As the sun sets, Easter begins.
For most of church history, the main service of the whole Christian year was the Great Vigil of Easter (or in the Eastern Church, “Great and Holy Pascha”). It was essentially an “Easter Candlelight Service” (like many Christmas Eve Candlelight services). This is when many baptisms took place (Lent was especially a season for catechesis—preparing catechumens for baptism at the Easter vigil).
In the Book of Common Prayer, which Wesley (as a lifelong Anglican priest) used his entire life and only slightly adapted for the Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America, there is no special instructions for Easter Sunday morning. There is only the Great Vigil of Easter.
The service was often held in the middle of the night (in some parts of the world, it’s still held at midnight). Today, many churches have it soon after sunset (e.g., at 8 PM).
The service is a great drama which begins in total darkness (the Church joins Christ in the tomb). Then, in the darkness, fire is kindled, and the Paschal candle is lit (many Protestant churches have started to recover the Advent candlestick with its central Christ candle, but the Paschal candle is arguably far more significant). The candle symbolizes the resurrection beginning, the dawning of the Light of Life in the midst of the darkness of death in the tomb. “May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds.”
The service continues with words of rejoicing, frequently connecting Christ’s work with the Passover and exodus from Egypt. Then, the Church reads a long series of passages that walk through God’s works of redemption in history and typologically tell of the resurrection—passages about creation, the fall, the flood, Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea, the promises of God’s presence in a renewed Israel, salvation freely offered to all, a new heart and spirit, the valley of dry bones, the three young men in the furnace, Jonah and the fish, and the gathering of God’s people.
The service climaxes, of course, with the Lord’s Supper—the great Passover meal, in which we participate in the Body and Blood of the crucified and risen Christ.
One of my favorite parts of the service is the Exsultet (Easter Proclamation), which I plan to use in our church’s Easter Sunday morning service:
Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels, and let your trumpets shout Salvation for the victory of our mighty King.
Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth, bright with a glorious splendor, for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.
Rejoice and be glad now, Mother Church, and let your holy courts, in radiant light, resound with the praises of your people.
All you who stand near this marvelous and holy flame, pray with me to God the Almighty for the grace to sing the worthy praise of this great light; through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Exsultet continues with this litany of praise:
It is truly right and good, always and everywhere, with our whole heart and mind and voice to praise you, the invisible, almighty, and eternal God, and your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who paid for us the debt of Adam’s sin, and by his blood delivered your faithful people; for he is the true Paschal Lamb, the very Lamb of God, whose blood marks the doorposts of believers and makes us holy.
This is the night when you brought our forebears, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt, and led them through the Red Sea on dry land.
This is the night when with a pillar of fire you banished the darkness of our iniquity.
This is the night when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and are restored to grace and holiness of life.
This is the night when Christ broke the bonds of death and hell, and rose victorious from the grave.
Our birth would have been no gain, had we not been redeemed.
How wonderful and beyond our knowing, O God, is your mercy and loving kindness to us, that to redeem a slave, you gave a Son.
O wonderful providence of Adam’s sin destroyed completely by the death of Christ.
O happy fault, which gained for us so great and glorious a Redeemer.
This is the night of which it is written: the night shall be as bright as the day.
How holy is this night when wickedness is put to flight, and sin is washed away.
It restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to those who mourn.
It casts out pride and hatred, and brings peace and concord.
How blessed is this night when earth and heaven are joined, and Man is reconciled to God.
Therefore, O holy Father, accept our evening sacrifice, the offering of this candle in your honor, the work of bees and of your servants’ hands, the gift of your most holy Church.
May it mingle with the lights of heaven, and shine continually to drive away all darkness.
May Christ, the Morning Star who knows no setting, find it ever burning—he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.
If your church only has an Easter Sunday morning service (as ours currently does), consider using or adapting parts of the vigil service for your morning worship. If your church is thinking about starting an Easter sunrise service, consider starting an Easter vigil instead (you could start by calling it an “Easter Candlelight Service”). If a church in your area has an Easter vigil, consider attending (I’m looking forward to attending one tonight). Easter begins now!
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
