SEASONS - SPRING STARTS WITH A FAMILY PASSOVER CELEBRATION - (PART SIX)

THE FOURTH CUP -THE CUP OF THE KINGDOM

We pour the fourth cup – The Cup of the Kingdom – but we do not drink it.

 

This is traditionally a time of song. 

We usually sing a song called the Dayenu. 

Dayenu means “it would have been enough."

Is God enough for you? 

Are you content with the things that God has put before you?

 

Are you content to live out your life growing and blooming in the place where He has planted you to grow? 

Dayenu is about contentment with God’s will for your life. 

It is about being happy and joyful and thankful for whatever blessings God chooses to provide for us.

 

It is about not wanting more than He intends for us.

 

It is about being content with His will.

DAYENU

Had He brought us out of Egypt but not split the sea before us,
brought us out of Egypt, well then da-ye-nu
split the sea before us, well then da-ye-nu
fed us with the manna, well then da-ye-nu
brought us to Mount Sinai, well then da-ye-nu
given us commandments, well then da-ye-nu
led us into Israel, well then da-ye-nu
given us the prophets, well then da-ye-nu
built for us the Temple, well then da-ye-nu.

Had He split the sea before us but not fed us in the desert,

Had He fed us with the manna but not brought us to Mount Sinai,

Had He brought us to Mount Sinai but not given us commandments,

Had He given us commandments but not led us into Israel,

Had He led us into Israel but not given us the prophets,

Had He given us the prophets but not built for us the Temple,

Had He built for us the Temple but not promised the Messiah,

What ever The LORD choses to do for us – it is always enough!

I love how the word is portrayed in this video production called:

DAYENU

BY

THE FOUNTAINHEADS

It is copied from You-Tube here for you.  Enjoy!

When The Disciples had drank the third cup, they sang a hymn, and they went out into the Mount of Olives. 
The fourth cup was never drunk, not by Jesus and perhaps not by His disciples. 

From the upper room Jesus went out of the city where He spent time in prayer at The Garden of Gethsemane. 

The name “Gethsemane” means “oil press” in Hebrew.  

“Oil” is used in the Bible to symbolize the Holy Spirit, it may be said that the garden was where “The Spirit of God was crushed.” 

Here Jesus was betrayed and arrested. 

The next morning Jesus, battered and bruised, dehydrated and exhausted, was taken in front of Pontius Pilate. 

Jesus was tried and condemned to scourging and crucifixion. 

The soldiers mocked Him, spit on Him, and beat Him. 

They struck Him with a heavy leather whip again and again across His shoulders, back and legs and head. 

They braided flexible branches with long thorns and thrust them into His scalp.

“And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.  They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. 

And sitting down they watched him there.  And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

The fourth cup, the Cup of the Kingdom, reminds us that Jesus did not drink the wine offered to Him as He was dying. 

Let us not drink of the fourth cup. 

Let us wait to have this special cup with our Savior. 

 After Christ’s return we shall partake with Him in His physical presence – in the Kingdom. 

BLESSED BE YOU, LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS SHOWN US A GLIMPSE OF YOUR INFINITE GRACE AND MERCY.  THANKS BE TO YOU FOR YOUR SON, OUR ETERNAL REDEEMER AND SAVIOR, THE TRUE AND PERFECT LAMB.

Our Family Passover Seder was concluded.

And All Said:

          NEXT YEAR IN JERUSALEM!!!!!

SEASONS - SPRING BEGINS WITH A FAMILY PASSOVER - (PART FIVE)

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Had the Holy One, Blessed be He, not taken out our forefathers from Egypt, then we, our children, and our children’s children would still be enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt.  Blessed is the Omnipresent, Blessed be He!  Blessed is He who gave the Torah to His people Israel.  Blessed be He!

 (Here the leader lifts his cup and says a sanctification blessing over the 2^nd Cup)

BLESSED ARE YOU, LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO CREATES THE FRUIT OF THE VINE.

The second cup is the cup of judgment.  When Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prayed, “Father, if Thou be willing remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.”  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening Him, and being in agony he prayed more earnestly.  And His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 

He did not want to drink of this Cup of Judgment, but did so because He knew the will of His Father was best.  Jesus had a Passover Seder the night before He died for our sins.  While drinking the second cup, Jesus said “For this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Jesus drank from the Cup of Judgment so we will not have to. 

(EVERYONE DRANK THE SECOND CUP)

Luke 22:19 says “And he took bread, and gave thanks and broke it and gave unto them, saying “This is my body which is given for you:  this do in remembrance of me.”

BLESSED ARE YOU O LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS SANCTIFIED US WITH HIS COMMANDMENTS AND COMMANDED US CONCERNING THE REMOVAL OF LEAVEN.

(Everyone took a piece of Matzoh and ate it)

BLESSED ARE YOU, O LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS COMMANDED US TO EAT OF THE BITTER HERBS. 

This symbolizes of the bitterness of slavery and the bitterness of our sin.  The bitter vegetable should be eaten together with matzoh.  Let us also remember the bitterness of the crucifixion Jesus went through for our sins.

 

(Everyone takes a small piece of matzoh, dips it into the horseradish and eats it.)

Now we will eat the bitter herbs on the matzoh again, but this time with the Charoset.  The Charoset symbolizes the mortar used by the People of God in building during their slavery.  The mixture symbolizes how the sweetness of Jesus can overcome bitter sin.

BLESSED ARE YOU O LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS ORDAINED THAT WE CELEBRATE THE PASSOVER.  HELP US, GOD TO REMEMBER THE TWO STORIES OF HOW YOU GIVE FREEDOM TO YOUR PEOPLE, FIRST THE FREEDOM FROM EGYPT, AND NOW OUR FREEDOM FROM SIN THROUGH YOUR PRECIOUS SON, JESUS. 

(Everyone makes the Hillel sandwich and eats).

At this point we pause for our full festive meal.

 

By this part of the service, everyone is hungry!
  

We are reminded there are still two more cups of wine and a few more things to finish up for the Seder after our meal is done, and that the Hebrew tradition is not to say grace until AFTER the meal is finished when you give thanks for it.

The food for this meal was kept very simple:

Matzoh

A Salad, A Main Dish, A Dessert

(No foods containing leaven)

If we are with our church congregation we enjoy a pause for fellowship.  If we are with other  friends we have a time to catch up on conversations and share our faith.  If we are with our family we often play music and discuss good family memories.  The actual meal is always an enjoyable time.  It is fun looking for special recipes each year.

After the meal there is the hunt for the Afikkoman.  Whoever finds the carefully hidden treasure hands it to the leader and receives a ransom prize.

GRACE AFTER THE MEAL AND THE THIRD CUP

THE CUP OF REDEMPTION

(Our leader pours the 3^rd cup)

 When Jesus ate the Passover meal as an obedient Jew, He drank from the first and second cups, however, He did not drink from the third cup.  While drinking the second cup, Jesus said, “Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom”  The disciples drank the third cup; but Jesus could not because it represented redemption.  Jesus was willing to drink the second cup, the cup of wrath, but He excluded himself of the redemption by not drinking the third cup.  The next day, Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us and died in that sin to redeem us.

BLESSED ARE YOU, O LORD OUR GOD, KING OF THE UNIVERSE, WHO HAS GIVEN US THE CUP OF REDEMPTION.

(Everyone dranks the third cup)

(Continued in Part Six)

SEASONS - SPRING BEGINS WITH A FAMILY SEDER (PART FOUR)

Every year at the Passover Seder my husband recites the beautiful short story of Moses and the Exodus from Egypt.

“And it shall come to pass that your child will ask you, “What do you mean by this service?”  And you shall tell him:  “with a mighty hand, God took us out of Egypt...””

 The first section tells of

THE BIRTH OF MOSES

(Exodus 1:1-2:10)

The Second Section tells of

MOSES'  LIFE IN MIDIAN

AND HIS ENCOUNTER WITH THE BURNING BUSH 

(Exodus 2:11-4:17)

The Third Section tells of

MOSES RETURNING TO EGYPT TO TELL PHARAOH TO

"LET MY PEOPLE GO"

(Exodus 4:18-6:12)

We pause after the third section to sing a song.  It is the song that Louis Armstrong made famous called

“Go Down Moses.”   It tells of how the people left bondage and followed God.

Singing this song together, with Louis Armstrong carrying the tune for us, lifts our hearts and opens our ears to the rest of the story.

The Fourth Section tells of

THE 10 PLAGUES

(Exodus 6:28 – 11:10)

Moses told Pharaoh if he didn’t let the people go , great plagues would come upon Egypt.  Pharoah did not listen and God did send 10 horrible plagues. 

(We dip our fingers in the wine, putting a drop of wine on our napkins in our plates as each plague is recited)

We repeat the different plagues as we go:

1.      Blood

2.     Flies

3.     Hail

4.     Frogs

5.     Blight

6.     Locusts

7.     Lice

8.     Boils

9.     Darkness

10.                   Death of The Firstborn Son

The Fifth Section of the story is about

THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB AND THE LORD'S PASSOVER

(Exodus 12:1-30)

After nine of the ten plagues, God told Moses to tell all the Hebrew people that each man was to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.  These were very special lambs.  They had to be one year old males without any sickness, disabilities, or blemishes.  They were to kill the lambs and take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they were to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with their cloaks tucked into their belts, their sandals on their feet and a staff in their hand.  They were to eat in a hurry.  God said that on that night He would pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn – both men and animals.  When He saw the blood on the houses where His people were He would pass over them.  He promised He would not harm anyone who had the blood on the doorpost that night while He struck Egypt. That night death came to all of Egypt’s firstborn. 

The Sixth Section of The Story is about

THE EXODUS FROM EGYPT

(Exodus 12:31-13:16)

The sad and frightened Egyptians insisted that the Hebrew people hurry and leave the country.  “For otherwise” they said “we will all die.”  So the people took their dough before the yeast was added and carried it on their shoulders wrapped in clothing.  The sun baked it into hard bread called Matzah.  When Pharaoh let the people go, God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea.  The Israelites left Egypt.  By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.

The 7^th Section of the Story is about

CROSSING THE RED SEA

(Exodus 13:17 – 15:21)

Then God said to Moses “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.”  Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place.  The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and God swept them into the sea.  The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen and the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea.  Not one of them survived.

The 8^th Section of The Story tells about

THE JOURNEY FROM THE SEA TO MT. SINAI

(Exodus, Chapeter 16)

That day God saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians.   And when the Israelites saw the great power that God displayed against the Egyptians the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and followed Moses, his servant.  God said that Passover was a day to be celebrated for the generations to come.  He said it was to be a festival to God every year, to remember that our fathers were once slaves in Egypt, but now we are free.  Moses sang a song and Miriam lead the women in dancing!

  

At this point in the Seder we sing “The Song of Moses” along with Paul Wilbur.  

(Again, you can find this on You-Tube)

Can you see the symbolism of the first Passover and how it relates to Jesus being our Messiah?  When John the Baptist was baptizing people and He saw Jesus coming, he said, Behold!  The Lamb of God”  That was a very special thing to say. 

And so we learned once more that the answer to the questions are always the same no matter how many times we tell the story:  We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD our God brought us out from there by a mighty and outstretched arm. 

Children of God, it is not enough to recall, in some abstract sense, the deliverance of the people in ancient Egypt, but each person is responsible to personally view Passover as a time to commemorate their own personal deliverance from the bondage of Pharaoh (sin).  Therefore the sages teach that in each generation an individual should look upon him or herself as if he or she personally had left Egypt.  

What has you in bondage?  

Where is your own personal Egypt? 

Who is your pharaoh? 

There is deliverance in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!”

(Continued later in Part Five)