Easter Vigil
15 april 2017
The Gathering of the Community
The Kindling of the New Fire
Dear friends in Christ,
on this most holy night,
when our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death
to life,
the Church invites her children throughout
the world
to come together in vigil and prayer.
This is the Passover of the Lord.
We remember his death and resurrection
by hearing his word and celebrating his
mysteries;
we are confident
that we shall share his victory over death
and live with him for ever in God.
Let us pray.
Father,
we share in the light of your glory
through your Son, the light of the world.
Sanctify this new fire, and inflame us with
new hope.
Purify our minds by this Easter celebration
and bring us one day to the feast of eternal
light.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lighting of the Paschal Candle
The
paschal candle is lit from the fire. Then the candle is processed into the
church. Three times the following is
sung (at a progressively higher pitch).
The light of Christ.
Thanks
be to God.
The
candles of the community are lit.
The Exsultet
The
congregation joins in singing the Easter Proclamation.
‘Rejoice, Angelic Choirs, Rejoice’ Common Praise #218
After
the Exsultet the congregation may extinguish their candles.
The Proclamation of the Word
The First Reading, Response and Prayer
Reading
A reading from Genesis (22.1-18).
22.1
After these things God tested Abraham.
He said to him, “Abraham!” And he
said, “Here I am.” 2 He said,
“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I
shall show you.” 3 So Abraham
rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men
with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set
out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4 On the third day Abraham looked
up and saw the place far away. 5
Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I
will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood of the
burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire
and the knife. So the two of them walked
on together. 7 Isaac said to
his father Abraham, “Father!” And he
said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “The
fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” 8 Abraham said, “God himself will
provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
So the two of them walked on together.
9
When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar
there and laid the wood in order. He
bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out his
hand and took the knife to kill his son.
11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and
said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said,
“Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do
not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you
fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” 13 And Abraham looked up and saw a
ram, caught in a thicket by its horns.
Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering
instead of his son. 14 So
Abraham called that place “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day,
“On the mount of the Lord it shall
be provided.”
15
The angel of the Lord called to
Abraham a second time from heaven, 16 and said, “By myself I have
sworn, says the Lord: Because you have done this, and have not
withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will indeed bless you, and I
will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of heaven and as the sand
that is on the seashore. And your
offspring shall possess the gate of their enemies, 18 and by your
offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves,
because you have obeyed my voice.”
Holy Word, Holy Wisdom.
Thanks
be to God.
Psalm 16 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(twice): Holy
One, our hearts are glad and our spirits rejoice.
1 Protect me, O God, for I take
refuge in you; *
I
have said to the Lord,
“You
are my Lord, my good above all other.”
2 All
my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the
people.
3 But those who run after other
gods *
shall
have their troubles multiplied.
4 Their
libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods
upon my lips.
Refrain: Holy
One, our hearts are glad and our spirits rejoice.
5 O Lord, you are my portion and
my cup; *
it
is you who uphold my lot.
6 My
boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord who
gives me counsel; *
my
heart teaches me, night after night.
8 I
have set the Lord always before me; *
because you are at my side I shall
not fall.
Refrain: Holy
One, our hearts are glad and our spirits rejoice.
9 My heart, therefore, is glad,
and my spirit rejoices; *
my
body also shall rest in hope.
10 For
you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.
11 You will show me the path of
life; *
in your presence there is fullness
of joy,
and in your hand are pleasures for
evermore.
Refrain: Holy
One, our hearts are glad and our spirits rejoice.
Collect
Let us pray.
God of all who believe in you,
you
promised Abraham
that
he would become the father of all nations,
and
through the death and resurrection of Christ
you
fulfill that promise;
everywhere
throughout the world
you
increase your chosen people.
May
we respond to your call by joyfully accepting
your
invitation to the new life of grace.
Grant
this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Second Reading, Response and Prayer
Reading
A reading from Exodus (14.10-31; 15.20-21).
14.10
As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians
advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord.
11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves
in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of
Egypt? 12 Is this not the
very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the
Egyptians?’ For it would have been
better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 But Moses said to the people,
“Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will
accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never
see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have
only to keep still.”
15
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why
do you cry out to me? Tell the
Israelites to go forward. 16 But
you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it,
that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. 17 Then I will harden the hearts
of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory
for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot
drivers. 18 And the Egyptians
shall know that I am the Lord,
when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot
drivers.”
19
The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind
them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place
behind them. 20 It came
between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness,
and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.
21
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea.
The Lord drove the sea back
by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the
waters were divided. 22 The
Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them
on their right and on their left. 23
The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s
horses, chariots, and chariot drivers.
24 At the morning watch the Lord
in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw
the Egyptian army into panic. 25
He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the
Israelites, for the Lord is fighting
for them against Egypt.”
26
Then the Lord said to Moses,
“Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the
Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over
the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the
sea. 28 The waters returned
and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh
that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. 29 But the Israelites walked on
dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right
and on their left.
30
Thus the Lord saved Israel that
day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great work that
the Lord did against the
Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
15.20
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. 21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the Lord,
for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
Psalm 126 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(twice): The
Holy One does wonderful things for us.
1
When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then
were we like those who dream.
2
Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, *
and
our tongue with shouts of joy.
Then they said among the nations, *
”The
Lord has done great things for them.”
3
The Lord has done great things
for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
Refrain: The Holy One does wonderful things for us.
4
Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like
the watercourses of the Negev.
5
Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their
sheaves.
Refrain: The Holy One does wonderful things for us.
Collect
Let us pray.
God of steadfast love,
your
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 of 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.
We
ask this though Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
The Third Reading, Response and Prayer
Reading
A reading from the prophet Zephaniah (3.14-20).
3.14
Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! 15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned
away your enemies. The king of Israel,
the Lord, is in your midst; you
shall fear disaster no more. 16
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives
victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing 18 as on a day of
festival. I will remove disaster from
you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.
19 I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I
will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into
praise and renown in all the earth. 20
At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will
make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I
restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.
Psalm 98 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(twice): Sing
to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
1 Sing a new
song to the Lord,
who has done marvellous things, *
whose
mighty hand and holy arm have won the victory.
2 O Lord, you have made known the victory; *
you have openly shown your
righteousness
in the sight of the nations.
3 You remember your mercy and
faithfulness to the house of Israel, *
and
all the ends of the earth have seen your victory, O God.
4 Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands;
*
lift up your voice, rejoice and
sing.
Refrain: Sing to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
5 Sing to the Lord with the
harp, *
with
the harp and the voice of song.
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn *
shout with joy before our sovereign,
the Lord.
7 Let the sea make a noise and
all that is in it, *
the
lands and those who dwell therein.
8 Let the rivers clap their hands, *
and let the hills ring out with joy
before the Lord,
who is coming to judge the earth.
9 In righteousness shall God
judge the world *
and the peoples with equity.
Refrain: Sing to the Holy One! Sing a new song!
Collect
Let us pray.
O God of unchangeable power and eternal
light,
look
favourably on your whole Church,
that
wonderful and sacred mystery.
By
the effectual working of your providence,
carry
out in tranquillity the plan of salvation.
Let
the whole world see and know
that
things which were cast down are being raised up,
and
things which had grown old are being made new,
and
that all things are being brought to their perfection
by
him through whom all things were made,
your
Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Easter Proclamation
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The
Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Great Noise
Hymn of Praise
‘Through the Red Sea Brought at Last’ Common Praise #226
Collect
Let us pray.
God
of new creation,
from the womb of earth
you raised the Lord of life:
may we receive the word of
women
who braved the soldier’s
spears
and met him in the dawning
light;
may we live with morning joy
so that love may never die;
The Epistle
A reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans
6.3-11).
6.3 Do you not know that all of
us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried
with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the
dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be
united with him in a resurrection like his.
6 We know that our old self was crucified with him so that
the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to
sin. 7 For whoever has died
is freed from sin. 8 But 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 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.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.
Thanks
be to God.
The Psalm
Psalm 114 with refrain from Songs for the Holy One
Refrain
(twice): Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
1 Hallelujah!
When Israel came out of Egypt, *
the house of
Jacob from a people of strange speech,
2 Judah
became the sanctuary of the Lord *
and Israel the dominion of God.
3 The sea beheld it and fled; *
Jordan turned and
went back.
4 The
mountains skipped like rams, *
and the little hills like young
sheep.
Refrain: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
5 What ailed you, O sea, that you fled? *
O Jordan, that
you turned back?
6 You
mountains, that you skipped like rams? *
you little hills like young sheep?
7 Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the
Lord, *
at the presence
of the God of Jacob,
8 who
turned the hard rock into a pool of water *
and flint-stone into a flowing
spring.
Refrain: Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah!
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to Matthew (28.1-10).
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
28.1
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2
And 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. 3 His appearance was like
lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook
and became like dead men. 5
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking
for Jesus who was crucified. 6
He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then 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.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly
with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said,
“Greetings!” And they came to him, 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; there they will see me.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sermon
The Renewal of Baptismal
Vows
The Thanksgiving at the Font
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, O God, maker and ruler of
all things.
Your voice thundered over the waters at
creation.
You water the mountains and send springs
into the valleys to refresh and satisfy all
living things.
Through the waters of the flood
you carried those in the ark to safety.
Through the sea you led your people Israel
from slavery into freedom.
In the wilderness you nourished them
with water from the rock,
and your brought them across the river Jordan
to the promised land.
By the baptism of his death and resurrection,
your Son Jesus has carried us to safety and
freedom.
The floods shall not overwhelm us,
and the deep shall not swallow us up,
for Christ has brought us over to the land of
promise.
He sends us to make disciples,
baptizing in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Pour out your Holy Spirit;
wash away sin in this cleansing water;
clothe the baptized with Christ;
and claim your daughters and sons,
no longer slave and free,
no longer male and female,
but one with all the baptized in Christ
Jesus,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen. [ii]
The Renewal of Baptismal Vows
Dear friends,
through the paschal mystery
we have been buried with Christ in baptism,
so that we may rise with him to a new life.
Now that our Lenten observance is ended,
let us renew the promises we made in baptism,
when we rejected Satan and all the works of
evil,
and promised to serve God faithfully
in the holy catholic church.
Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil
and renew your commitment to Jesus Christ?
I
do.
Do you believe in God the Father?
I
believe in God,
the
Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God?
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I
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. Amen.
Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching
and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
I
will, with God’s help.
Will you persevere in resisting evil and,
whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
I
will, with God’s help.
Will you proclaim by word and example the
good news of God in Christ?
I
will, with God’s help.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all
persons, loving your neighbour as yourself?
I
will, with God’s help.
Will you strive for justice and peace among
all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I
will, with God’s help.
Will
you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain
and renew the life of the Earth?
I will, with God’s help.
God the creator, the rock of our salvation,
has given us new birth by water and the Holy
Spirit,
and bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins,
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
May God keep us faithful to our calling,
now and for ever. Amen.
The
people are sprinkled with the blessed water as the presider says
Remember your baptism and be thankful.
The Exchange of the Peace
The peace of the risen Christ be with you
all.
And
also with you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory Hymn
‘Christ Is Risen; Christ Is Risen’ Common Praise #220
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
God of life and death,
accept
the offering of your holy people,
and
grant that we who are baptized into Christ
may
be perfected in your salvation,
The Thanksgiving at the Table
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We
lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It
is right to give our thanks and praise.
It
is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all
places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, for the
glorious resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the true Paschal Lamb who
gave himself to take away our sin, who in dying has destroyed death, and in
rising has brought us to eternal life.
And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the
resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and
archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending
hymn:
You
are holy, you are whole.
You
are always ever more than we ever understand.
Blessed
are you coming here to your church in wine and bread,
raised
from soil, raised from dead.
You
are holy, you are wholeness,
you
are present. Let the cosmos praise you,
Lord!
Sing
hosanna in the highest! Sing hosanna!
Blessed
are you, O God of the universe. Your
mercy is everlasting and your faithfulness endures from age to age.
Praise
to you for creating the heavens and the earth.
Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood. Praise to you for bringing the Israelites
safely through the sea. Praise to you
for leading your people through the wilderness to the land of milk and
honey. Praise to you for the words and
deeds of Jesus, your anointed one.
Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ. Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on
all nations.
In
the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again,
after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink,
saying: This cup is the new covenant in
my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
With
this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s passover from death to life as we
proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
O
God of resurrection and new life: Pour
out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine. Bless this feast. Grace our table with your presence. Come, Holy
Spirit.
Reveal
yourself to us in the breaking of the bread.
Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world. Breathe new life into us. Send us forth, burning with justice, peace,
and love. Come, Holy Spirit.
With
the ever-blessed virgin Mary, blessed Joseph, blessed Faith and your holy ones
of all times and places, with the earth and all its creatures, with sun and
moon and stars, we praise you, O God, blessed and holy Trinity, now and
forever. Amen. [v]
The Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed
be your name,
your
kingdom come,
your
will be done,
on
earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
as
we forgive those who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
The Breaking of the Bread
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now
we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now
we share in your resurrection.
Live
in us, that we may live in you.
These are the gifts of God for the people of
God.
Thanks
be to God.
Communion
Hymn after Communion
‘Walk Softly in Springtime’ Common Praise #209
The Sending Forth of the
Community
Prayer after Communion
Life-giving God,
in
the mystery of Christ’s resurrection
you
send light to conquer darkness,
water
to give new life,
and
the bread of life to nourish your people.
Send
us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection,
that
we may show your glory to all the world,
through
Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. [vii]
Glory to God,
whose
power, working in us,
can
do infinitely more
than
we can ask or imagine.
Glory
to God from generation to generation,
in
the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for
ever and ever. Amen.
Closing Hymn
‘Good Christians All, Rejoice and Sing’ Common Praise #211
Dismissal
Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks
be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!
[i] The
Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects for Years A, B & C and Seasonal
Prayers over the Gifts and after Communion’ (2016), 21.
[ii] ‘Thanksgiving at the Font
II’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship
(2006), 70.
[iii] The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 332.
[iv] Evangelical Lutheran Worship #525.
[vi] Songs for a Gospel People #12.
[vii] ‘Prayer after Communion
for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship
(2006), 65.
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