidays
