Why This Passover Celebration Is Vital To Your Church

For centuries African Americans have been drawn to the grace, mercy and hope of God through the saving power of the cross of Jesus Christ. In many of our churches we prepare for the resurrection of Easter Sunday by celebrating with a Passover worship and often meal on Maundy Thursday, followed by worship on Good Friday. The African American Passover Celebration is designed to put the “Last Supper” or Maundy Thursday worship experience in a distinctively African American context.

The first Passover, the one Moses and the children of Israel celebrated while still in Egypt, has a number of similarities with the African American experience. The Israelites at the time of the first Passover were at best forced laborers. The Bible at points refers to them as slaves. The first Passover marked the beginning of the end of their enslavement. Jews worldwide celebrate Passover as a remembrance of their passage from slavery to freedom. Like the Jewish people, African Americans have also made a transition from slavery to freedom. The African American Passover Celebration is designed to help churches, families and individuals to remember the suffering of our past, the struggles of today and the promise of tomorrow. The African American Passover Celebration Menu is comprised of foods that are symbolic of the struggle of African Americans – chicken, mixed greens, sweet potatoes, cornbread and yes- watermelon!

The African American Passover Celebration is a worship guide that was created by an African American Pastor for an African American Congregation. I have used the African American Passover Celebration for twenty years at my church. It is has survived the test of time. The African American Passover Celebration is ready to use. Download it to your computer and encourage the members of your church to take various parts of the African American Passover Celebration to read.   Pass the parts out in advance to the members of your church, family or dinner party. It is a powerful document that can be used by one person or over 100 persons. If you desire, the African American Passover Celebration can also be mailed to you in the form of a CD.

The African American Passover Celebration will put Good Friday and Easter in a context that will fill all who experience it with a riveting sense of the uncompromising, unmatchable grace of God.

Yours In Christ,

Rev. Dr. Nicholas Hood III