5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE HOLY WEEK THAT AREN’T A “CHRISTIAN SEDER”
Photo from Unsplash.
Holy Week is in our midst, thanks be to God! Here is a time to pray, reflect, and walk with Jesus through the final days of his life. Soon, we will celebrate his resurrection and the resurrection of the dead to come. The liturgical riches of Holy Week are immense; from Palm Sunday to Easter Morning, we plumb the depths of our faith.
For some Christians, however, this isn’t enough.
The “Christian Seder” is growing in popularity and (well-warranted) backlash. These dinners appropriate the Jewish Passover meal, twisting its liturgy and shoving Jesus into its symbolism until it bears only grotesque resemblance to the Seder Christians are imitating. At best, they are a well-intentioned yet destructive attempt at understanding Jesus’ Jewishness; at worst they are theft, a cosplay of a people whom Christians have historically persecuted unto death.
I grew up Jewish, and Passover is one of my most cherished memories. We welcomed Christians and other non-Jews to our table every year -- our Jewish table. Seders, you see, are Jewish. They are not Christian. Jesus’s Last Supper was not a Seder. Most of the traditional foods, practices, and games of Seders that Christians appropriate are Jewish traditions that arose centuries after Jesus’ death. In other words, Christian “Seders” aren’t ‘getting in touch with our roots;’ they are reaching across the orchard to an entirely different tree, ignoring its protestations, ripping off its fruit, and taking a bite.
In short, just say no to Christian “Seders.”
Do say yes to Holy Week!
You don’t need to lift from other religions to build your relationship with God. Above all, you are beloved, fully and completely, by God. Your practices (or non-practices) will never damage that. You are enough. And guess what? Jesus welcomes you, and Christians everywhere, to Holy Week.
“Okay, cool, but I was looking forward to the Seder: the food, the story telling, the community,” you might say. I get it! Seders are amazing, and if you have the chance to be a guest at a genuinely Jewish celebration, you should absolutely go. But there is no shortage of traditions in our Christian faith to celebrate this week!
Without further ado, here are 5 ways to celebrate Holy Week that aren’t a Christian “Seder”:
Maundy Thursday Agape Meal
Sharing a meal is perhaps the most Christian thing a person can do. Sharing food and fellowship is at the heart of the Gospel, whether in the miracle of multiplying loaves and fishes or in the quiet miracle of community in Acts. What better way to celebrate Jesus’ last meal than with a meal of your own?
Distinctly Christian meals of gratitude have centuries of tradition of their own. The Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion in University City, MO, has a wonderful guide to hosting a Christian “Love Feast” or “Agape Meal” in your own home this Maundy Thursday.
Looking for recipes? Kimberly Domick, a chef and Episcopalian, shares her vegetarian Agape meal recipes in this article. Methodists and Moravians, you aren’t forgotten; as Kimberly writes, “John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, traveled to America with some Moravians. He admired their faith practices and after his conversion in 1738, he introduced the love fest to his Methodist movement. He said that these meals were to promote piety, mutual affection and zest.” Who doesn’t want a little zest with their piety?
Calvary Episcopal Church in Memphis compiled their own liturgy and recipes, including such delightful favorites as “Beets: Orange you glad you got this recipe? from Ruthie McLain” and “Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup from a little old lady named Althea Bonsa, Kristin Lensch’s surrogate grandmother, and who would have been the perfect Lutheran nun, if there ever was any such thing.”
Do you have Agape Meals you’d like to share? Post a photo and/or recipe on social media and tag Earth & Altar!
Foot Washing
Eeeeew. But that’s the point. The Maundy Thursday tradition of foot washing can be as intimidating as it is intimate. After all, Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet wasn’t just an act of service; he was prone, defenseless against a kick. Today, washing each others’ feet is a rare act of physical service, intimacy, and love. With one night left on Earth, what would you do? Jesus washed feet.
If you have roommates willing to participate, the Episcopal Church of St Martin in Davis, CA, created this Foot Washing Service for Home that includes full instructions and readings.
For health reasons, many of us are staying home this Maundy Thursday, which is truly a great act of service. This year, as last, foot washing may not be a possibility for those who live alone. Elizabeth Anderson offers a wonderful reflection on this in her Earth & Altar article, “‘Wash Your Own Feet’: On Singleness And The Domestic Church” that everyone, single or not, should read. I’ll posit my own belief, that the choice of staying home for everyone’s safety on Maundy Thursday is itself an act of service and vulnerability that honors the holiday.
Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross is one of the oldest adaptations for long-distance worship. Far-flung Christians who wished to participate in the pilgrimage of Jesus’ footsteps in Jerusalem created a visual liturgy that adorns our churches to this day. The simple set of vignettes packs a gut punch every time.
The Stations at their most basic, from Encyclopedia Brittanica:
(1) Jesus is condemned to death,
(2) he is made to bear his cross,
(3) he falls the first time,
(4) he meets his mother,
(5) Simon of Cyrene is made to bear the cross,
(6) Veronica wipes Jesus’ face,
(7) he falls the second time,
(8) the women of Jerusalem weep over Jesus,
(9) he falls the third time,
(10) he is stripped of his garments,
(11) he is nailed to the cross,
(12) he dies on the cross,
(13) he is taken down from the cross, and
(14) he is placed in the sepulchre.
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross in Dunn Loring, VA, offers striking art and liturgy for the Way of the Cross here. They note that “walking this Way in prayer and contemplation encourages us to share our own pain, anxiety, and loss with a compassionate God who suffered with and for us on the Cross.”
This year, take some time to meditate upon these moments in Christ’s life and death. Where do you see these moments reflected in life today?
Easter Bonfire
Think Paschal candle. Now think big Paschal candle. Oh yes.*
Christians in Northern Europe have been celebrating Easter with massive community bonfires (in German, Osterfeuer) for hundreds of years. The residents of Espelo, Netherlands, have been building competitive bonfires since 1964, smashing their own world record for largest blaze in 2012 at an impressive 45.98 meters (150.85 feet) of flames.*
You should not attempt a fire of that magnitude.
But, lighting a flame of reasonable size at the culmination of Easter Vigil is an ancient tradition that you can participate in from home! If you prefer to keep things small-scale, you might enjoy this DIY Paschal candle tutorial from Michelle DiFranco at the Diocese of Salisbury. If you are of the fire pit inclination, take a look at this smokeless flame hack* from the National Altar Guild Association, or light a classic wood-burning fire at dawn. If it sounds dramatic, it should be! Jesus rose from the dead, and all drama pales in comparison.
A few Paschal flame stories have even made it into local myth. If you have a story of your own, please share it with us!
Legend has it that St. Patrick himself lit a paschal bonfire atop a hill in defiance of the pagan High King. The King sent warriors to quench the flame and kill St. Patrick, but the fire burned on, sending them home failures.
Moving away from the legendary, Fredericksburg, TX, has been lighting its own Easter bonfire since 1847 in honor of a peace treaty struck that year between the Comanche residents of the area and the predominantly German colonizers. To this day, the Paschal fires there represent both peace and suffering; an apt symbol as we celebrate God crucified. Read about the fraught history of the ‘unbroken treaty’ here.
*Oh no! Be safe. Do not set anything ablaze at home unless it’s a small, safe candle, or you have a safe fire pit in which to do so, a fire extinguisher on hand, and plenty of non-flammable, outdoor space. For the big pyrotechnics, don’t try it at home. Did I mention safety? Be safe, beloved. Jesus wants you un-singed.
The Eucharist
I saved the best for last.
The ultimate Christian meal is, of course, the Eucharist. Its nature is a mystery; theologians have argued since their jobs were invented over the nature of consecrated bread and wine, the presence of Christ, and the meaning for congregants. You may never have encountered it; you may know it as grape juice and Hawaiian rolls, wine and wafers, or freshly baked loaves of bread. You may participate rarely, never, or daily. In any case, the Lord’s Supper is the central feast of our faith.
The next (or first!) time you participate, remember these words from Eucharistic Prayer B in the Book of Common Prayer:
“On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."
After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."
Jesus asks us to remember him by eating bread and drinking wine. It is a simple, beautiful communion with God. Why search for another meal when Christ is right here?
Have a blessed Holy Week.
