The Light of Christ
EASTER VIGIL
Genesis 1:1-2:4a • Genesis 22:1-18 • Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 • Zephaniah 3:14-20
Romans 6:3-11 • Psalm 114 • Matthew 28:1-10
Enlightened by the light of Christ, steeped in prayer and stories of deliverance and salvation, resonant with song, newly baptized or renewed in our covenant, perhaps a little dazed by the fragrance of the lilies and the incense and the sheer glory of it all—this is the night of all nights when we celebrate the resurrection, proclaiming, “Christ is risen!” We walk from the dark toward light in newness of life, united with Christ, alive to God. Alleluia, indeed! Easter joy is ours, and it. is. good.
This night does not stand alone (though if I were going to one service a year, this would probably be my choice!).
Leading up to this night, we spent forty days in the wilderness, giving up that which we cling to. While nearly everything else in the world around us tells us we need more and more, especially material things, we ventured into letting go and focusing on spiritual things. In the past week, we imagined Jesus’s suffering and death, awakening our own experiences of loss and grief. We rekindled deep longing and perhaps realized the danger of feeding ourselves empty calories of self-sufficiency. At our core, we yearn for what is true, holy, and good.
Even in the discomfort, we sat in stillness and silence. We had to wait.
Just when we might think it’s not worthwhile or that we’re ready to sink into despair, there…there is the light of Christ. Our Easter Vigil arrives, announcing the Resurrection, like an oasis, a paradise resplendent with everything we need to fill our weary souls. The fullness of our Sacraments are here in the waters of Baptism and the feast of our Holy Eucharist. Now we are filled in ways that matter deeply, meeting our longing for connection to Love, to God. And once again, we realize that while we had to make this journey for ourselves, we are not alone. We are part of a people whose history is shared and whose future is secured.
God provides for us. We don’t do anything to make God’s salvation available or God’s presence manifest. Remember the words Moses spoke to the Israelites, that God “will fight for you, and you have only to keep still” (Exodus 14:14). As my oldest daughter reminded us when she was young and demonstrating her logical prowess, “doing nothing is doing something.” She wasn’t wrong. Likewise, we don’t do anything to receive God’s grace, yet we do everything by surrendering to God’s love, by being born anew in Christ, by accepting the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In our stillness we recognize God’s power. In our stillness we are keenly aware of what is, and by being still we can better position ourselves in that posture of openness to receive what is freely offered.
Being so filled, what else can we do but share? We share with our whole self, our whole life, living into the promises we’ve made to God and to one another. We can always return to the stillness and seek the light of Christ, remembering who holds the power and the victory.
© 2023 The Rev. Sara Milford
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church – Fayetteville, Arkansas