The Great Vigil of Easter

Our Christian Story

Exodus 14:10-15:1; Isaiah 55:1-11; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Romans 6:3-11; Mark 16:1-8

We have been on a spiritual journey through the whole of Lent, but particularly on these final holy days. It is a journey, which calls us back into covenant with God until we stand at the very foot of the cross. It opens up for us the mystery at the heart of our faith. Tonight we complete that journey of faith, bring Alexander into membership in the body of Christ and renew the promises of our own Baptism. It is a time of remembering as we recount the story of our faith.

It begins with the story of the Jewish people as Moses leads them out of slavery in Egypt. They have fled from the tyranny of their Egyptian captors only to face a huge barrier, the Red Sea. Moses takes his rod and stretches it out in front of him. The water divides. The people of Israel walk safely on dry ground. The Egyptian army in hot pursuit is drowned as the water returns to its normal depth.

“ Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah reminds the people of Israel that God provides. God provided manna in the desert. Water gushed out of a rock. Always God has been with God’s people.

The story continues with yet another turbulent time in Israel’s history. They are in exile. It is a time of moral decline. Religion has suffered. Zephaniah invites the people to rejoice. He looks to a time when God will lead the people once again. He reminds them that God, in their midst, is their salvation.

The holy women make their way to the tomb. They are carrying spices to anoint Jesus’ body for burial. They are in a state of shock. It is a time of dashed hopes as they deal with the death of their beloved leader. They go wondering how they will ever cope with the insurmountable obstacles that stand in their way. One in particular absorbs their attention. How will they ever roll away the huge stone that has been placed across the entrance to the tomb? When they get to the tomb, nothing makes sense. The stone has been rolled away. The tomb is empty. A young man is sitting there. “Go tell his disciples that he is going ahead of you into Galilee.” It is difficult to imagine their terror. They run away as fast as they can.

Dashed hopes! No stone! No body! When did they begin to realize the meaning behind it all? When did they begin to get the message of the empty tomb? When did they understand what the young man at the tomb was saying to them? When did they realize that Jesus wouldn’t stay in the garden? The garden was a good place for a tomb, for a burial for someone who had died. But it was no place for the risen Christ!

What are you looking for as you renew your baptismal covenant this evening? What stones need to be rolled out of the way? Sometimes it is easier to continue to live in a Good Friday world of confusion and despair. The holy women were living in a Good Friday world. But Easter came for them. It made a difference to their doubt, grief, guilt and pain. It can come into our Good Friday world as well.

Each of us has a story as we come to renew our baptismal covenant this evening. We all have those moments in our journey when we say “Aha!” and the light goes on. For a fleeting moment the stone is removed. We see and understand the emptiness of the tomb. We realize the beauty and the glory of the mysteries of Christ. We feel a sense of astonishment at the sheer goodness of God. We understand the great gift that God has freely given to us.

Resurrection does not depend on me, on where I am, on my feelings. I can run away in fear. I can misunderstand what is happening. But sometime the running has to stop. Then I will arrive in Galilee. I will see the Resurrected Christ standing there before me. I will see the signs of his resurrected glory. I will see him in the face of those around me. The new dawn will appear. I will proclaim: Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!