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The Hebrew month of Nisan begins March 16 and concludes on April 14.  In the middle of the month, at the first site of the full moon on March 30, begins the first night of Passover, or Pesach.

From generation to generation, this night is set apart to memorialize God's deliverance of our ancestors from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 12:14).  Everyone who comes to the table is welcome to take part in the meal and the joyous celebration. 

God's sovereign power, His mercy and His covenant faithfulness are highlights.  Eating the charroset, horseradish and matzo creates a shared experience for everyone at the feast. 

The Passover Seder is a wonderful opportunity to create social, family and spiritual harmony.  It is a perfect time for a Jewish-Gentile couple and their children to celebrate Jewish ethnic heritage and the spiritual redemption found in the Bible stories from Exodus through the Gospels.

Jewish-Gentile couples have a unique opportunity to come and gather at the Passover table.  This month, the Central Conference of American Rabbis (Reform Judaism) continues to debate how it will involve Gentile partners and children of intermarried couples.  They issued a statement after their 121st annual convention in San Francisco that addressed two issues.  First it acknowledges that "intermarriage is a given" in American Jewish life.  Second, they formed a task force to consider how to help intermarried people "embrace Judaism for themselves and their children."  [Haviv Rettig Gur, "Bring intermarried couples closer to Jewish community," The Jerusalem Post, 9/03/2010.]

However, while the Reform rabbis are debating how to reengage Jews who have married out, and what sort of blessing can be offered to Gentile spouses and the children of Jewish-Gentile couples, we are saying, "Come to the table and celebrate the goodness of God, because His mercy endures forever (Psalm 118:1 and the Hagaddah).

Passover was intended as a communal event. It opened doors to embrace God-fearing strangers.  First, it was a time to teach our own children about God's goodness, His mercy and His faithfulness from generation to generation.  In fact, the Passover feast was to provoke questions (Exodus 12:24-27).  Second, the festival was for those who truly believe in God.  In fact, if any Jews did not observe Passover, they were to be considered as "cut off" from the seed of Abraham (Exodus 12:15).  Third, there is a special provision to invite strangers, non-Jews, to join in the worship of the one true God.  In Exodus 12:38, 48-49, we read of the "mixed multitude" who joined with the Jews in the Exodus. They left Egypt too!

So we want to encourage Jewish-Gentile couples to come to the Passover table together with their children.  Study the Bible and become a pedagogue, teaching generation after generation to love the Lord with all your heart.  Tell the story of God's sovereign power as it was displayed in the face of Pharaoh's haughty hardness.  Remember the sweetness of God's redemption to deliver Jewish ancestors from slavery in Egypt.  Read the story as Jesus kept Passover with His family as a child (Luke 2:41-50).  And as you go through the order of the Seder, read the Hagaddah, and then read Luke 22 and find the meaning that Jesus described in the unleavened bread and the cup of redemption (Luke 22:19-20).

Passover is a perfect time for Jewish-Gentile couples and their children to come to a table together.  Give thanks to the Lord for He is good and has preserved His covenant people Israel.  His loyal loving kindness extends to Jews and Gentiles throughout the generations in Jesus the Passover Lamb.  Jewish-Gentile couples are much more than a "given" in America today.  They are a growing community that is finding spiritual harmony in Jewish heritage, the Bible, and the spiritual hope in Y'shua (Jesus).  For more information, please contact us or explore the other articles and resources available throughout our website.

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