A Memory Book of Past Easter Vigils
“How blessed is this night when earth and heaven are joined, and man is reconciled to God.”—Book of Common Prayer (Church Publishing, 1979), p. 287.
I revisit this past Holy Week and especially remember beautiful stories about the excitement of the Easter Vigil at each church where I served. I remember one priest telling us in his homily many years ago that our presence at the Vigil didn’t earn us extra points with God. We weren’t getting more stars in our crown for being there. Being among the first at the empty tomb was a privilege to meet the risen Lord.
One of my favorite surprises was watching to see how the Altar Guild would decorate my larger harp for the Easter Vigil.
Many congregations then follow the Vigil service with an elaborate reception or dinner late at night at church or someone’s home.
Once at Trinity Cathedral, as the deacon tilted the candle ever so slightly to light its wick from the first fire, oil ran out of the top of the candle, and the flames took on a surreal quality, like the tongues of fire described at Pentecost. At St. Margaret’s, we held the Vigil in the Columbarium garden, and I played a smaller lap harp to keep the Exsultet on key as I chanted. I cannot describe the exhilaration of shouting in the open air, “The Lord has risen indeed!”
At St. Luke’s, a lector reading one of the Old Testament lessons had difficulty seeing in the dark. In the middle of the long reading, my dear friend moved her candle closer to the lectern microphone, which set the microphone’s foam covering on fire. She promptly and elegantly blew out the fire and didn’t miss a beat in the reading. Also, at St. Luke’s, one of the fantastic teachers in the children’s ministries and her two children planned a flashlight egg hunt for older children after the Vigil. The young people searched outside around the church, and it was a huge success that increased the number of people who came to the service!
If you look online at a virtual Vigil during the pandemic at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, the Easter fire looks like it is coming out of the air! Spectacular!
It is now more contained, but still very moving.
We recently handed out bells for people to ring during the Great Alleluia. At the end of the service, our other deacon, Susan, and our associate priest, Patricia, spontaneously began ringing their bells whenever the closing hymn, “Christ the Lord is Risen Today, Alleluia,” reached an Alleluia. The congregation soon joined in ringing their bells. It was incredibly moving, since we could not sing because of COVID restrictions, but we could ring!
The Vigil is so unusual that it is easy for clergy to get caught up in the many tiny details of this once-a-year liturgy and to view it as a performance rather than an offering. The Vigil is a service to be enjoyed and celebrated.
We can always count on the Vigil to bring surprises, as it did this year and at that first Easter.
Joanna. joannaseibet@me.com