The Great Vigil of Easter – Mark S Winward
The Easter Proclamation
Alleluia. Christ is risen! [The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!]
Let’s try that again. Alleluia. Christ is risen! [The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!]
Just one more time. Alleluia. Christ is risen! [The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!]
That acclamation is known all over the world, and it lies deep at the heart of our identity as Christians.
The Unextinguishable Faith
Around 1930, the Communist leader Nikolai Bukharin traveled from Moscow to Kiev to address a massive assembly. His purpose was to prove the validity of a central tenet of his party: atheism. For a solid hour, he hurled ridicule and every argument he could muster against the “superstitious” faith of the people. Finally, he finished and paused to survey what he assumed were the smoldering ashes of their faith. “Are there any questions?” Bukharin smugly demanded.
A solitary, courageous man arose and asked permission to speak. He mounted the platform and moved close to the Communist leader. The audience was breathlessly silent as the man surveyed them—first to the right, then to the left. At last, he shouted the ancient Orthodox greeting: “CHRIST IS RISEN!” The vast assembly arose as one, and the response came crashing like a literal avalanche: “HE IS RISEN INDEED!”
The Holy Fire of Jerusalem
Every Easter in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of Jerusalem prepares to enter the Holy Sepulcher—the very place where Jesus’ body was laid. The ancient Byzantine church in the heart of the city is dark; the thousands of oil lamps that usually illuminate that sacred space have been extinguished. Following a tradition of more than fifteen hundred years, the Patriarch and the tomb are searched for any sign of fire or the tools to create it.
Then, empty-handed, the Patriarch enters the dark tomb alone. A long period of silence follows as the people pray for what many believe is a recurring miracle. Suddenly, the Patriarch emerges with a flame—a holy and miraculous light. Immediately, he joyously exclaims, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” And like us this evening, the people respond, “The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” From that holy flame, the light spreads throughout the darkened church until the entire space is ablaze. That light is then used to keep the church’s lamps burning until Maundy Thursday of the following year.
A Light Breaking In
Where there was emptiness, darkness, and silence, Jesus Christ breaks in this evening—just as He did on that first Easter—with His presence, light, and joy. Throughout the world, Christians remember that they are Christ’s own; by His power and promises, we are dead to sin and alive in Him. In baptizing Annabelle tonight, we remember our own baptism and how God, through His Son, has redeemed us. We celebrate her baptism this evening because, on this most holy of nights, Christ’s glorious resurrection is what makes baptism possible.
Tonight, we recount the mighty and victorious history that leads us to this moment. Each of tonight’s readings describes how God created us, chose us, and loves us. They show how baptism ushers us into a community of His people—a people God saves by drawing them into a relationship with Himself.
The Epic Saga of Creation
Love and betrayal, heroism and defeat, abandonment and victory—these elements make this the most epic of all sagas. The story begins with Creation. I love the way the New International Version puts it: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” In ancient Middle Eastern culture, water represented mystery, danger, and lifelessness. I imagine God brooding over the emptiness of eternity past. Suddenly, God breaks the darkness, exclaiming, “Let there be light!” In a cataclysmic moment, time and space expanded together in a burst of love and light, dispersing the void. And God saw that it was good.
Created for Relationship
As the crowning achievement of creation, He made man and woman. The text says, “Let us make humankind in our image…” Many people imagine God as a giant Zeus or Saturn, looking like us but on a larger scale. But the text cannot mean a physical image, for men and women are physically distinct. The clue lies in that curious plural: “Let us make humankind in our image.” From the very beginning, God gave us a hint of His nature. He is more than just one; He is a unity. Christians know this as the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In that mutual, loving relationship, God finds Himself “One.” God created us, male and female, to be relational beings—to be in a relationship with Him and with each other.
The Betrayal and the Bondage
We all know what happened next. Our Eucharistic liturgy puts it clearly: “From the primal elements you brought forth the human race… But we turned against you, and betrayed your trust; and we turned against one another.” We became estranged, bondservants to sin under a sentence of death. Out of our own bondage, we forced others into oppression as humanity spiraled toward a hopeless end.
A God Who Never Abandons
Yet, though we abandoned God, God never abandoned us. He sought to raise up a faithful people to call the world back to Him. He delivered the people of Israel from their bondage in Egypt. When they faced certain death at the Red Sea, God allowed them to pass through the waters to life, victory, and hope.
Again and again, He called us to return. But again and again, we chose our own selfish desires. We were free as a nation, perhaps, but still slaves to sin. It would take a miracle to turn us from our self-made gods. Ezekiel prophesied that God would remove our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. Zephaniah prophesied that God would come into our midst to bring victory. Finally, in the fullness of time, He sent His only Son to open for us the way of freedom and peace.
Paid in Full
Tonight, we celebrate the victory of Jesus Christ, which forever broke the power of sin for all who trust Him. Recall Jesus’ last words on the cross: “It is finished.” In ancient legal terms, this meant “Paid in Full.” Out of self-giving love, God in the person of Jesus Christ paid the price for our disobedience while we were spiritually bankrupt. While the debt was settled on the cross, the Resurrection is our “get out of jail free” card. It is the delivery of our freedom.
The New Life in Baptism
Tonight, God has given Annabelle her own “get out of jail free” card. We have been reminded that she—and we—have passed through the waters of baptism. We have moved through death to this world and into the miracle of the Spirit. St. Paul reminds us that “if we have been buried with Christ in baptism, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection.”
But this is not magic. A card must be used to be effective. Moments ago, we renewed our baptismal covenant to renounce evil and put our whole trust in Jesus Christ—not just as Savior, but as the Lord of our lives. The Covenant makes it clear how we do that: by persevering in prayer, resisting evil, proclaiming the Good News, and seeking to serve Christ in all persons.
People of the Light
As the light of the Paschal candle fills this sanctuary, let it remind you that the Resurrection is not merely a dusty historical event two thousand years ago to be studied and debated, but a current reality to be lived. Tonight, we do not just celebrate a miracle that happened two thousand years ago; we celebrate a transformation happening right now in the heart of a young woman and in the soul of this community. We leave this place not as people of the tomb, but as people of the light. Carry that flame with you. Let it burn away the shadows of your fears and light the path for a world still wandering in the dark. For the empty tomb is our open door, and the risen Christ is our eternal home.
Alleluia! Christ is risen! [He is risen indeed! Alleluia!]