Grace Lutheran Church Oshawa

Vigil of Easter

 

Service of Light

 

1. The congregation gathers in a convenient place outside the nave of the church. Where permissible, candles are given to all, later to be lighted from the paschal candle.

 

1. In the semidarkness a fire is kindled

 

P    In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C   Amen.

 

P    Beloved in the Lord, on this most holy night, in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, we are gathered here in vigil and prayer. This is the Passover of the Lord in which, by hearing His          Word and celebrating his sacraments, we share in His victory over death.

 

P    Let us pray.

      O God, You are like a refiner’s fire, and Your Spirit enkindles the hearts of Your faithful people with the fire of Your love. Bless, we implore You, this new flame and those who keep this joyful Easter festival that, burning with desire for life with You, we may be found rightly prepared to share in the Feast of the Light which has no end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C   Amen.       

 

1. An assisting minister, holding the paschal candle, steps forward. The pastor traces the cross and the Greek letters Alpha and Omega upon it, saying:

 

P    Christ Jesus, the same yesterday, today, and forever, the beginning and the ending, the Alpha and       Omega.

 

1. He traces the year upon the candle, saying:

 

P    His are time and eternity; His are the glory and dominion, now and forever.

 

1. He puts the five wax nails into the candle, saying:

 

P    By His wounds we have healing both now and forever. Amen

 

1. Then, lighting the candle from the newly kindled fire, he says:

 

P    May the light of Christ, who is risen in glory from the dead, scatter all the darkness of our hearts and minds.

 

P    Let us pray.

      Almighty and most merciful God, pour out on us Your abundant blessing that all who in true faith      share this night in joyful celebration of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead may be filled with Your heavenly benediction. Once we were in darkness, but now we are in the Light,       even Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C   Amen.

 

1. All light their candles from the paschal candle and then follow the candle bearer in procession into the darkened church.

 

1. At the entrance of the nave, the bearer of the paschal candle stops and chants:

 

A   The light of Christ.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

1. When the candle bearer reaches the middle of the nave, he chants for the second time:

 

A   The light of Christ.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

1. When the candle bearer arrives at the candle stand, he turns to face the congregation. After all have reached their places, the candle bearer lifts the candle high and chants the third time:

 

A   The light of Christ.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

1. After the candle bearer places the paschal candle in its stand, the assisting minister turns to face the people and chants or speaks the (Exsultet).

 

A   Rejoice now, all you heavenly choirs of angels; rejoice now, all creation; sound forth, trumpet of        salvation, and proclaim the triumph of our King. Rejoice too, all the earth, in the radiance of the light     now poured upon you and made brilliant by the brightness of the everlasting King; know that the     ancient darkness has been forever banished. Rejoice, O Church of Christ, clothed in the brightness of this light; let all this house of God ring out with rejoicing, with the praises of all God’s faithful people.

 

P    The Lord be with you.

C   And with your spirit.

 

P    Lift up your hearts.

C   We lift them to the Lord.

 

P    Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.

C   It is good and right so to do.

 

P    It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places, with all our heart        and mind and voice, praise You, O Lord, Holy Father, almighty everlasting God, and Your only            begotten Son, Jesus Christ. For He is the very Paschal Lamb who offered Himself for the sin of the   world, who has cleansed us by the shedding of His precious blood. This is the night when You brought our fathers, the children of Israel, out of bondage in Egypt and led them through the Red Sea    on dry ground. This is the night when all who believe in Christ are delivered from bondage to sin and are restored to life and immortality. This is the night when Christ, the Life, arose from the dead.       The seal of the grave is broken and the morning of the new creation breaks forth out of night. Oh,       how wonderful and beyond all telling is Your mercy toward us, O God, that to redeem a slave You      gave Your Son. How holy is this night when all wickedness is put to flight and sin is washed away.      How holy is this night when innocence is restored to the fallen and joy is given to those downcast.      How blessed is this night when man is reconciled to God in Christ. Holy Father, accept now the            evening sacrifices of our thanksgiving and praise. Let Christ, the true light and morning star, shine in   our hearts, He who gave light to all creation, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one     God, now and forever.

C   Amen.

 

1. The members of the congregation may extinguish their candles here. A few lights in the nave may be turned on.

 

Sit

   

Service of Readings

 

P    In this most holy night our Savior, Christ the Lord, broke the power of death and by His resurrection brought life and salvation to all creation. Let us praise the Lord, for He truly keeps His Word. The sun of righteousness has dawned upon us who have sat in darkness and in the shadow of death.

 

1. The assisting minister(s) reads from among the following portions of Holy Scripture.

 

The Creation

A   A reading from Genesis, chapters one and two.

      Genesis 1:1—2:2

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    Let us pray.

Almighty God, through Your Word and Spirit You most wonderfully created all things, and through the Word made flesh You brought new life to fallen humanity. Grant that in Your mercy we may be conformed to the image of Him who shares fully in our humanity, even Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C   Amen.

 

The Flood

A   A reading from Genesis, chapters seven, eight, and nine.

      Genesis 7:1–5, 11–18; 8:6–18; 9:8–13

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    Let us pray.

O Lord, You kill and You raise to life; You brought the Flood upon a wicked and perverse generation, and yet You saved faithful Noah and his family in the ark. Keep us in safety in the ark of Christ’s body, the Church, that Your mercy may come to its fullness and Your salvation be preached to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C   Amen.

 

Israel’s Deliverance at the Red Sea

A   A reading from Exodus, chapters 14 and 15.

      Exodus 14:10—15:1

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    Let us pray.

O God, You once delivered Your people Israel from bondage under Pharaoh and led them by a pillar of cloud and fire through the sea to safety. Grant that we may so follow Christ that through the waters of Baptism we may daily die and rise with Him and walk in safety through the wilderness of this life until we see Your salvation; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C    Amen.

 

A New Heart and a New Spirit

A   A reading from Ezekiel, chapter 36.

      Ezekiel 36:24–28

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    Let us pray.

Almighty and everlasting God, by the death and resurrection of Your Son You cleansed our hearts and put a new Spirit within us. Grant that all who are brought to newness of life in the fellowship of the body of Christ may show forth in their lives what they confess with their lips; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C   Amen.

 

Job Confesses the Redeemer

A   A reading from Job, chapter 19.

      Job 19:20–27

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    Let us pray.

Almighty God, our great Redeemer, in the sacrifice of Your Son You put to death our wretched flesh, and in His rising restored our life. Grant that we may always cling to Christ by faith in this life that at the last we may rejoice to stand in our own flesh and see You face to face; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C   Amen.

 

Jonah Preaches to Nineveh

A   A reading from Jonah, chapter three.

      Jonah 3:1–10

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    Let us pray.

O God, as the prophet Jonah spent three days in the belly of the great fish, so Your Son Jesus spent three days in the heart of the earth. Grant us repentance to embrace our death in Him through Holy Baptism and to proclaim His victory over sin and death to all the world; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord.

C   Amen.

 

The Fiery Furnace

A   A reading from Daniel, chapter three.

      Daniel 3:1–30

A   This is the Word of the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

 

P    Let us pray.

Look in mercy, O Lord upon Your faithful people, and by Word and Spirit bring to completion that good work which You have begun in us. Gather in Your people that all the world may see and know that what has been cast down is raised up and what has grown old is made new, until the work You have begun in us is brought to its joyful fulfillment in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

C   Amen.

 

1. The candle bearer carries the paschal candle to the font, followed by the pastor(s). If there is a baptism(s), the candidates for Holy Baptism also gather at the font, together with their sponsors and families.

 

 

Service of Holy Baptism

 

1. The is always used at the Vigil as a remembrance of Baptism. If candidates are to be baptized, the indented portions are also used.

 

1. The pastor addresses the congregation:

P    On this holiest of nights the whole Church of our Lord Jesus Christ recalls His death and burial, rejoicing with great joy in the Gospel of His glorious and mighty resurrection from the dead. The apostle Paul says:

 

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?  We were buried therefore with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His.  We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.  For one who has died has been set free from sin.  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.  We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death He died He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives He lives to God.  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 6:3–11)

 

Flood Prayer

P     Let us pray.

        Almighty and eternal God,

according to Your strict judgment

      You condemned the unbelieving world through the flood,

Yet according to Your great mercy You preserved believing Noah and his family,

      eight souls in all.

You drowned hard-hearted Pharaoh and all his host in the Red Sea,

yet led Your people Israel through the water on dry ground,

      foreshadowing this washing of Your Holy Baptism.

Through the Baptism in the Jordan of Your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

You sanctified and instituted all waters to be a blessed flood

      and a lavish washing away of sin.

We pray that You would behold us according to Your boundless mercy

      and bless us with true faith by the Holy Spirit,

      that through this saving flood all sin in us,

                 which have been inherited from Adam

                 and which we ourselves have committed since,

      would be drowned and die.

Grant that we be kept safe and secure in the holy Ark of the Christian Church,

      being separated from the multitude of unbelievers

      and serving Your name at all times with a fervent spirit and a joyful hope,

      so that, with all believers in Your promise,

                 we would be declared worthy of eternal life;

      through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

P     Amen.

 

Renunciation of the Devil and Confession of Faith

P    Do you renounce the devil?

C   Yes, I renounce him.

 

P    Do you renounce all his works?

C   Yes, I renounce them.

 

P    Do you renounce all his ways?

C   Yes, I renounce them.

 

P    Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth?

C   Yes, I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

 

P    Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son?

C   Yes, I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

 

P    Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?

C   Yes, I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

 

 

P    Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you the new birth of water and the Spirit and has forgiven you all your sins, strengthen you with His grace to life X everlasting.

C   Amen.

 

P    Peace X be with you.

R   Amen.

 

1. Following the Service of Holy Baptism, the paschal candle is placed back in its stand and the ministers return to their earlier stations.

 

The Litany

A   O Lord,

C   Have mercy.

A   O Christ,

C   Have mercy.

A   O Lord,

C   Have mercy.

A   Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,

C   Hear us.

A   Paschal Lamb, who was offered for us and has taken away the sin of the world,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who was crucified for our transgressions and raised for our justification,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who foretold Your Passion saying, “The Son of Man must be crucified and on the third day rise again,”

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who destroyed Death by dying, and by rising to life again have brought life and immortality to light,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Whose resurrection was first announced by an angel to the women,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who appeared to Mary Magdalene and was worshiped by her:

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who revealed Yourself to the two disciples on the Emmaus road and made Yourself known to them in the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who appeared to the disciples, bestowing on them Your peace and Your Spirit,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who showed Your wounded hands and side to the apostle Thomas that he too might believe,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who appeared to seven disciples on the Sea of Tiberias, bringing a miraculous catch of fish,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who appeared to Peter and to the Twelve, to over 500 disciples, to James and to all the apostles, and to Paul on the Damascus road,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Who commissioned Your Church to make disciples of all nations by baptizing and teaching them,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   By Your glorious resurrection from the dead,

C   Good Lord, deliver us.

A   By Your victory over sin and death,

C   Good Lord, deliver us.

A   By the majesty of Your risen body,

C   Good Lord, deliver us.

A   We poor sinners implore You,

C   To hear us, Lord Jesus.

A   That we may daily die and rise with You in our Baptism and walk in the freedom of Your forgiveness,

C   Grant us, good Lord.

A   That we may set our minds on things above and not on earthly things, serving others as we have been served by You,

C   Grant us, good Lord.

A   That we may dwell with You forever in the new creation as citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem, together with all the saints,

C   Grant us, good Lord.

A   Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

C   Have mercy on us.

A   Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

C   Grant us Your peace.

A   O Lord,

C   Have mercy.

A   O Christ,

C   Have mercy.

P    O Lord,

C   Have mercy.  Amen.

 

 

Service of the Word

 

1. The Vigil continues with a brief service of the Word according to one of the settings of the Divine Service, allowing for the proclamation of the Easter Gospel. It is abbreviated in the following manner.

 

Easter Acclamation

P    Alleluia! Christ is risen!

C   He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

 

Hymn of Praise – This is the feast of victory for our God.  Page 155

 

Salutation and Collect of the Day

P    The Lord be with you.

C   And also with you.

P    O God, You made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection. Preserve in us the spirit of adoption which You have given so that, made alive in body and soul, we may serve You purely; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C   Amen.

 

Holy Gospel

P    The Holy Gospel according to St. Mark, the 16th chapter.

C   Glory to you, O Lord.

      Mark 16:1–8

P    This is the Gospel of the Lord.

C   Praise to you, O Christ.

 

P    Bless we the Lord.

C   Thanks be to God.

 

P    The almighty and merciful Lord, the Father, the X Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and preserve you.

C   Amen.

 

Hymn: 477