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 This is the night, when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell, And rose victorious from the grave.
-- The Exultet, from The Great Vigil of Easter
The Great Vigil of Easter, according to the Book of Common Prayer (p. 285), is the most joyous and
beautiful liturgy of the church year. Throughout the ages, it has been in this service that countless saints have proclaimed, "Alleluia, Christ is risen!"
When we experience the total darkness of the tomb, the light of the Resurrection is all the more glorious. The Vigil allows us, like Mary Magdalene, to visit
the dark tomb only to find it empty, the Light of the world arisen from the dead. It is a lengthy and elaborate service, rich with scripture, music, and ceremony.
The Liturgy of Light. The Easter Vigil begins in the darkness of the night
on which Jesus rose from the dead. This is our Christian Passover feast in which we celebrate the Passover of Jesus from death into life and our own
Passover from death to life in Holy Baptism. The Vigil begins in total darkness, like the darkness of the tomb. The Paschal Candle is lighted from
the New Fire and carried into the darkened church as the Exultet, the oldest distinctively Christian melody, is sung. This paschal candle will be lit
for each service until Pentecost, when the season of Easter ends.
The Liturgy of the Word. The readings from scripture chronicle the history
of our relationship with God, from the creation and the Fall to Israel's deliverance and God's renewed covenant with His children. These lessons
are shortened versions of the final instruction given to the early Church's candidates for baptism.
Holy Baptism and the Renewal of Baptismal Vows. The readings have reaffirmed our identity as the People of God, the Body of Christ. This is a
traditional time for baptism. If there are no candidates for baptism, we renew our own baptismal covenant and are blessed with holy water
, recalling that in our baptism we are a new creation in Christ Jesus and the resurrection of Christ is renewed in our midst.
Holy Eucharist. In sign and sacrament, holy story and song, the dying and rising of Jesus in the midst of the people is once again enacted.
Sharing in the holy Gifts of the altar, we find ourselves made one with Christ and rejoice in this foretaste of the glory of God's kingdom.
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