Good morning…
Last night, we enjoyed an ecumenical Unity Seder at Temple Emanu-el in Sandy Springs. What a fun and festive evening! A very large room was filled to the brim with people from various faith communities throughout our city. “Good people of all different faiths can come together to celebrate people of all faiths coming together,” said one of our hosts for the evening. “The world needs it, this coming together.”
We were reminded that it was the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s death and the 536th day of captivity for the remaining hostages taken during the October 7th attack in Israel. We prayed for “the innocents, Israelis and Palestinians, Jews, Christians, and Muslims, who are victim to the war, human beings created in the image of God, the dead, the injured, the hungry, and the displaced.” We prayed for “the soldiers in harm’s way, the wounded, and the maimed. May they return safely to the warm embrace of their closest ones.” We prayed for “the purveyors and deliverers of humanitarian aid who endeavor to do what is right and is needed.” We prayed for “the peacemakers. May they bring shalom to all.”
After our prayers, we learned about the symbolism of the items on the Seder plate, and we thoroughly enjoyed the interactive ceremony.
Our program booklet explained: “Seder means the intimate warmth of family, of a group of friends seated about a festive table, telling and retelling the story of the Egyptian bondage, the story of the Jewish struggle for freedom throughout the ages, and the eternal saga of humanity’s search for freedom, human dignity and respect leading to the fulfillment of the human right to life and liberty.”
We moved our way through the “Haggadah,” the book used for this sacred ceremony, eating and drinking and sharing life stories. Together, we enjoyed a fabulous meal. Our closing benediction read: “This Unity Seder concludes, but now the work begins. Let us leave here determined to nurture the friendships that began tonight. We celebrate the ancient promises of God’s redemption, as told through the Exodus story. Let us leave here ready to write the Exodus story of our time, standing up to oppressive forces.”
Our God continues to be actively at work in our world, transforming strangers into friends, leading us from bondage into freedom. The Holy One promises: I will rescue you from slavery. I will redeem you, intervening with great acts of judgment. I’ll take you as my own people and I’ll be God to you (Exodus 6:6b-7a, MSG).
What a beautifully bonding story to celebrate!
…Sue…
P.S. My husband Steve, Chaplain Emeritus at The Lovett School, just sent out a fun invitation yesterday. We are extending the offer to anyone in our community who might be interested. During the week of Easter, after attending the noontime Maundy Thursday service at Northside Church, we will gather to celebrate a Christian Seder that evening. Here are the details.
If you would like to join our Holy Thursday Christian Passover Seder please let me know. USE THIS LINK TO SIGN UP. All are welcome. Feel free to forward this to friends.
