During Lent, we will be looking at the 12 texts for the
great Vigil of Easter. The Easter Vigil begins at sundown on Holy Saturday and
lasts longer than a normal worship service, bridging the gap between Good
Friday and sunrise on Easter. We keep “vigil” as a spiritual practice, praying
through the night, gathered in community, hearing the word of God. Ideally the
vigil is timed so that at midnight the first “Alleluia” is sung as the church
bells peal to announce the beginning of resurrection day. Many congregations
don’t want to stay up all night in a true vigil, so they are often between 7-11
pm, especially if the congregation also has a sunrise service just a few hours
later!
Easter Vigil is considered the grandest worship service of
the entire year. It begins with the lighting of the new fire, a bonfire from
which the new Paschal or Christ candle is lit, to be used during that year.
There are chants and liturgies reserved only for the Vigil, including a song to
thank the bees for making the wax for the candle. In the early church this was
when the catechumenates, who had been preparing for baptism for all of Lent,
were baptized and received as full members of the church. It is still a
preferred day for baptism.
To help us pass the night, twelve readings are assigned from
the Hebrew Testament, reminding us what God has done to save humanity since
creation. These stories build up to God’s magnum opus, raising Jesus from
death. Sometimes a selection of these are read, rather than all twelve. We will
look at them during Bible study on Sundays (11:00 am) and Wednesdays (6:00 pm) during Lent.
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