EASTER VIGIL CONTINUED
WE GATHER IN THE NIGHT
Usually, we think of new days beginning at midnight; however, there is a long-held tradition in various religious circles that the new day actually begins at dusk. So, when we gather at dusk the evening before Easter Sunday, we are in fact gathering to celebrate Christ’s resurrection. The bright moon overhead and the stillness of the stars remind us of God’s expansiveness and of God’s beauty. In a universe so vastly larger than ourselves—in both space and time—we find ourselves inheritors of God’s story.
WE GATHER IN THE FIRES
You will find the four elements of creation incorporated into the Vigil worship: earth, air, fire, and water. The Ash Wednesday ashes, which remind us of our fragility and limitations, have sparked and become the fires of the Holy Spirit and of resurrection. And, this is how we begin—outside, around bonfires, feeling the wind on our faces, feeling the heaviness of our bodies against the earth. We gather for worship in God’s great expanse.
WE GATHER IN THE Word
As families have done for time immemorial, we will gather to share stories. We will recount stories of faith, promise, creation, love, sacrifice, and grace. Beginning with Genesis 1, we will remember God’s creative and redeeming presence throughout the Hebrew Scriptures. As these stories are retold, those gathered will be able to hear words, see images, and participate in these stories. Here, the scripture is proclaimed rather than recited, held as our own story as well as that of others. These texts remind us of God’s unfailing faithfulness to God’s people and an unfailing commitment to fulfilling God’s promises. God has been a God of resurrection and power long before the Easter event. Through stories, characters, biblical places, and powerful images, we find ourselves amongst that resurrection history.
WE GATHER IN THE WATER
Together, we will remember our baptisms and God’s promises. When the Holy Spirit touches us in these special waters, we are welcomed into Christ’s death and resurrection—Christ’s mission is our mission, Christ’s mortality is our mortality, Christ’s eternity is our eternity. Beside the font, the Vigil has been a preferred time for Christian Baptism for thousands of years. Not only this, but the entire assembly will feel these waters on this Vigil night. As water droplets fall on our faces, we feel again the Holy Spirit’s call on our lives. We are filled with God’s promises so that we might serve the world.
WE GATHER IN THE RESURRECTION
Christ has arisen and has prepared for us a feast of love and mercy. As we move into the Sanctuary, we sing songs of victorious life over death, we hear from the Gospel of John the account of Christ’s resurrection, and we taste these promises in bread and wine. Christ is physically present with us at this meal in body and blood. This is the meal of God—let no one be barred from this feast.
WE ARE SENT
As those at the tomb, we have witnessed a risen Lord and we are sent to tell others. May we, in the spirit of Easter, go into the world to love and serve our neighbor!