The Wired Word for the Week of April 12, 2015

In the News

Although Holy Week and Easter are past for this year, we are considering a growing trend in Christian churches: the hosting of Passover seder celebrations, sometimes with the assistance of Jewish neighbors. The original Easter — when Christ arose from the dead — occurred during the Jewish Passover festival. Passover is an annual observance for Jews, just as Holy Week is for Christians. But with Easter not being on the same weekend every year, the two celebrations overlap only once every three or four years. This year, 2015, was one year when such convergence happened.

Passover commemorates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, where they had been enslaved for several hundred years. The seder (pronounced SAY-der) is a ceremonial dinner during Passover that commemorates the meal the Israelites ate the night before their departure. The seder includes the reading of a special liturgy and the eating of symbolic foods.

One of the churches that hosted a seder this year was Baltimore’s Vincent de Paul Catholic Church. They used the event to tie the Jewish holiday to the story of Christ’s resurrection. “We’re not the only generation or the first generation to be followers of Christ,” said the Rev. Richard T. Lawrence, the Roman Catholic priest who conducted that service. “We take our place in a tradition that goes all the way back to … when God created man, to when he gave the commandments to Moses.”

Many other Christian denominations also offer a seder meal during Holy Week. The modern custom began several decades ago with an outreach from Messianic Jews to Gentile Christians, helping to educate both Jews and Gentiles about the relationship between the Passover and Jesus’ death and resurrection. There are several Christian Haggadahs (an order of service for the seder meal) that are widely used.

Evan Moffic, a Chicago-based rabbi who says he has “a passion for helping Christians learn about Judaism and the Old Testament in a way that makes their faith stronger and deeper,” took note of the trend of Christian churches hosting seders and decided to write a book to help people understand the seder. When he went looking for a publisher, he found one in Abingdon Press — a United Methodist publishing company.

Moffic says that was no surprise to him, since these days, more Christians than ever are open to the Jewish roots of their Christian faith. “Knowledge of Jewish texts and traditions can bring Christians closer to their faith,” said Moffic. “It can deepen the experience of prayer, expand the meanings of biblical passages, and open our eyes wider to the role of God in our lives.”

He admits that this openness to Jewish traditions among Christians does not mean all religions are the same. Moffic noted that the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley, is credited as the first person to use the phrase “agree to disagree.” “As people of faith,” said Moffic, “we will not always agree, but we can agree to disagree. And we can continue to learn from one another.”

The Big Questions

  1. What role has the Old Testament played in your coming to faith and/or your spiritual growth as a Christian?
  2. Is it important that Jesus was a Jew? In what ways, if any, did his Jewishness help his gospel message to be understood? In what ways, if any, did his Jewishness hinder understanding of his gospel message?
  3. How should Christians view the Jewish religion? How do the various definitions of “the Jewish religion” affect how you answer?
  4. How much of your devotional reading comes from the Hebrew scriptures? Whether your congregation uses a lectionary or not, what percentage of sermons come from an Old Testament text? What is your favorite Old Testament verse or passage? Why?
  5. How do you see the Old Testament and the New Testament to be related? Why?

Confronting the News with Scripture and Hope Here are some Bible verses to guide your reflection and our discussion: Isaiah 42:5-9 John 4:5-29 Matthew 15:21-28 Matthew 5:17-20 Luke 24:36-49 Acts 8:26-39 Ephesians 2:11-22 Hebrews 1:1 – 2:4

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