Maundy Supper 17th April 2025
There were about 40 of us who attended the Maundy Supper at Crowthorne methodist church, and they generously welcomed 8 of whom were from SYMC. All the gentlemen wore the traditional head coverings called a kippah.
Colin and Maggy Garton performed a traditional Passover Meal which would have been the meal that Jesus and his disciples were having which we now call The Last supper.
Our Order of Service, known as a Seder, was read from back to front, but fortunately was in English and not Hebrew!
Maggy covered her head then lit the white candles and read out a blessing to God. This started the meal. The whole Passover is the remembrance of how God redeemed his people from slavery in Egypt. Pharoah would not let the people go and so God sent ten plagues some of which afflicted both the Egyptians and the Israelites, and how the tenth and most deadly plague to come upon them was the death of the firstborn.
God instructed each family to kill a lamb and to smear its blood on the door post and lintel of the door. God then passed over each dwelling where there was blood on the door post and lintel, the firstborn was spared as they had carried out His command. However any household with no blood, God passed through the house and killed the firstborn, both firstborn child and firstborn cattle. The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt was arranged in a hurry, their bread had no time to rise and after their escape from Egypt, when they went to eat it, it was more a cracker than bread.
This is a Matzoh, which is a cracker. When you hold up this cracker to the light, you see that it is pierced with holes and that it is striped. Remember the scripture in Isaiah 53:5 “He was pierced for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”
Three matzohs were wrapped in linen and then the middle one uncovered and removed, it was then hidden away from the table. Only later in the service to be searched for, usually by the youngest member of the family and found. We did this too and once found the matzoh was broken in two and passed around for each one of us to take a little scrap to eat.
This is called the ‘Aphikomen’ and symbolises (in the New Testament) the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Son represented by the broken matzoh, then wrapped in linen and hidden away, then wonderfully resurrected and restored.
During the disciples’ Passover supper, this is when Jesus most probably broke the matzoh (unleavened bread) and said ‘Take this, eat, this is my body” Matthew 26:26
Having a break from the Seder, the food, or should I say feast, was served. Starting with chicken soup, then chicken in orange sauce, roasted lamb and accompaniments. Dessert was dates, satsumas and grapes washed down with tea and coffee.
We all then read the blessing after the food:
“Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who feeds the whole world through his goodness, with grace, loving kindness and mercy. He give bread to all flesh, for his loving kindness is everlasting. Through his great goodness, we have never lacked, and may we never lack sustenance for ever and ever, for his great name’s sake. For he feeds and maintains all, and does good to all, and prepares food for all his creatures which he has created. Blessed art though, O Lord, who nourishes all”.
Once more we filled our glasses with wine (actually sparkling red grape juice) and, as in Jewish tradition, an additional glass was filled for Elijah. Colin then went to see if Elijah had arrived. He had not and so we drank our cup of blessing. Following the reciting of Psalm 117 and another cup of wine—the cup of Hallel (praise) and the last blessing to God, the Passover celebration was finished—except for us all to shout aloud “Next year in Jerusalem!”
What a wonderful way of illustrating the Passover supper. There is so much symbolism from the Old Testament Passover supper that is carried forward and understood in the New Testament, it was really very interesting.
Maggy and Colin really blessed us with both the leading of the Seder but also doing all the catering. A hard act to follow—next year in Sandhurst!!
Keg
PS If anyone would like to see the Seder service, I would be happy to show you.