Dear People of St. James’,
The Easter Vigil holds a special place for me in Holy Week as I’m sure it does for many of you. It is an ancient liturgy that invites our participation as the community of faithful witnesses, finding Christ outside of the empty tomb, victorious over the power of death. The Easter Vigil nourishes us with a taste of resurrection that propels our life, work, and ministry throughout the rest of the year. We get to join an ancient Christian practice of festal celebration – death is defeated in Christ!
My first experience in an Episcopal church was at an Easter Vigil when I was in university. My roommate invited me to attend and I had no clue what I was getting into. I had never been to a church where the ministers wore special vestments, much less used incense. It was a sensory overload in the best way possible – we lit the new fire, processed into the church, and truly celebrated Christ’s resurrection. I was moved by the reverence and joy that I saw and felt in the people around me. When I went home, I had to sit down and process all that I had seen and felt at the vigil. It was at this service that I felt that I had found a home in the Episcopal Church through our liturgy.
Herbert McCabe, theologian and priest wrote that, “Easter is the meaning of the cross. Of course, there are two events: a crucifixion and, later, a rising from the dead. But these two events are part of a single story with a single meaning. […] Easter is how to look at the cross. It is how faith looks at the cross.” Easter lets us look at the cross, what was a representation of death, as a sign of victory over death. A victory that changes and transforms the world around us, and invites us to participate in that glorious change and transformation.
I invite you to remember to celebrate the change and transformation that Christ brings to us at our Easter Vigil. We join all other Christians in this feast together – let us celebrate and feast indeed!
Garrett Lane, Seminarian
