The Great Vigil of Easter with Holy Baptism

Saturday, April 3, 2021 | 7:00 p.m. St. Martin’s Episcopal Church Williamsburg VA

The Easter Vigil is the holiest night and most ancient observance of the Christian Church, the night when Christ broke the bonds of death and the grave. The  Paschal Candle symbolizes Christ, the light  of the world. The light is borne into the midst of the people accompanied by the Exsultet, an ancient

Easter song of praise. Tonight we hear the ancient stories of God’s redeeming work, moving from darkness to light, from solemn chant to joyful song, as we celebrate the glorious Resurrection. We rejoice tonight with a member of the St. Martin’s family as she receives the sacrament of Holy Baptism, and we will renew our own baptismal vows.

The Lighting of the Paschal Candle

Opening Address

Celebrant: Dear friends in Christ: On this most holy night, in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites its members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which, by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share in his

victory over death. Let us pray. O God, through your Son you have bestowed upon your people the brightness of your light: Sanctify this new fire, and grant that in this Paschal feast we may so burn with heavenly desires, that with pure minds we may attain to the festival of everlasting light; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Paschal Candle is lighted from the new fire.

The Celebrant bears the Candle to its stand, pausing three times and singing: The Light of Christ.

People (singing): Thanks be to God.

The Exsultet

Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels, and let your 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 has been vanquished by our eternal King. Rejoice and be glad now, Mother Church, and let your holy courts, in radiant light, resound with the praises of your people.

All you who stand near this marvelous and holy flame, pray with me to God the Almighty for the grace to sing the worthy praise of this great light; through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with him, in

the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Lord be with you.                                 And also with you.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.     It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is truly right and good, always and everywhere, with our whole heart and mind and voice, to praise you, the invisible, almighty, and eternal God, and your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; for he is the true

Paschal Lamb, who at the feast of the Passover paid for us the debt of Adam’s sin, and by his blood delivered your faithful people.

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 land. This is the night, when all who believe in Christ are delivered from the gloom of sin, and are restored to grace and holiness of life. This is the night, when Christ broke the bonds of death

and hell, and rose victorious from the grave.

How wonderful and beyond our knowing, O God, is your mercy and loving-kindness to us, that to redeem a slave, you gave a Son. How holy is this night, when wickedness is put to flight, and sin is washed away. It restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to those who mourn. It casts out pride and hatred, and brings peace and concord. How blessed is this night, when earth and heaven are joined and we are reconciled to God.

Holy Father, accept our evening sacrifice, the offering of this candle in your honor. May it shine continually to drive away all darkness. May Christ, the Morning Star who knows no setting, find it ever burning–he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

The Liturgy of the Word

Celebrant: Let us hear the record of God’s saving deeds in history, how he saved his people in ages past; and let us pray that our God will bring each of us to the fullness of redemption.

The Creation James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)                                                                          Jenny Call

And God stepped out on space, And he looked around and said:

I’m lonely—

I’ll make me a world.

And far as the eye of God could see

Darkness covered everything,

Blacker than a hundred midnights Down in a cypress swamp.

Then God smiled, And the light broke,

And the darkness rolled up on one side, And the light stood shining on the other, And God said: That’s good!

Then God reached out and took the light in his hands, And God rolled the light around in his hands

Until he made the sun;

And he set that sun a-blazing in the heavens. And the light that was left from making the sun God gathered it up in a shining ball

And flung it against the darkness,

Spangling the night with the moon and stars. Then down between

The darkness and the light

He hurled the world;

And God said: That’s good!

Then God himself stepped down— And the sun was on his right hand, And the moon was on his left;

The stars were clustered about his head,

And the earth was under his feet. And God walked, and where he trod

His footsteps hollowed the valleys out And bulged the mountains up.

Then he stopped and looked and saw That the earth was hot and barren.

So God stepped over to the edge of the world

And he spat out the seven seas—

He batted his eyes, and the lightnings flashed— He clapped his hands, and the thunders rolled— And the waters above the earth came down, The cooling waters came down.

Then the green grass sprouted,

And the little red flowers blossomed,

The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky, And the oak spread out his arms,

The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground, And the rivers ran down to the sea;

And God smiled again,

And the rainbow appeared,

And curled itself around his shoulder.

Then God raised his arm and he waved his hand Over the sea and over the land,

And he said: Bring forth! Bring forth!

And quicker than God could drop his hand,

Fishes and fowls

And beasts and birds

Swam the rivers and the seas,

Roamed the forests and the woods, And split the air with their wings.

And God said: That’s good! Then God walked around, And God looked around On all that he had made.

He looked at his sun,

And he looked at his moon,

And he looked at his little stars; He looked on his world

With all its living things,

And God said: I’m lonely still. Then God sat down—

On the side of a hill where he could think;

By a deep, wide river he sat down; With his head in his hands,

God thought and thought,

Till he thought: I’ll make me a man! Up from the bed of the river

God scooped the clay;

And by the bank of the river

He kneeled him down;

And there the great God Almighty Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,

Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night, Who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand;

This great God,

Like a mother bending over her baby, Kneeled down in the dust

Toiling over a lump of clay

Till he shaped it in is his own image; Then into it he blew the breath of life,

And man became a living soul. Amen. Amen.

Hymn     Now the green blade riseth

Now the green blade riseth from the buried grain, Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain; Love lives again, that with the dead has been:

Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain, He that for three days in the grave had lain. Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen:

Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Let us pray. O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Israel’s Deliverance at the Red Sea   Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21                                               David Schatten As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in

after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot

drivers. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over

Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.” The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch

the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us

flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon

the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh

that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. But the Israelites walked on dry ground

through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to

them: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.” The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Hymn Guide me O, thou great Jehovah

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty, Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand.

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

When I tread the verge of Jordan Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of death and hell’s Destruction, Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises, I will ever give to Thee;

I will ever give to Thee.

Let us pray. O God, whose wonderful deeds of old shine forth even to our own day, you once delivered by the power of your mighty arm your chosen people from slavery under Pharaoh to be a sign for us of the salva-

tion of all nations by the water of Baptism. Grant that all the peoples of the earth may be numbered among the offspring of Abraham and rejoice in the inheritance of Israel; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Salvation Offered Freely to All Isaiah 55:1-11                                                                             Patty Ballentine

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. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,

and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good,

and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live.

I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

See, you shall call nations that you do not know,

and nations that do not know you shall run to you,

because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel,

for he has glorified you.

Seek the Lord while he may be found,

call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way,

and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the Lord,

that he may have mercy on them,

and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there

until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout,

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Hymn Come to the water

Oh let all who thirst

Let them come to the water And let all who have nothing Let them come to the Lord Without money without price Why should you pay the price Except for the Lord?

And let all the poor

Let them come to the water Bring the ones who are laden Bring them all to the Lord

Bring the children without might

Easy the load and light Come to the Lord

Let us pray. O God, you have created all things by the power of your Word, and you renew the earth by your Spirit: Give now the water of life to those who thirst for you, that they may bring forth abundant fruit in your glorious kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Holy Baptism

Lana Mackenzie Torres

Presentation & Examination of the Candidate

Sponsors:   We present Lana Mackenzie Torres to receive the sacrament of baptism.

Celebrant: Do you desire to be baptized?

Candidate: I do.

Following the presentation and examination, the Celebrant addresses the congregation, saying Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support this person in her life in Christ? The People: We will.

Through the Paschal Mystery, dear friends, we are buried with Christ by Baptism into his death, and raised with him to newness of life. I call upon you, therefore, now that our Lenten observance is ended, to renew with Lana the solemn promises and vows of Holy Baptism.

The Baptismal Covenant

Do you believe in God the Father?

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the

resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.

Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?

I will, with God’s help.

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?

I will, with God’s help.

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?

I will, with God’s help.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?

I will, with God’s help.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

I will, with God’s help.

Prayers for the Candidate                                  Members of the congregation: please take the petitions in turn.

Celebrant: Let us now pray for Lana, who is to receive the Sacrament of new birth.

Deliver her, O Lord, from the way of sin and death.                       Lord, hear our prayer.

Open her heart to your grace and truth.                                         Lord, hear our prayer.

Fill her with your holy and life-giving Spirit.                                   Lord, hear our prayer. Keep her in the faith and communion of your holy Church.       Lord, hear our prayer. Teach her to love others in the power of the Spirit.   Lord, hear our prayer. Send her into the world in witness to your love.               Lord, hear our prayer. Bring her to the fullness of your peace and glory.             Lord, hear our prayer.

Grant, O Lord, that all who are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ your Son may live in the power of his

resurrection and look for him to come again in glory; who lives and reigns now and forever. Amen.

Thanksgiving over the Water

The Lord be with you.                                 And also with you.

Let us give thanks for the Lord our God. It is right to give God thanks and praise.

The Baptism

Following the baptism, the Celebrant says Let us welcome the newly baptized.

We receive you into the household of God. Confess the faith of Christ crucified, proclaim his resurrection, and share with us in his eternal priesthood.

At the Eucharist

Alleluia! Christ is risen!                              The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Song of Praise God’s Paschal Lamb

God’s Paschal Lamb is sacrificed for us; Therefore with joy we keep the Easter feast;

Forsaking sin, we share the bread of truth. Alleluia, Alleluia!

The Collect of the Day

Celebrant: The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray.

O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and

mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A Reading from Romans 6:3-11                                                                                              Sandy Dunton

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But 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. 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.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

Verse:         Now he is living, the Christ. Out of the tomb he is risen;

he has conquered death, opened heaven to all believers.

The Gospel Mark 16:1-8

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. Glory to you, Lord Christ.

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of

Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon                                                                                                                            The Rev. Cathy Boyd

The Peace

The Holy Communion

Offertory                                                                                                        I’ll Fly Away

The Great Thanksgiving                                                                                adapted from A Celtic Eucharist The Lord be with you.                 And also with you.

Lift up your hearts.                                     We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.     It is right to give God thanks and praise.

We thank you, O God Almighty, for the earth and the waters, for the sky, the air and the sun, for all living creatures. Come, O Lord, in the Bread of Life.

Praise be to you, O God Almighty, for our homes, our families, our friends, and loved ones. Praise be to you for all the people around us everywhere in this wounded world. Come, O Lord, in the Cup of Healing.

The Celebrant continues…And so, with all of creation we join with saints and angels in the song of your glory:

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord. God of power, God of might.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory / Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord /Hosanna in the highest, Hosanna in the highest.

The Celebrant continues…We praise you, eternal God, through Christ your Word made flesh, in the holy and life-giving Spirit, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who

trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and

the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread

Alleluia!  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us;             Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!

All who seek Christ are welcome to receive communion, which the Celebrant will bring to the congregation.

Communion Anthem  Lamb of God                                                               Martha Caruso & Phaedra McNorton

The Post-Communion Prayer

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image and nourishing us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Now send us forth a people forgiven, healed, renewed; that we may proclaim your love to the world and continue in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.

The Blessing of Easter

Closing Hymn Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord

Alleluia, Alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord! Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.

Jesus is Lord of all the earth. He is the King of creation. Refrain.

Spread the good news o’er all the earth. Jesus has died and has risen. Refrain.

Come, let us praise the living God, Joyfully sing to our Savior. Refrain.

Dismissal

Alleluia, alleluia! Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!

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