The Great Vigil of Easter (Sample Liturgy)

On the Liturgy

The Great Vigil is the first liturgy of Easter Day. It may be celebrated at any time between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter morning. It is now commonly celebrated at 8 or 8:30 PM on Saturday (after sunset). It is appropriate that the service begin in darkness.
This liturgy draws together elements from the Western and Eastern liturgies for the Great Vigil of Easter. For a traditional Western vigil, see the Book of Common Prayer (2019) or the Roman Missal. For a traditional Eastern vigil, see the Paschal Service.
This liturgy requires a Paschal Candle, Paschal Candlestick, and (as with a Christmas Eve candlelight service) candles for all in attendance. For churches unaccustomed to the language of “vigil,” this service may also be referred to as an “Easter Candlelight Service.”
The liturgy consists of four parts: (1) The Service of Light; (2) The Service of Lessons; (3) The Service of Holy Baptism; and (4) The Service of Holy Eucharist.
During the Service of Light, a “new fire” is kindled (e.g., a campfire outside the entrance to the church), and from it the Paschal Candle is lit, symbolizing Christ, the light of the world. The Exsultet, an ancient song of praise, is sung or said as the climax of this part of the liturgy.
During the Service of Lessons, key passages from Scripture (always the Red Sea deliverance from Exodus) recount the history of God’s mighty acts and promises. These readings are accompanied by psalms, canticles, and prayers.
During the Service of Holy Baptism, candidates are united to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 6:3–4), which the Church celebrates on this most holy night. If there are no candidates for Baptism, the Congregation joins in a Renewal of Baptismal Vows.
Finally, the Service of Holy Eucharist is the proper culmination of the Easter Liturgy. As we keep this holy feast, we share the joy of our Savior’s triumph and are strengthened by his grace to walk in newness of life.
For further instructions (e.g., about how to prepare the table, when to break the bread, or what to do if all of the bread or wine is consumed before all have communed), see “The Service of the Word and Lord’s Supper.”

Part I: The Service of Light

The congregation stands together in the dark outside the church. Candles are distributed to everyone, but they are not yet lit. A blazing fire is dramatically lit (e.g., a match is thrown into a campfire pit with gas-soaked wood or into a Weber kettle full of kindling wood). Then the Minister says the introduction below.

INTRODUCTION

Brothers and sisters, on this most holy night, in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites her members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which, by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share in his victory over death.

COLLECT

Let us pray.

Eternal God, who made this most holy night to shine with the brightness of your one true light: sanctify this new fire, we pray, and so set us aflame with the fire of your love, that with pure hearts and kindled affections we may attain to the radiance of your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Minister or a Deacon lights the Paschal Candle from the newly kindled fire, and says,

May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds.

The Minister, bearing the Candle, leads the procession to the front of the church, pausing three times and singing or saying,

The light of Christ.
Thanks be to God.

The Minister then stands at the front of the church with the Paschal Candle and the people pass by, each lighting their candles from the Paschal Candle, then taking their place in the pews or seats. When all have lit their candles, the Paschal Candle is placed in its stand. Note: Other candles may be lit in the church, and reading lights may be used at the pulpit and lectern, but the candles on the Lord’s Table are not lit until later in the service.

THE EXSULTET

Then the Minister (or someone else appointed to do so) stands near the Candle and sings the Exsultet (see sheet music from the ACNA Altar Book).

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 Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give him thanks and 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.

Part II: The Service of Lessons

PREFACE TO THE SCRIPTURE LESSONS

Let us hear the record of God’s saving deeds in history, remembering how he saved his people in ages past and in the fullness of time sent his Son to be our Redeemer; and let us pray that God may bring to completion in each of us the saving work he has begun.

THE CREATION: GENESIS 1:1, 26–31

A reading from the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1:

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. … 26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

PSALM 104:1–13

Then Psalm 104:1–13 is sung or said without introduction.

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great! You are clothed with splendor and majesty, 2 covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. 3 He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; 4 he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. 5 He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. 6 You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. 7 At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. 8 The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. 9 You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. 10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; 11 they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. 13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PRAYER

Let us pray.

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE RED SEA DELIVERANCE: EXODUS 14:15–15:1

A reading from the Book of Exodus, Chapter 14:

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. 15:1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.

The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

THE SONG OF MOSES

Then the Song of Moses is sung or said.

I will sing to the Lord, for he is lofty and uplifted; * the horse and its rider has he hurled into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my refuge; * the Lord has become my Savior. This is my God and I will praise him, * the God of my people and I will exalt him. The Lord is a mighty warrior; * The Lord is his Name. The chariots of Pharaoh and his army has he hurled into the sea; * the finest of those who bear armor have been drowned in the Red Sea. The fathomless deep has overwhelmed them; * they sank into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in might; * your right hand, O Lord, has overthrown the enemy. Who can be compared with you, O Lord, among the gods? * Who is like you, glorious in holiness, awesome in renown, and worker of wonders? You stretched forth your right hand; * the earth swallowed them up. With your constant love you led the people you redeemed; * you brought them in safety to your holy dwelling. You will bring them in and plant them * on the mount of your possession, The resting-place you have made for yourself, O Lord, * the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hand has established. The Lord shall reign * for ever and for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PRAYER

Let us pray.

O God, whose wonderful deeds of old shine forth even to our own day, by the power of your mighty arm you once delivered your chosen people from slavery under Pharaoh, to be a sign for us of the salvation offered to all nations by the water of Baptism: Grant that all the peoples of the earth may be numbered among the offspring of Abraham, and rejoice in the inheritance of Israel; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

THE VALLEY OF DRY BONES: EZEKIEL 37:1–14

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” 4 Then he said to me, “Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. 5 Thus says the Lord God to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” 7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 9 Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord God: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.” 10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the Lord; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the Lord.”

PSALM 30

I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up and have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me. 3 O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol; you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit. 4 Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. 6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.” 7 By your favor, O Lord, you made my mountain stand strong; you hid your face; I was dismayed. 8 To you, O Lord, I cry, and to the Lord I plead for mercy: 9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness? 10 Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me! O Lord, be my helper!” 11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness, 12 that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

PRAYER

Let us pray.

Lord God of our salvation, you speak the word to your scattered people, and raise us up from the valley of death: Breathe your Spirit upon your Church, that we may live and stand before you confident in your risen Son our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS

The Gloria in Excelsis is then sung or said while the candles on the Lord’s Table are lit from the Paschal Candle and bells are rung.

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.

COLLECT

The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Let us pray.

O God, you made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Stir up in your Church the Spirit of adoption, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

THE EPISTLE: ROMANS 6:3–11

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

PSALM 114

Psalm 114 is sung or said.

When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. 3 The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? 6 O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, 8 who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

THE GOSPEL: MATTHEW 28:1–10

Please stand for the reading of the Holy Gospel.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.

28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Christ.

ACCLAMATION

Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!

THE SERMON

The Minister then preaches a short sermon (see, for example, the Paschal Homily of John Chrysostom below).

If anyone is devout and loves God, let them enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If anyone is a wise servant, let them rejoicing enter into the joy of their Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let them now receive their reward. If any have worked from the first hour, let them today receive their just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let them with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let them have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived thereof. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let them draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let them, also, be not alarmed at their tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; He gives rest unto those who come at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has worked from the first hour.

And He shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one He gives, and upon the other He bestows gifts. And He both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast you all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy you all the feast of faith: Receive you all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: “Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered you in the lower regions.” It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

THE PASCHAL TROPARION

Amen.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered,
And let them that hate him flee from before his face.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish,
As wax melteth before the fire.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

So let sinners perish as the presence of God,
And let the righteous be glad.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

This is the day which the Lord has made,
Let us rejoice and be glad therein.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Both now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Christ is risen from the dead,
trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Part III: The Service of Holy Baptism

BAPTISM OR RENEWAL OF BAPTISM VOWS

Holy Baptism may be administered at this time. If there is no one to be baptized, then the Minister leads the congregation in the renewal of the baptism vows (below). Even if no one is baptized, the font may be filled with water as a visible reminder of baptism.

Brothers and sisters, through the Paschal Mystery, we have been buried with Christ in Baptism, so that we may walk with him in newness of life. And so, now that our Lenten observance is concluded, let us renew the promises of Holy Baptism, by which we once renounced Satan and his works and promised to serve God in the holy catholic Church. And so I ask you:

Do you renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that you will not follow nor be led by them?

I renounce them all.

Do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth?

I believe.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord: that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary: Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, died, and was buried: that he descended to the dead: And on the third day he rose again from the dead: And that he ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father: And from there will come to judge the living and the dead?

I believe.

Do you believe in the Holy Spirit: the holy catholic church: the communion of saints: The forgiveness of sins: The resurrection of the body: And the life everlasting?

I believe.

Being baptized in this faith, will you obediently keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of your life, God being your helper?

I will, God being my helper.

BLESSING

May almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and bestowed on us forgiveness of our sins, keep us by his grace, in Christ Jesus our Lord, for eternal life. Amen.