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Yesterday, I was privileged to share a Christian Passover Kids Seder at my kids’ fabulous school, Grace Christian Academy.
If you’ve read my story, you already know I grew up with a Jewish father. While we didn’t go to temple when I was young, we did celebrate all of the Jewish holidays, including Passover. To be completely honest, most of my memories as a kid celebrating Passover centered around my Aunt Ellen’s Pesach Sponge Cake (my favorite Passover recipe!) and finding the Afikomen at the end of the meal (which my cousins usually allowed me to find since I was the youngest!)
So you may be wondering how I was qualified to, or even wanted to, share about the Jewish tradition of Passover with kids at a Christian school.
Well, to begin with, my daughter’s teacher asked me to 😉
But more importantly, I feel very grateful to have a Jewish heritage. It’s important to know where we’ve come from to understand where we’re headed. The story of Passover is found in Exodus – a book that is found both in the Jewish Torah and the Old Testament of the Bible. While we may not feel obligation to celebrate, we can find reason to celebrate…
With the kids at GCA, I shared the elements of the Seder plate, the importance and history of matzah, the Four Questions (“Mah nishtanah”) and of course ended with a rousing rendition of “Dayenu”.
The story of Passover is ultimately about Freedom. Of course, freedom from slavery in Egypt, but even now we can celebrate the multiple freedoms we enjoy as Americans. The story of Moses in Exodus also outlines the ten plagues of Egypt, which in modern times reminds us that there are still to this day consequences for our actions. Most of all, I think Passover reminds us that the life we enjoy today is a result of the hard work and sacrifice of those who have paved the way ahead of us.
Of course, as Christians, we give thanks for Jesus Christ who sacrificed His very life for our eternal freedom. But regardless of your faith, there is great value in celebrating a Seder with your friends and family and giving thanks for the freedoms we celebrate today!
I want to give a special thanks to Linda Gutcheon of the Temple Nashville who not only introduced me to the book “My Very Own Haggadah” that helped explain what can be a difficult concept to young kids, but also for her gracious gift of time in sharing her own thoughts on Passover with me!
