Great Vigil of Easter

The people at Episcopal Church of the Redeemer welcomes everyone. We look forward to seeing you at the Great Vigil of Easter.

It is in-person and on-line.

All are welcome to participate fully at Redeemer.

• All races.
• All religions.
• All countries of origin.
• All sexual orientations (including LGBTQ+).
• All genders.

Easter Vigil

The liturgy of the Easter Vigil is the first and primary celebration of Easter. It is also known as the Great Vigil of Easter.

The service begins in darkness sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Day. It consists of four parts:

• The Service of Light.
  • Kindling of new fire
  • Lighting the Paschal candle
  • The Exsultet
• 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.
• The Eucharist.

This liturgy recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Believers would gather in the hours of darkness ending at dawn on Easter to hear scripture and offer prayer. This night-long service of prayerful watching anticipated the baptisms that would come at first light and the Easter Eucharist.

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.

(Taken from Easter Vigil)