The Vigil is the first celebration of the Resurrection. According to Jewish tradition a new day starts not at midnight but at sunset. So - 8:00 PM Saturday is Easter Day.
The Vigil begins with “The Service of Light”. Candles in the sanctuary that have been dark since Maundy Thursday will be lit. First, The Pascal Candle is lit outside; the congregation holds candles which are then lit from the Pascal Candle and all process into the church following the cantor as she intones “The Light of Christ”.
The Vigil tells the whole Biblical story of the relationship between God and God’s people. Nine lessons are read starting “In the Beginning”, Genesis 1:1, and ending with the Resurrection. (The Creation, the Flood, the deliverance at the Red Sea, lessons from the Prophets, a reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, and Matthew’s Resurrection Narrative). In place of a sermon, we will share the reading of “The Pascal Homily of St. John Chrysostom”. To respond to our salvation history, we renew our own Baptismal Vows.
The service continues with the Eucharist (the Bread and the Wine), the Easter Blessing and the dismissal.
This is not a quick service: nine lessons and some 8 hymns. It is a time to allow the magnitude of our faith to sink in. And, it is a time to rejoice in the love of God.
Join us for this service the Rev. Chas Belknap presiding.