Easter
Vigil 2010
Saturday, 3 April 2010
St. John’s in the Village
New York City
The chant, the Exsultet is the central music proclamation
of the Easter Vigil. In it, at several points, the deacon
proclaims “This is the night…” This is the
night.
This is the night of sacred story. The story of the Great
flood reminds us of the destructive power of water, even as
we celebrate the renewing power of water in Holy Baptism.
The story of Israel’s escape at the red sea is our earliest
form of creed, for in it we tell how Israel escaped from slavery
in Egypt, through water, into new life. And in parallel, Jesus
escapes from the slavery of death into new life in the resurrection.
There is the story of the gift of Holy Wisdom, the forerunner
of God the Holy Spirit, our gift in Pentecost, at the end
of this season.
This is also the night of symbol. The fire struck in the darkness
of the tomb-like church. Light overcomes darkness as we slow
light the church from the paschal candle and our own candles.
The same paschal candle will be plunged into the font of baptism
that holds the waters of new life.
The is also the night when we celebrate the penetration of
this world by the power of god, overturning the power of sin
and death, and establishing, with clarity, the eventual, the
final power of God.
The world has been penetrated by this power of God at many
points in its history. It happened in the Exodus when God
led the first Israel out of slavery in Egypt. It happened
in the tomb of Jesus when the power of God raised Gods son
to new life in this new realm of God. It happens every Easter
when we are reminded, through ritual, liturgical recall of
these mighty events, that Christ is risen and so are we
There will, one day, be a moment when the two realms—that
of God, that of earth, will be joined in what we call the
New Jerusalem. And at that moment we will join our voices
in the eternal chorus of praise that rings through eternity.
IN that chorus we will sing not only on this night, but in
an new, eternal day when heaven and earth are one and we are
reconciled to God.
Let us now renew our faith in that mystery.
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