Seeing Christ in the Passover: A Night of Worship at Torch Community Church

This year, Torch Community Church is gathering for a special evening of worship and reflection through a Messianic Passover Seder, and I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to lead the teaching. By the grace of God, I’ve had the privilege of walking through this powerful biblical object lesson for more than 20 years, and it never grows old. Each time, the beauty of the gospel shines a little brighter as we see how the Passover ultimately points us to Jesus.

The heart of the evening is not ceremony — it’s worship. As Hebrews reminds us, we come “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2). Every element of the Passover narrative — the lamb, the blood, the deliverance — serves as a vivid picture preparing God’s people to recognize the true and better Lamb who was to come. When we walk through the Seder, we’re not simply remembering Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. We’re celebrating the far greater deliverance accomplished through the cross. Just as the Passover lamb was sacrificed so judgment would pass over the people, so Christ, our Passover Lamb, was sacrificed for us (1 Corinthians 5:7).

It’s important to remember that this evening isn’t about perfectly reproducing every historical or cultural detail. The goal is not precision in ritual but clarity in proclamation. The Passover itself was always meant to teach — a God-given object lesson pointing forward to redemption. Jesus Himself reframed the Passover meal on the night He was betrayed, revealing its fulfillment in the new covenant:
“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). Through this lens, the Seder becomes a beautiful visual sermon. Every symbol whispers the same message: God rescues His people through the sacrifice of a substitute. That story reaches its climax in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Living in the New Covenant

As believers, we participate in this evening not as those under the law, but as those redeemed by grace. Scripture is clear that we are not under the old covenant but under the new, established through Christ’s finished work (Romans 6:14; Hebrews 8:6–13). That truth frees us to celebrate the Passover not as an obligation, but as an opportunity — a way to rejoice in the fulfillment of God’s promises. We look back at the shadows and rejoice because we know the substance. The symbols point us to the Savior, and the story leads us to the cross.

A Night Centered on the Gospel

My prayer for this gathering is simple: that hearts would be stirred with fresh wonder at the beauty of the gospel. Whether someone is experiencing a Messianic Seder for the first time or has attended many, the goal is the same — to see Jesus more clearly, love Him more deeply, and worship Him more fully.

Because in the end, the Passover finds its true meaning in Him.
He is the Lamb without blemish.
His is the blood that saves.
He is the Deliverer who brings us from slavery to freedom.

And so we gather not merely to remember a story, but to celebrate a Savior.