LUCASVILLE — Prodigal House Ministries, Inc. 813 Caldwell Rd. in Lucasville, will host the 10th Annual Passover Dinner on Thursday, April 28 at 6 p.m.
Passover is an eight day festival that commemorates G-d’s deliverance of the Jewish people out of the bonds of slavery in the land of Egypt. The term “Passover” comes from G-d’s promise to “pass over” the homes of the Israelites and spare them the final plague poured out on Egypt, the death of the firstborn, if they would sacrifice a perfect, spotless lamb and place the blood of the lamb on their doorposts, according to Tonya Osborne of PHM. Osborne also said the Passover Dinner encompasses a special celebration of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
“Our annual Passover Dinner is a special evening of faith and fellowship when we honor the history and impact of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for our salvation,” Osborne said. ” It’s a meal of symbolism which increases our understanding of all the promises and provision He made for our lives by giving His. Anyone who participates will certainly walk away after one evening meal together knowing Him better and understanding His love for us at a different, more personal level.”
Symbolism is a key component to the Passover Dinner, according to Tanner Salyers of PHM.
“During Passover, we gather and hold a symbolic dinner called a “Seder” which means “Order” and we use different foods to represent the bitterness of slavery, the bricks and mortar that our people made and used to build the Kingdom of Pharaoh under bondage,” Salyers said. “We eat only unleavened bread called Matzah because our people had to leave the land of Egypt so quickly that they didn’t have time to let their bread rise. We have four glasses of wine (or grape juice) symbolizing Sanctification, the Plagues poured out, Redemption and the cup of Praise for our chains-breaking Heavenly Father.”
Salyers said that Christ spoke in parables and used symbolism to speak of His coming Kingdom so that we might better understand. The symbolism in the Passover Seder is, to Christians and Messianic Jews, parallels Christ and His redeeming power. He is The Passover Lamb, He breaks the bonds of slavery that our sins have over us and by His blood we are passed over from His righteous judgment. These parallels are just a few of the many, many more buried within the Seder.
“By celebrating the Passover, Christians are honoring the Biblical feasts and festivals, growing closer to their Jewish roots, and building a better understanding and closer walk with the promised Messiah,” Salyers said.
Anyone who desires to attend the Passover Dinner is asked to RSVP by April 15 by calling 740-289-4817. The suggested donation is $10 per person to cover the cost of food. Start time will be 6 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. Weather permitting, the event will be held in the barn loft due to the size of the event this year, we will need several volunteers to make this flow smoothly and efficiently.
