Holy Cross Anglican Church Hackett

The Fellowship Meal not only goes back to the early days of the church; it was brought into the church from the parent-faith, Judaism. The meals enjoyed by Jewish religious fraternities, the meals described in the Gospel stories, the meals in Jewish homes today on Sabbath Eve or Festival and other meals recorded in early Christian writings all help us to understand what an Agape is. In modern times the Agape was revived by the Moravians, and through them by the Methodists, under the name “Love-Feast”.

THE LIGHTING OF THE EVENING LAMP

• The household members gather in the darkness.
• Quiet music is being played.
• A member of the household lights a candle.

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

We give you thanks, O God,
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord;
for in his face
we see the light of the knowledge of your glory;
and in him
you have called us out of darkness
into your marvellous light.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.

A HYMN TO THE RISEN CHRIST (APBA, p6)

1 Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us:
so let us celebrate the feast.
2 Not with the old leaven of corruption and wickedness:
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
3 Christ once raised from the dead dies no more:
Death has no more dominion over him.
4 In dying he died to sin once for all:
In living he lives to God.
5 See yourselves therefore as dead to sin:
and alive to God in Jesus Christ our Lord.
6 Christ has been raised from the dead:
the first fruits of those who sleep.
7 For as by one man came death:
by another has come also resurrection of the dead.

THE READING OF THE GOSPEL

A member of the household reads Luke 24:13-49

A PRAYER BEFORE EATING

Be present, be present, Lord Jesus,
as you were in the midst of your disciples;
and make yourself known to us in the breaking of the bread:
(Here the bread is broken) 
for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.
Amen.

(The bread is then passed around, each person in turn breaking off a piece.)

THE MEAL

Towards the end of the meal, these intercessions may be used:

Jesus, light of the world,
bring the light and peace of you gospel to the nations.
Jesus, Lord of life.
in your mercy, hear us

Jesus, bread of life,
give food to the hungry
and nourish us all with your word.
Jesus, Lord of life.
in your mercy, hear us

Jesus, the way, the truth, the life,
be with us and all who follow you in the way.
Deepen our appreciation of your truth
and fill us with your life.
Jesus, Lord of life.
in your mercy, hear us

Jesus, Good Shepherd who gave your life for the sheep,
recover the straggler,
bind up the injured,
strengthen the sick
and lead the healthy and strong to new pastures.
Jesus, Lord of life.
in your mercy, hear us

Jesus, the resurrection and the life,
We give you thanks for all who have lived and believed in you
Raise us with them to eternal life.
Jesus, Lord of life.
in your mercy, hear us,
accept our prayers, and be with us always. Amen.

(Silence)

THE CONCLUSION

Lord, we thank you
for making yourself known to us
through Your Son in the Scriptures.
We look forward to that day
when we shall gather again as your body
to share in your supper and proclaim your praises.

May the God of peace,
who raised to life the great shepherd of the sheep,
make us ready to do His will in every good thing,
through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory forever and ever.
Alleluia! Amen.

Abbreviated from An Agape for Easter, 1974, prepared by The Ecumenical Liturgical Centre, Kew. The intercessions are taken from New Patterns for Worship, Copyright The Archbishops’ Council 2002.

Preparation

• Decorate your table with a white cloth, candles, Palm Sunday’s leftover palm branches, and baskets of Matzo crackers or flatbread (homemade or available at most grocery stores).
• For each place setting, set out a goblet and a plate. On each plate include the following: half a boiled egg; a spoonful of charoset (fruit and nut paste) or a few nuts and fruit slices; a sprig of parsley or piece of celery; a spoonful of horseradish.
• Around the table, place a few small bowls of salted water.
• Set an extra place to represent Jesus’ place at the table.
• Nearby, have a bowl of warm water for foot (or hand) washing, along with a towel.
• Have wine (and/or red grape juice) nearby, and the meal ready to serve: the traditional menu includes lamb on the bone, vegetables, and dessert cakes, but feel free to adapt this.
• Allow children to ask questions, and keep the atmosphere light: this is a celebration.

Optional Introduction

This introduction is especially appropriate for households with young children.

PARENT: Tonight, we take part in the Passover Seder meal. It’s a tradition celebrated by Jesus’s people, the Jewish people. The Passover celebrates the time when God, through Moses, led his people out of slavery. The Egyptian pharaoh let the people go after the angel of death killed every firstborn in Egypt but “passed over” the Israelite homes with lamb’s blood on their doorposts.

PARENT: Tonight, we celebrate a Jewish ritual. But we are not Jewish: we are Christians. So why do you think we should celebrate Passover?

Give children a chance to respond, and be open to their thoughts and questions.

PARENT: One reason we celebrate is to remember how God helped his people by leading them out of slavery. We remember that God keeps His promises. Can you think of a time when God has kept a promise in your life?

Allow children to respond.

PARENT: We also celebrate Passover because Jesus did! Remember when Jesus joined his friends for one last meal before he died on the cross? The “Last Supper” was a Passover celebration. That night, Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples in a special way. This was the beginning of our Holy Communion. He also washed his disciples’ feet. They were amazed by what he did for them.

PARENT: And so, we eat this meal to remember Jesus Christ. We will eat the same kinds of foods that Jesus ate. We will say some of the same words he said. And we can be amazed, too!

PARENT (drawing attention to the goblets): During the meal, you will be served a drink four times, which is an ancient tradition of the Passover Seder. The four cups are: The cup of sanctification, which reminds us of God’s promises; the cup of deliverance, because God delivered his people out of slavery; the cup of redemption, because Jesus died for us; and the cup of praise, because we thank God for what He has done.

PARENT (drawing attention to empty seat): And we remember throughout our dinner tonight, that Jesus is always at our table, just like He was at the table with the disciples.

Lighting of the Candles

HOST: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has kept us alive by your word.

ALL: May our house be consecrated by the light of your face shining on us in blessing and peace. 

The First Cup

We fill the glasses.

HOST: The Passover has begun. During our meal we will drink from our glass four times. The first time is the Cup of Sanctification, by which we commit this time to God and God’s glory.

ALL: Blessed are you Lord our God who created the fruit of the vine. 

All drink.

Washing of Feet

READING: John 13.1-11

HOST: Let us wash each other’s feet / hands, that we may recall whose servants we are and remember Jesus’ teaching, that what is done for us is also to be done for others.

During the foot washing, you might want to play an appropriate song such as “The Servant King” or “Brother, Sister, Let Me Serve You”.

READING: John 13.12-17

The Passover Story

The second cup is poured.

CHILD (traditionally the youngest): Why is this night different from all other nights?

HOST: Because we were once slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm.

CHILD: On this night, why do we eat only unleavened bread?

HOST: The Bible says that the people had to leave Egypt so quickly that they did not have time to let the bread rise. So they made dough without yeast.

ALL: Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who created fruit from the earth. 

Bread is passed around and each person breaks off two pieces.

CHILD: What is the meaning of the lamb?

HOST: The lamb represents the paschal lamb’s blood that the Hebrews smeared on their doors. This was done so when the final plague was unleashed on the Egyptians, God would “pass over” the Hebrew houses.

CHILD: What is the meaning of the greens and salt water?

Host: The greens represent life, and the salt water the tears of life. They remind us that the life of the Israelites in Egypt was dipped in tears.

All dip greens in salt water and eat.

CHILD: What is the meaning of the bitter herbs?

HOST: The bitter herbs (horseradish) symbolise the bitterness of life in Egypt, where the Egyptians used the Israelites ruthlessly as slaves. They also remind us of the bitterness of a life gripped by sin.

All eat a small helping of bread dipped in horseradish.

CHILD: What is the meaning of the charoset?

HOST: The charoset (fruit and nuts) reminds us of the mortar used by the Israelites in their brickwork in Egypt. It is sweet because even the bitterest labour is sweetened by the promise of redemption. So we too live under the sweet promise that Jesus is coming again.

All eat charoset between two pieces of bread (representing mortar between bricks).

CHILD: What is the meaning of the egg?

HOST: The egg is a symbol of life. The eldest sons of the Israelites were glad to be alive. It reminds us that Jesus died so we who believe in him can live his risen life. We dip the egg in salt water to remind us that life was won for us through the tears of death.

All eat a piece of egg dipped in salt water

The Second Cup

HOST: You may now drink from the second cup, the cup of deliverance.

ALL: Blessed be God, who has brought us from bondage to freedom, and from sorrow to joy.

The Passover Meal

HOST: Let us eat and be thankful!

The meal is served and eaten.

The Third Cup

At the end of the meal, the third cup is poured.

HOST: The third cup is the cup of redemption. It was at this point, during the Last Supper with his disciples, that Jesus said, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood”. (Luke 22.20)

ALL: We drink it with thankfulness for the redemption Jesus won for us by his death and resurrection.

All drink.

The Fourth Cup

The fourth cup is poured.

HOST: The fourth cup is the cup of praise. Let us drink it and give thanks to God for his goodness!

ALL: Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 118)

All drink.

Closing Song

All sing the following song (or another song of praise):

Praise God from whom all blessings flow
Praise Him all creatures here below
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

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