Our Passover celebration

Passover, the Week of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits holidays are all coming up later this week. I have been working on my menus over at Christine's Kitchen, and I have a new menu index up of unleavened desserts to choose from to serve during this holiday week.

As the years go by, we follow less and less the traditions of the rabbis, and make our focus remembering, praising, and glorifying the Lord and His mighty works on our behalf. So this Friday night, all our family in this area is coming to our house for the Passover dinner. We are providing the lamb, bitter herbs, and unleavened bread, and everyone else is bringing appetizers or desserts or side dishes. It will be a feast in the truest sense of the word!

Before the dinner begins, we will read the story of the Exodus. I am dividing the Scriptural account into portions and printing it out, one portion for each person there who can read. That way everyone gets a chance to participate in remembering the mighty works of the Lord, even if they are new to feast keeping.

Then we will eat, I think, without stopping to drink wine at certain points and so on. We will just explain the significance of the proscribed menu items: the lamb, the bitter herbs, and the unleavened bread.

Then when dinner is over, but before communion and dessert, we will read the Crucifixion story, divided into portions as before. Then we will have our communion. It is our plan to have a time of corporate worship and thanksgiving. We are just going to play this worship service from our church in Colorado through our TV. But if any families have members who can lead or accompany worship, so much the better!

I am expecting the Lord's presence to be with us in some wonderful way, so depending on what happens, that will in part determine how the rest of the evening will go. But after we have remembered and glorified the Lord for His love and His mighty works, we will serve dessert and break out the games! (We are a game playing family). One year when we have made the acquaintance of more Messianic believers who can teach us, I would love to have the joyful Hebrew dancing too. :) I have heard that in Israel, during the high holidays like this, the feasting, singing, and dancing can go on all night. That sounds really fun to me.:)

Then on Sunday, the Feast of Firstfruits, we are meeting with our church family here in Florida on the beach at sunrise, to praise and worship the Lord for His resurrection and the new life He has imparted to each one of us! We will be hanging out at the beach the rest of the day, after that, and will bring a cooler for our Feast of Firstfruits picnic. I am really anticipating this weekend with joy and can hardly wait!

Now, I need to tackle my spring cleaning this week and sweep out every last trace of leaven from the house by Friday! Have a wonderful Passover and Firstfruits!