Fire & Light
A simple Vigil for Easter Saturday Night
You and your household are invited to celebrate your identity as Children of the Light, either indoors with candles or, weather permitting, outdoors around a fire pit, campfire or lantern.
You will need a torch for the readings.
Begin in darkness. Genesis 1:1-3 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. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
A fire/flame is lit
A reader speaks: This is the night we remember that our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life. We gather before a fire, united with all God’s waiting people throughout the world, giving thanks for the miracle of God’s forgiveness and grace, as we identify with the resurrection of Christ in our lives here on earth and for eternity. On this night we declare the victory of Christ over the powers of darkness which pervade our neighbourhood, nation and world. We proclaim God’s victory of Light over darkness, of life over death.
Optional:
· Sing or listen Within our darkest night (Taize)
· Reading: Psalm 27
· Prayer of confession and/or the Lord’s Prayer
Telling the Story to One Another if alone you could journal/call a friend at this time
As you sit around the fire/flame, what stories of Jesus from the Gospels, and from his interaction in your life come to mind? Or you may want to recap the events of Holy Week leading to the crucifixion and to wonder about how Jesus’ disciples coped with their grief and dashed hopes. Then remember the significance of your baptism and that your life and hope is in Christ. Take time to share your stories.
Reading Romans 6:1-11 (The Message)
A Candle is lit from the fire or first candle
· PRAY for your loved ones, community, state and nation, for our leaders and medical experts, PRAY FOR THE WHOLE WORLD as we face COVID19 – bringing them all into the LIGHT
· Each person can light a candle and hold it or place it before them
· SING a song/s about light and hope eg Shine Jesus Shine, or Pass It On (It only takes a Spark)
A benediction:
The light of Christ is in you, behind you, before you, till dawn breaks, and the Sun of Righteousness breaks forth all over the earth.
All: Alleluia! Amen!
We go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
All: In the Name of Christ; Amen.
Psalm 27
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour[[a](https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+27&version=NIV&interface=print#fen-NIV-14288a)] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
Confession: Heavenly Father,
For the times we think more of our ideas and words, and neglect your ways and promises;
For the times we trust in the good things you give us rather than in you;
For the times we step over the line you have told us not to cross: Father, forgive us.
For the times we turn our back on people in need, rather than help in the way we can;
For the times our pride and boasting get in the way of thankfulness and praise to you;
For the times we forget the kingdom harvest and forget about harvesting: Father, forgive us.
Romans 6:1-11 The Message (MSG)
6 1-3 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!
3-5 That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.
6-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That’s what Jesus did.