Passing from Darkness to Light: Keeping the Easter Vigil

The service on the evening before Easter morning has an ancient history. In the early years of the Christian church, a ritual of scripture readings and prayers developed as an overnight preparation for the first eucharist of the resurrection at dawn. It was called ‘vigil’ from the Latin word ‘vigilia’, meaning wakefulness or watchfulness. All night, people gathered to read stories from the Hebrew scriptures recounting God’s covenant with the people, God’s love for creation, and God’s mercy when the people rebelled against God. 

The vigil liturgy in our BAS prayer book offers ten passages from the Old Testament, each with an accompanying prayer and psalm. All ten are not required, and parishes may choose three or four from the list if they are not planning to stay most of the night. It was the custom in the very early church to light fires and candles for the all-night vigil before the light of dawn, and that custom gradually became the ritual of welcoming the new fire and lighting the Paschal candle. Some Christian churches choose to hold their vigil service as the sun rises on Easter morning, symbolizing the arrival of the disciples at the tomb at dawn of the third day. 

The symbolism of passing from darkness to light mirrored Christ’s passage from death to resurrection. This symbolism of a rite of passage was carried into the preparation for baptism, and the Easter vigil became the most important baptismal service of the year. Baptism was and is a ritual of change into a new life with Christ. In our baptismal service, we say, “Receive the light of Christ to show that you have passed from darkness to light.”  

The image of passing from darkness to light is found in numerous writings of both the Old and the New Testaments. For example, in the Creation Story, the darkness of the unformed earth is transformed by the gift of light from God. In the Exodus story, when the Israelites travel in the desert, which was a very dangerous place in the darkness, they are led by God in a pillar of fire. The prophet Isaiah speaks of the people who walk in darkness, the darkness representing their rebellion against God, but they have seen a great light which guides them back to the covenant with God.  

In the season of Advent, we read those words of Isaiah as a prophetic vision of the coming of the Messiah, who will be the light of the world. At Christmas, we celebrate light in the birth of the Messiah and give thanks for light in the darkness of our winter days. Christmas candles remind us that new life will come from the frozen earth and from the gift of God’s Son to the world. 

On the night before the dawn of Easter, we celebrate the light of Christ that conquered death and can overcome the shadows of fear and sorrow which may darken any human life. As Christians, our faith in the resurrection of Jesus robs the power of darkness to create hopelessness in our earthly lives. We know that darkness exists in our world; the darkness of cruelty and injustice can blot out the light Jesus offers, but it is our response to the light of Christ which can overcome such darkness to sustain God’s light in the world. 

Twice a year, we celebrate the light of Christ in the darkness of a nighttime worship service. On Christmas Eve, we begin our celebrations of the birth of Jesus, the incarnation of God’s light into human life. On Easter eve, we begin our celebrations of the resurrection of Jesus, the promise of God’s light after human life has ended and God’s way of dispelling the darkness of death by revealing the new life of resurrection. 

We acknowledge that there is darkness in our world. We recognize the need to renew God’s light in our lives and in God’s creation. We rejoice again that in the hope of Christ’s resurrection, death is not oblivion into darkness. Death is the passage to new light in the everlasting presence of God. However, Christ’s resurrection is not only about victory over death. His resurrection also infuses light into our earthly life. The risen Christ is a beacon of hope.  

As Christians, we are called to bring light to the struggles and sorrows of human life. “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” We are called to be Easter people, carrying the light of Christ into the darkness of this world.