The Great Vigil of Easter
Saturday, April 11, 2020
FAMILY ACTIVITIES: Time permitting, the children might draw an Easter banner out of paper for the Easter Vigil or find a white candle in your home that they can draw a cross, the Alpha, the Omega and the year 2020 on to represent the Paschal candle.
PREPARATION: Turn out all the lights in the house prior to the vigil. Wait in darkness a few minutes and light one candle for the start of the home service. At the acclamation that Christ is Risen turn on all the lights in the house and/or light more candles, ring bells etc.
HISTORY: The liturgy is the first celebration of Easter (BCP (pp. 284-95) and known as the Great Vigil. The service begins in darkness, between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter. It consists of 4 parts: The Service of Light (kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle); The Service of Lessons (readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers); Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows; and the Eucharist. Through this liturgy, the BCP recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Easter was the primary baptismal occasion for the early church to the practical exclusion of all others. This practice linked the meanings of Christ's dying and rising to the understanding of baptism.
The main symbols of the Easter Vigil are darkness and light--representing death and life. Our service begins in total darkness and the light which overcomes this darkness is the new fire which is blessed and used to light the paschal candle. The paschal candle is a large, decorated candle that symbolizes the light of Christ who was crucified, died, rose, and ascended into heaven. It is lighted at the Easter Vigil and at all services during the season of Easter. The greek symbol of the letter A at the top of the candle represents Alpha or beginning and the symbol at the bottom represents Omega.
THE LIGHT OF CHRIST. THANKS BE TO GOD!
Canticle 8, SONG OF MOSES
Oh God, whose wonderful deeds of old shine forth even to our own day, you once delivered by the power of your almighty arm your chosen people from slavery under Pharaoh, to be a sign for us of the salvation of all nations by the water of Baptism: Grant that all the people of the earth may be numbered among the offspring of Abraham, and rejoice in the in inheritance of Israel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
This is the night when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and re restored to grace and holiness of life. 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.
Exodus 15:20-21
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them:
“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Gospel:
Matthew 28:1-10
1After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ 8So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.9Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’
EASTER MORNING
Sunday, April 12, 2020
FAMILY ACTIVITIES and PREPARATION
Make Alleluia Banners and hide them for family members to find and then hang these in the home.
Flower a cross at home with colored tissue paper by cutting 2 x 2 squares of all the colors of tissue paper and wadding each square up into a ball. Put a dot of glue on each tissue ball and press it on the cross that is provided in this packet. Once the cross is covered with all your balls of tissue, allow it to dry and then cut out the cross and put it in your window or on a piece of construction paper and write ALLELUIA on it.
Click here to download the Template
Take a walk in your yard and cut some lovely flowers to make flower arrangements for your prayer table.
Help decorate your Easter table or prayer table with God’s gifts of the earth that remind you of new life.
The Readings for Easter Sunday
You may choose to take turns reading one or more of the readings:
The Collect:
O God, who made this most holy day to shine with the glory of the Lord's resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, 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 for ever. Amen.
First Lesson:
Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6
34 Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’
Gospel:
John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ 14When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ 16Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” ’ 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.