Presence Over Perfection: What Our First Seder Meal Taught Me

Every Easter, I try to find meaningful ways to help my kids connect with Jesus’ journey to the cross. In past years, we’ve washed each other’s feet but this year, I wanted to go deeper. I kept hearing about the Seder meal. I wasn’t exactly sure what it all involved, but something about it just called to me. So I did some digging—okay, I asked ChatGPT—and here’s what I learned:

The meal Jesus shared with His disciples—the one we now call the Last Supper—was a Passover meal. The term “Seder” (which means order in Hebrew) wasn’t used in Jesus’ time the way it is today.

So, when did it start being called a “Seder”?

The Passover Seder as we know it today began after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. Without the temple sacrifices, Jewish religious life shifted more fully to the home and synagogue, and the rabbis developed a structured way to remember the Exodus story through readings, prayers, symbolic foods, and rituals—the early form of what became the Seder.

What is a Seder Meal?

A Jewish Seder is a traditional Passover meal celebrated by Jewish families each spring. It retells the story of how God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12). Every part of the meal has symbolic meaning—bitter herbs, salt water, unleavened bread, and more.

A Messianic Seder is similar, but it's celebrated by followers of Jesus (Yeshua) who believe He is the Messiah. In this version, Jesus is recognized as the fulfillment of Passover—the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. The meal connects the Old Testament story of redemption to the New Testament story of Jesus' sacrifice.

This was our first time trying a Christian Seder. It was unfamiliar and slightly overwhelming. This new family tradition was met with mixed reviews. The 8 year old thought it was "awesome!" The 14 year old told me I was strange. And the husband wanted a heads up before walking into a bible lesson for dinner. As for me, the research was more than I had anticipated and I can admit that I have more to learn. The preparation was also time consuming! I have greater appreciation for Peter and John, who were tasked with preparing for the Passover. So after all of the preparation my goal wasn’t perfection—it was presence.

We retold the story—of Egypt, of freedom, of the cross and the empty tomb—we reminded ourselves: this isn’t just history.

It’s our story too.

Jesus still rescues. He still frees. And the blood of the Lamb still covers us today.

Here is the link if you would like to learn How to Have Your First Seder Supper.