I’ve never been to Greece, but I love Greek food. Feta cheese, kalamata olives, baklava . . . I love it!
My husband, Don, shares my love of baklava, having been to Greece on a trip years ago. He has also been to a number of Greek Orthodox churches, both here and abroad, and he can talk and talk and talk about the traditions inherent in Greek Orthodox worship –
how nothing in the liturgy changes . . . ever!
And last night, on this our 24th Easter together, we shared something new . . . the Great Vigil of Easter. We participated in the vigil at the Church of the Holy Communion, a place that is favored by those Episcopalians in Charleston who crave “smells and bells.”
Of the three services represented in the Sacred Triduum, I was most familiar with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Those services I had been attending for years and years. And although a number of churches in Charleston hold Easter Vigils, it was new to me on this Saturday night.
Now, I have to admit, I had plenty of other things to do before Sunday morning. I had several boys’ oxford cloth shirts and a dozen lace napkins to iron, and two cold salads to prepare and chill overnight for Easter dinner. I needed to finish setting the dining room table, and I had to run back by the store because I had forgotten the maraschino cherries for the ambrosia. These things were important –
when would they get done?
But the Great Vigil of Easter was important to Don, and I’d never been, . . . so off we went to this service which, in the words of Father Dow Sanderson, “has been the pre-eminent liturgical celebration of the Church year from the earliest days of Christianity. All of the profound truths of the Christian faith are represented in this one Act of worship, and all the other liturgical celebrations of the year derive from it. This is the night in which the Church is brought by her Savior and Lord from darkness and bondage into the glorious light of the Resurrection from the dead.” It is observed throughout all of catholic Christendom on this Holy Saturday. In Charleston, it is taking place at several Episcopal churches, the Roman Catholic Cathedral on Broad Street, the Greek Orthodox church downtown, Mepkin Abbey and the Orthodox Church in America parish in Mount Pleasant, among others.
We gather in the courtyard at Holy Communion in the growing dusk, and watch as the celebrant lights and blesses the New Fire, a heap of burning coals in a small brazier. From the flames of the New Fire, the Deacon lights the newly blessed Paschal Candle which has been marked with the five wounds of Christ. Each of us holds a small white vigil candle, and they are lighted one from another from the Great Fire.
We are led in procession into the church -- led by the Paschal Candle which symbolizes both the Pillar of Fire leading Israel through the wilderness and the risen Savior leading the Church into Life. As we come into the church, we find it in complete darkness – reminiscent of the darkness that covered the earth at the crucifixion, the darkness of all death without life and just as it would be were we gathered before the tomb of our Lord awaiting His resurrection.
The Deacon places the Paschal Candle in the chancel and we sing the Exsultet:
Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels, and let thy trumpets shout salvation for the victory of our mighty King. Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth, bright with a glorious splendor, for darkness hath been vanquished by our eternal King . . .
We then listen to the Prophecies, a history of salvation told through Old Testament recountings of the Creation, the Flood, Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea, and the promise of a new heart and a new spirit from Ezekiel. Following each reading, we sing a psalm or canticle followed by a collect, a short prayer from the celebrant which is a
collect-ive petition of the congregation.
At this point, the service shifts a bit as we prepare to renew our Baptismal vows. This is the oldest part of the Easter Vigil – the remnant of the service which remains from the earliest centuries. The processional party is assembled around the baptismal font, and we follow the renewal of vows from the prayer book. The procession moves back up the center aisle toward the chancel, and as the celebrant processes, he sprinkles all of us -- the entire congregation -- with consecrated water from the aspergillum (latin for “sprinkler”) as a remembrance of our baptisms. During this part of the service, we are praying the Litany of the Saints, and at its conclusion, we begin the first Solemn Mass of Easter.
The celebrant before the High Altar sings
Al-le-lu-ia! Christ is ri-sen!
and we respond
The Lord is ris’n indeed! Al-le-lu-ia!
And so it happens every year – He is Risen! And this year, we are doubly blessed to celebrate Easter on the same date as our Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ. The Greek observance of Easter – the Pascha, which is Greek for Passover – only coincides with ours about once a decade. What an amazing way to begin the season of Easter!
By the way, the ironing did get done, the salads were delicious, and the “oh-so-important” maraschino cherries did make it into the ambrosia. The Lord provided the time and extra hands necessary to get us all into our Easter best for the 11 a.m. service at St. Philip’s Church.
He is Risen! Thanks Be to God!
Lydia Evans
Easter 2004
