Today marks the beginning of Passover, the Jewish celebration of deliverance from slavery in Egypt. What we call “the Lord’s Supper” is actually a Passover Seder where specific foods were served to remind the Jews of their life in bondage, the cost of freedom and the sweetness of the redeemed life. Four cups of wine were drunk—including wine that symbolized the plagues, wine that symbolized the blood of the Lamb painted on the doorposts and wine that symbolized the abundance in the land to which God would lead them. Unleavened bread—matzo—was also eaten several times as a reminder of the quick departure from Egypt—God’s deliverance. All the foods were to help people enter and relive the story of deliverance. At various points in the Seder, Jesus takes the familiar menu items and enriches their meaning. “This is my body. This is my blood.”
How have you experienced deliverance through the life and death of Jesus? What are some other foods that you associate with the story of your faith journey? How could you make the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper more than just a church ritual?
Tongue on Fire 