Readings for the Day:
At The Liturgy of the Word
- Genesis 1:1-2:4a [The Story of Creation]
- Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 [The Flood]
- Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 [Israel's deliverance at the Red Sea]
- Isaiah 4:2-6 [God’s Presence in a renewed Israel]
- Ezekiel 36:24-28 [A new heart and a new spirit]
At The Eucharist
Sermon:
Original Manuscript:
This is an interactive manuscript. To follow links, click the highlighted words below.
Years ago, I was invited to the Great Vigil of Easter at St. Catherine’s in Chelsea, AL, the first church I ever worked for, a year or two out from my official entrance in the Discernment Process even. At the time, it was not a service I was familiar with or had attended before, and this was well into my early adult years.
There was something primal about the service. I don’t mean “primal” in the sense of a lack of intelligence or sentience, a “cave man” quality if you will. I mean something reaching deep into what it means to exist, something deeply spiritual really.
In my first experience of the Vigil I remember going through most of, if not all, the Old Testament readings set aside for this service. It gave the trajectory of Salvation History. We heard about the beginning of the world and then the beginning of God’s People. We saw the promises made, in spite of all our sins.
And then we heard those promises fulfilled as the darkness lifted and as we rang in the light. We heard the story of Jesus’ Resurrection from the Dead. As we were nestled in that church building in the midst of the dark of evening, we recalled Mary’s and Mary Magdalene’s own journey before dawn as they made their way to the Empty Tomb.
The Vigil allows us to live into the events of that day in a real way we cannot do otherwise. It allows us to take part in them. It allows us a way to witness the Resurrection and the path to it.
This is important because this day is what our Faith is all about. We get to live into what our Faith is all about.
There are ways we get to live into the Resurrection throughout the year. That is what the Eucharist is for. Yet today we get to do so more fully, especially after Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, the first two services in this Triduum of services. Today we get to take part in the Resurrection as witnesses to the fullness it encompasses.
I hope the excitement and joy of being part of this service will hit you as it did with me my first time celebrating this service and every year since. I hope it will encourage you to take part in this service, this Great Vigil of Easter, in all your years to come.