The Great Vigil of Easter

8 pm – 10 pm followed by reception

The Great Vigil of Easter

This service is first celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter, and it is the central liturgy of the church year. Our service includes baptism since in the earliest days of the church, the Easter Vigil was a time for new converts to be baptized into the Christian faith and new life in Christ. We hear the stories of God’s work of creation and redemption. The service begins in darkness and gradually builds to bright lights and ringing bells, as we announce and celebrate the resurrection, followed by the first Eucharist of Easter. This return of light symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus from the grave and the light of salvation and hope God brought into the world through the resurrection, the triumph of the light of God’s grace and salvation over the darkness of death and sin.