Seder

We hosted a messianic seder this past Friday.

"Seder" as in:  The traditional Jewish remembrance of Passover.

"Messianic" as in: Pointing out how the various symbols in that Jewish celebration point to Jesus as the Messiah.

It's amazing, by the way, all those symbols. . .

***

The meal was for a group of dear friends.  11 children, 8 adults.  Plus a seat for Elijah.

Joshua and Juliana were the two youngest in the room and it was their job to go to our doors and "look to see if Elijah has come."  They went.  They looked.  And they both really expected to find someone there.

***

20 place-settings.  I'd never done that before.

Three tables set up in a row, covered with strategic linens and stretching through our open floor-plan.  It worked out.

The colors of Easter, did you know? are black, red and white.

I'll tell you what else I'd never done:  roasted a big hunk of lamb.

I'd been undecided for a few weeks before about what to cook.  Rotisserie chicken from Costco?  I can't do better than that.  No one can do better than that. . .

Roasted chicken is traditional for messianic Jews because Jesus was the final sacrificial lamb.  Still, for the sake of re-tracing the steps of the Last Supper (which was Jesus' seder), a lamb seemed right.

Costco sells those, too. 

So there I was, ringing up at Costco with all my food plus a lamb roast plus a short list of items to get from the grocery store and the cashier said, "I've had lamb once.  It was delicious."

I said, "Yeah, but I have no idea how to cook it. . ."

Do I have a smart phone I could have used to google a recipe before hitting the next store?  No.

Did I want to go home, google it, then shop the next day for ingredients?  No.

I figured I'd. . .improvise. 

Then I looked up and saw the one person in Colorado Springs I knew could help me:  Susan O'Brien.

Long-time readers might remember Susan from our cancer store, and that one amazing embrace.

Dear Susan is, in her words, "a Jewish girl from Brooklyn"--whom I know from church. 

"Susan!" I shouted as I wheeled towards her.  A little hug, a little how-are-you and then, "You are just the person I need to see, I'm hosting a seder tomorrow night and I don't know how to cook a lamb."

Great, right?  That she just happened to be there to help?  So fun, this walk with God. . .

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And the lamb?  Turned out pretty well.  The ends a bit over-done.  The middle was just right.  It has been completely delicious these following days as left-overs.  Maybe next time I'll cook it the day before and serve it a day old and much improved. 

And the seder?  Lovely. 

We each had a little Haggadah-seder-script and we each had a part to read.  The kids were engaged and, I think at times, stricken by the picture God painted thousands of years ago, and fullfilled a few thousand years later, and preserved for us to discover another few thousands years after that. 

He is the author of salvation.   The greatest story-teller we've ever known.