The Vigil of Easter

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In the beginning was darkness. The earth was without form, and it was void. And darkness was on the face of the deep (cf. Genesis 1:2). And yet, God was there too. His Spirit was hovering over the waters. He was about to bring order out of chaos, and He was about to create beauty out of the nothingness. The darkness was only temporary. For He whose nature is life and light (cf. John 1:4) was making a world in which light and life could flourish. And soon, He would make man in His image. They would tend to His creation, allowing light and life to flourish as man was given to be sharers in the light and love of God. “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good” (Genesis 1:31a).

But, of course, this was not the end of the story. Not too long after the goodness of creation was completed, the serpent entered the scene. And tempting man to disobey God’s command, sin and death entered the world. Man had rejected God and His ways, and so the light and life which proceeds from God’s essence was being overrun by the darkness of sin and death. And the curse was pronounced. Man was banished from God’s presence to live in the darkness and death that they had created for themselves. But God would not leave man to suffer in the darkness forever. For the darkness was only temporary. God made a promise. He would one day send a Deliver, the Seed of the woman, to restore life and light to God’s creation.

And so it is that our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary. He was born as the promised Seed of the woman who came into the darkness of this world as the Light of the World (cf. John 8:12). And so, in the midst of darkness, Christ’s birth was announced by a glowing angel chorus and the bright Christmas star. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it (John 1:5).

But the darkness would not give up without a fight. The devil raged against our Lord, seeking to destroy Him, until, one fateful day, the darkness finally prevailed. In the darkness of night, our Lord was betrayed by one of His closest friends. And the next afternoon, He was crucified as darkness covered the land in the middle of the day. The sun could not shine that fateful afternoon, for the Light of the World was being put to death. And as evening came and our Lord’s body was placed in the tomb, it appeared as if the darkness had finally prevailed.

But as before, this darkness was only temporary. The Light would dawn again.

And so, as we gathered for this Vigil of Easter, this ancient Latin prayer was prayed:

O Author of the glowing light, O good Guide,

At whose behest the hours in sure succession move;

Now that the sun has set, darkness broods black above:

Restore light to Thy faithful, O Christ.

This ancient prayer is a reminder that darkness is only temporary. For He who is by His very nature light and life cannot be overcome by darkness for more than a moment. For after the Sabbath was passed, as light began to dawn on the first day of the week, the angel of the Lord descended from heaven to reveal the resurrection of Christ (cf. Matthew 28:1-2). And the angel took a seat upon the great stone, which he had hurled from the door, as if to mock death and the grave. And his countenance and clothing radiated with the light of the resurrected Christ, who could not be held in by death and the grave. And the angel said to the women: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:5-6). And so, the joyous Exsultet at the beginning of today’s service is a beautiful response to our prayer for Christ to restore light to His faithful:

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 (Easter Vigil Exsultet).

Dear friends in Christ, tonight is the most joyous night of the year. For it was on this night nearly 2,000 years ago that our Savior arose from the grave. Notice that the angel of the Lord does not descend from heaven and roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb in order to let Christ out. He who would pass through the locked door of the upper room on Easter evening (cf. John 20:19) could not be contained by a mere cave. And remember that in biblical thought, the day begins at sundown. This is why the creation account says on repeat: There was evening and then there was morning (cf. Genesis 1:5ff). And so, Easter Sunday came at the setting of the sun on Saturday night. And the Lord was raised to life as the world slept and as darkness prevailed upon the night. It was at the dawn of the light on Easter morning that the resurrection of Christ was revealed. And so, this night is the most joyous night of the year. For:

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 (Easter Vigil Proper Preface).

And so, dear friends in Christ, let us rejoice on this night. For Christ has risen from the dead. And His resurrection grants us the hope of eternal life, knowing that darkness and death have no ultimate power over us. For we are in Christ by virtue of our Baptism. And, as the Apostle so beautifully says in tonight’s Epistle:

For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).

This means that the death Christ died, He died for you. Your sins are atoned for. The wrath of God is quelled. You are justified. The promise of eternal life is yours. Though darkness may continue to have its way in your life for a time, the darkness is only temporary. For just as God made the world in the beginning by bringing light and life out of darkness, so too is He now remaking His world by bringing light and life out of darkness in the death and resurrection of His Son. Darkness and evil will have their day, but it is only for a time. For this night grants us a hope which cannot be quelled by the darkness.

Alleluia. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.