Rediscovering the Easter Vigil by Rev. Jennie Churchman

We are doing something new for Holy Week this year at Eureka Christian Church.  Actually, it is something very, very old.  The Easter Vigil is the oldest intact worship service in the Christian faith.  It dates from around the year 250.  Think about that.  Before the emperor Constantine converted to make Christianity “legal,” before even the twenty-seven books that we know as the New Testament were settled on as sacred scripture, the Christian community gathered on Holy Saturday for this extraordinary experience.  This is an ancient worship service.  It is timeless.

In the earliest days, the Easter Vigil was an all-night affair.  The community would gather on Saturday night and worship until the dawning of Easter Day.  In between was a service in four parts.  The Service of Light begins the Easter Vigil, as we light the great Paschal fire to proclaim that our God has power over even the darkest darkness.  The Service of the Word is next with a retelling of our salvation history from Genesis to the empty tomb.  The Service of Water follows, which is when the early church baptized new believers.  And the Easter Vigil concludes with the Service of the Table, as we break bread and share the cup together.

Our Easter Vigil will be from 9:00 PM until 10:30 PM on Holy Saturday, April 4.  Because this is our first year to experience this worship service, we have modified it.  Instead of the traditional 12 readings from the Old Testament, we will hear only four.  But these will be enough for us to realize once again what amazing and wondrous things God has done for us.  Depending on the response from you, we may expand the Easter Vigil in the coming years to include all 12 readings.  (And if we do, you will discover that there is nothing quite like taking communion as your first act of Easter Day, just after midnight.  But we’ll save that experience for another year!)

I have heard many people say that Christmas Eve is their favorite service of the Christian year.  It is just so sensory and mysterious.  And the story itself is just so powerful.  I think this is what captivates us about Christmas Eve.  Well, let me say from personal experience that the Easter Vigil is just as mysterious, just as captivating, just as powerful.  It is a service like no other.  I do hope you will consider being part of it.  Rediscover the Easter Vigil this Holy Week at Eureka Christian Church.