The next two weeks are the climax of the Christian calendar, as believers around the world contemplate and celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord. At the link below you’ll find some music resources—including a Holy Week playlist—I put together a few years ago to enhance your experience of this season. One resource I mention is Golgotha from Poor Bishop Hooper, which musically meditates on the betrayal and crucifixion of Christ.

But this year Poor Bishop Hooper (Jesse and Leah Roberts) released a brand-new, characteristically stunning resource you should also check out: A Meal of Remembrance. It’s a beautifully made guide to hosting a Seder dinner—the traditional Jewish Passover feast that commemorates God’s deliverance of his people from Egypt—that adapts the Jewish liturgy to focus on Jesus, our Passover Lamb.

If you’ve never hosted a Seder dinner, you should try it! It’s a great way to gather family, friends, and your church to meaningfully mark this season. And Poor Bishop Hooper’s Meal of Remembrance is an excellent, step-by-step guide for how to do it. The book contains a beautifully written script (10 assigned reading parts), gorgeous illustrations by Lauren Stevens, a list of necessary food elements (horseradish, parsley, unleavened bread, etc.), Psalms, songs, recipes, and more.

To learn more about this new resource, here’s a brief Q&A between TGC contributor Jonathon Crump, Poor Bishop Hooper, and illustrator Lauren Stevens:

Jonathon Crump: When did y’all first have the desire to make A Meal of Remembrance? 

Poor Bishop Hooper: In 2021, we met this random husband and wife walking past our house. They ended up coming over for supper. The wife had previously worked at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C. Long story short, she gave us a Seder script. We decided to try it. It was beautiful to eat food that represents spiritual truths and requires us to taste and experience life and sin and the bitterness of oppression in a very real way. We did it again the next year using the same script, but I didn’t enjoy some of the language it used. I became interested in writing a new script for our family.

What do you hope people will experience when they participate in A Meal of Remembrance? 

PBH: The Seder is historically family-centric, with a special focus on involving kids. Exodus 13:8 says that when children ask their fathers why they observe these festivals, fathers should say: “You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.’” Our goal is that parents would tell their children about the goodness of Jesus in their life, and that children would experience the Lord in unique ways.

There are so many fun elements to the meal. My kids’ favorite part is when the father, or whoever is hosting, takes the three matzah (unleavened bread) and breaks the one in the middle, which represents Christ, and hides it. Then, after you go through the rest of the liturgy, the kids go and find it. The host is supposed to reward the child who finds the hidden bread.

Lord willing, there will be a day when our kids recognize the value of these symbols. We want them to understand the meaning of Christ’s body broken for them.

The Seder has been practiced for so many generations. Why is it important to partake in the meal now? 

Lauren Stevens: I think even within the secular world, because of AI and all this strangeness we’re navigating, a lot of people are hungry for tradition. The Seder meal is rich in tradition.

There’s also something really sweet about the physical presence of people sitting down at the table. Where I live, I’ll go out to eat sometimes and even if you’re dining in, they’ll serve your food in plastic to-go containers. It feels like they want you to leave as soon as possible. But for the Seder meal, you’re encouraged to use your best silverware and stoneware. That formality builds on the sweetness of the tradition.

What is your favorite part of the meal? 

PBH: The part that always chokes me up is near the end. The belief in the Jewish history is that the messiah will come and make his appearance at the time of Passover which, believing in Jesus, we see he did. But the Jewish people didn’t recognize it. So, before we drink the last cup, all the kids are supposed to run outside and look to the clouds to see if Christ is coming back, because he says he will.