Submitted by
L. Hollidge

Age Group
See below

Aim
A pre-Easter collective worship
To celebrate Passover

Faith Group
Jewish
Christian

Resources
The food items mentioned in the script, candle, water, bowls, refreshments

Time of Year
Holy Week

Other Details
This celebration was adapted for celebrating with a whole school and staff for a pre-Easter collective worship The pupils involved were aged from 4 years to 16 years in an all age school for children with moderate learning difficulties.

Script
We are here to celebrate Passover - to help us to understand more about what happened before Jesus was born and the events leading up to his dying - this celebration is shared during a time called Holy Week by Christians.

Long before Christians, the Jewish people celebrated Passover in the family. Our family today is each other in school - adults and pupils.

We will have someone to take the place of the Father and the Mother and several children will represent the youngest child who asks lots of questions.

Our celebration begins with the Mother lighting the candle, while praying:
"Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation.
Your face shines upon us like this lighted candle."

RESPONSE: Blessed be God.

When the candle is lit, Father says:
"Many years ago the Jewish people were slaves of the Egyptians and God helped them to escape.
We remember this in today's meal." (as the Senior pupils will show us in their tableau).

KIDDUSH

Mother says:
"Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation.
You have given us this drink to celebrate our freedom."

RESPONSE: Blessed be God.

Mother holds up a sprig of parsley and says:
"This parsley reminds us that nature comes to life in spring.
Before we eat it we will dip it in salty water to remind us of the tears of the Jewish people when they were slaves."

RESPONSE: Blessed be God.

SONG: The ink is black

MATSOTH

Mother takes the Matsoth and says:
"This bread is different, it is baked without yeast, because our people had to leave very quickly, when they escaped.
Come and celebrate with us, if you are hungry, come and eat with us."

Some of the youngest children (one from each Infant class) ask questions of the Father:

1. The youngest child asks:
"Why is tonight different from other nights?"

The Father then says:
"Because we know that God rescued Israel through Moses."

READER:
In the Bible it says: "Tell people to celebrate because God has brought us out of Egypt."

2. The youngest child asks:
"Why do we eat bitter herbs on this special night?"

Father says:
"We do it to remind us that we had bitter lives as slaves because we were treated badly."

We all follow the Father in eating a little radish.

3. The youngest child asks:
"Why do we dip the herbs into a sweet paste?"

Father says:
"We do it to remind us that there was the sweet hope of freedom from slavery."

Father then dips the radish into the sweet paste and eats it, encouraging everyone to do the same.

4. The youngest child asks:
"Why do the Jews eat lamb at Passover?"

The Father says:
"God told each family to take a lamb, cook and eat it and to mark their doorposts with some of its blood.
This was a sign for the Angel of Death to pass over their houses.
So this is a sign of God's acting to save our people."

5. The youngest child asks:
"Why did Jesus and his disciples wash their hands and their feet?"

The Father says:
"Because God had told them to wash themselves before eating and because Jesus washed the feet of his disciples."

The Father then washes his hands in a bowl, and proceeds to wash the feet of some of the pupils and adults at the celebration, in remembrance of the action of Jesus (linking the Last Supper to the Passover meal).

Recorders to play/keyboards: Amazing Grace / Make me a channel of your peace. (In the background)

Some of the Senior pupils assist Father to wash children's feet.

Closing invitation to all present to share in biscuits etc. as Jesus did long ago with his friends and the Jewish continue to do today.

Recorders to play: Now the day is o'er