Great Vigil of Easter – 8 pm, Saturday, March 22

The “Great Vigil of Easter” is more than the “first service on Easter Day,” it is the most important worship service of the Christian year. It is “the” service – the central gathering of which every weekly gathering is a reminder.

Just as many Christians fast on Fridays to remind themselves of Good Friday, just as our Noonday Prayer recalls daily the hour of the crucifixion, so Christians gather on weekly on Sundays as a “little Easter,” recalling this great service: the “Great Vigil of Easter.” If you came to church only twice a year, the Great Vigil and Christmas Eve would be the two services. If you came only once, it would be the Great Vigil. This Saturday evening, 8 pm.

For an excellent summary of the Great Vigil, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Vigil