A New Haggadah

As people in the world think about a plague (Coronavirus) which has multiplied itself ten times over, my mind has started to work on Passover (May the plague passover!). I have written a new Haggadah, The Psalmatic Seder. Why does the world need a new Haggadah, you ask … are there not enough.

A New Passover Haggadah

I answer, because this Haggadah is different than all other Haggadahs.

All other Haggadahs are guided by a Rabbinic tradition that began to set itself near the end of the Second Temple period (70 AD), and reached its high point in the Middle ages. That is when the order and words of the Seder were set (according to many scholars). Some say that the actual service is not much older, a conclusion I object to, because I think that some of our traditions go back to those 40 years of wandering in the Desert.

I assembled this Haggadah to show the service is older. I found two Passover Services in the Book of Psalms, that are not much different than the one we celebrate today. The order of teaching is not much different in Psalms 78 and 105-6, than what we do today … which leads me to see a Seder that was practiced in the days of the Kings of Israel, maybe 700 BC.

This Haggadah is different than most others because it contains more music, 17 songs. Because the words of the Haggadah come from the book of Psalms, I was inspired to look up music that has been sung across the years at Passover Seders. Our seder today is quite wordy, and does not contain much music. The Psalmatic Haggadah contains the words of the songs and musical scores, so they can be played. (They can also be found on Youtube, for a very musical Seder!)

This Haggadah is different from all others, because you probably have not used it before (since it has only now come into print), and so it will be fresh. While the order of the Seder service is the traditional order, the words are different, but many are totally from the Bible, and even older than any Haggadah we have today. (Is older more traditional?)

This Haggadah can make your Passover Eve different! It can bring new ideas and understandings. It can make you think about our freedom in new ways. It is worth a try!

Do Angels Sing?

A consistent theme of the Christmas story is the appearance of Angels to people. The story begins with an Angel who comes to Abraham on Mount Moriah and tells him, “through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed.” (Ge. 22:18, repeating the promise given by God in Ge. 12:3) The Angel also visits Zechariah (Luke 1), Mary (Luke 2), Joseph (Matthew 1), and shepherds in the fields outside Bethlehem (Luke 2). These Angels are a major part of the Christmas story; they bring the good news and promises of God to earth.

This week in Advent Journeys we are experiencing Christmas through the journal of a shepherd. In Saturday’s journal this shepherd wrote how “an angel of the Lord appeared … and the glory of the Lord shone around them.” The angel said to the shepherd and his co-workers, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Then the Bible tells us, “a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’”

There are many who tell us that Angels do not sing, because the Greek word used for the communication of the Angels in this passage is λέγω (legō), which means “to say or to speak.” The dictionary also tells us this word covers every kind of speaking: to bid, boast, call, describe, name, tell, utter. When this word is used in scripture (and in other places) most often it describes someone speaking or talking. But in a wider sense, this word conveys communication. What many ignore is that singing is a form of communication.

The truth which many scholars (who study this passage in a very narrow way) miss is that when multitudes of angels come together in communication it is most often through the medium of singing. The pattern of speaking which we see in this passage is a basis for the way we worship. Mary led Israel to worship through singing in Exodus 15. They continued singing as they traveled in the wilderness (Numbers 21:17) and as they settled in the land of Israel (1 Chronicles 6:31). God commanded Moses (Dt. 31:19), David (1 Chronicles 15:8) and others to write music.

The Bible tells us of the true songs of pure worship which are sung in heaven. These include ‘a new song’ which is sung in Revelation 5:9-10 “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.” The angels also sang the new song of Moses, ““Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Revelation 15:3-4)

The song of the angels to shepherds in fields outside of Bethlehem was a vibrant means of communication. “Fear not,” should explain to us we should fear neither hearing, speaking or singing the message of God. “Behold, I bring you Good News of Great Joy,” gives an example of how we should communicate the Gospel (good news) to those who have not heard. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” gives us the example that all of our music should be pointed to God (and not to we ourselves). This song also teaches (as does the song previously mentioned from Revelation 5) that as a result of our worship (and like the shepherds who “spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child”) we should “be a kingdom and priests to serve our God.”

The Apostle Paul tells us to be like the angels, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15-16). Never let anyone tell you not to sing the joyous message of Christ, especially at Christmas!