Easter Vigil by Sharon Espeseth

 What is it about Easter Vigil that grabs my heart, soul and imagination? In the Catholic Church, we have the option to attend the Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday or the Easter Sunday Service or both. Because I am in music ministry, I often participate in both of these services.

Both masses honour our Risen Lord and end on a high note of Alleluias, but Easter Vigil features more drama, history, music, canting, and background to the Easter story. The liturgy on Holy Saturday makes the transition from Lent to the Season of Easter. The Easter observation goes from the solemnity to eucharisteo, meaning joy and thanksgiving..

Through Scripture readings, psalms and a cappella singing, we review the sequence of God's people through tough times and good times. Beginning with creation and humankind's fall into sin, we hear of the Israelites wrong turns and God's forgiveness. (I can relate.) We hear from the prophets and visualize the unfolding of God's merciful and loving plan of salvation.

Easter Vigil starts at 9:00 p.m., when darkness falls. You may be lucky to get home before midnight. Many of us still love this full spiritual "meal" even if it takes time to savour and digest what we are taking in.

Easter Vigil Comes in Four Parts.

I could go into great detail  about each segment of the service, but instead I will share my experience of the Vigil.

1. Service of Light:

A different atmosphere is set. Lights in the church are off. The holy water fonts have been drained. The tabernacle that contains the holy eucharist is empty. In our parish, we assemble in the courtyard where a new fire is lit and blessed. Most years it's chilly out there as we huddle around a BBQ.

The priest lights the Paschal Candle from the new fire as he prays, "May the light of Christ, rising in glory, dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds." The candle is then processed through the church. The priest or a deacon--but we don't have a deacon now--lifts the candle at three different times, while singing, "The Light of Christ." The congregation sings in reply, "Thanks be to God. "

The Pascal Candle

Inside the dark church, the priest lights the candles of the altar servers, who then go down the rows
lighting candles. We each share the light and in a short time the whole church is candlelit.

I enjoy the symbolism of our sharing the Light of Christ and seeing what a difference we can make by doing so. When the church is thus aglow, our cantor, unaccompanied, sings The Exsultet, or the Easter Proclamation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd_l8MHC2Dw

(By googling you can also find the magnificent lyrics of this proclamation.) The Proclamation ends the first portion of the liturgy for Easter Vigil.

2. Liturgy of the Word

Nine readings--seven from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament--are provided for the liturgy, but the vigil gets lengthy when you use all nine readings. The priest determines the number of readings to be done, but there must be at least three of these readings. And yes, we have done all nine.

Pixabay Free Image

We follow a pattern: reading, psalm, prayer, for as many readings as we are doing. Members of the Music Ministry cant a responsorial psalm as a solo or, perhaps, a duet. The congregation responds with each refrain.


The Mass Begins

Right here we experience a shift. The overhead electric lights are turned on and altar servers begin to boldly ring the bells at the altar. During our opening hymn, replete with Alleluias, which have been absent during Lent, the pianist commands the keyboard. Our floutist plays the flute. Guitarists strum their strings and singers sing with joyful hearts.

A number of members of varying ages process down the aisles carrying Easter lilies and placing them on the steps leading to the altar and at also at the foot of the altar. These Easter symbols will remain there during the Easter season. Our mood has changed from sombre to celebratory. We are honouring and praising Christ, our Risen Lord.

3. Liturgy of Baptism

Often when our church receives adults or older children into the church, this happens at Easter Vigil during the Liturgy of Baptism. The Easter water is blessed. New members are baptized into the church. As the candidates say their baptismal promises, we the congregants join them, thus renewing our own commitment.

The priest then proceeds down the aisle sprinkling the congregation with water that has been blessed. As we receive the sprinkling we each do the sign of the cross, signifying, "In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." The musicians sing a "water song" such as "O Healing River," with great joy and little restraint.

4. Liturgy of the Eucharist

We are invited to join in partaking of the body and blood of Christ, which, to me, becomes all the more meaningful because of my reviewing my faith during the Easter Vigil.

The mass concludes with our priest intoning the words, "The Mass is ended, go in peace, Alleluia, Alleluia. We respond singing, "Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia."

The Mass is ended and I affirm in my heart, "I know my Saviour lives, because he lives within my heart." We go out greeting one another with a handshake or a "holy hug," a "Happy Easter!" or "Christ Is Risen."

The Chrysanthemum Knows - Shirley S. Tye

God has spoken to me many times; in soft whispers, in a clear loud voice, in dreams, gentle nudges, and through nature.  This Lent season, He spoke to me through a house plant.  

Autumn of 2017, I had a beautiful yellow-flowered chrysanthemum.  Fall may appear as death when leaves drift to the wet ground, days shorten, and the air chills.  But as summer was fading, the bright yellow flowers lifted my spirit.  I smiled each time I looked at it. 

As all living things, it had its end.  The flowers withered, the leaves shriveled and browned, and the soil dried hard until little stiff twigs only remained.  Then one day the wind toppled the pot over on the deck.  I left it there; ignoring it; sadness filling me each time I caught a glimpse of it in the corner of my eye.  I intended to carry it to the bush behind our house and give it a silent, unemotional burial. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  That would definitely signal the end of summer with cold bitter days ahead.    

The pot lay on its side for many days.  One day, my husband decided to pick it up and dispose of it.  To his surprise, he saw a little bit of green growth in the dried soil. He hurried into the house and excitedly showed it to me.  I was amazed.  I began nurturing it.  I cut away the dead twigs, gave it fresh soil, and watered it.  I placed it in a sunny south-facing window in the house.  The winter was cold especially December with minus 35 Celsius but the little chrysanthemum sprouted new stems and leaves.  Soon it was a healthy bushy plant again.  The end of February, the Mum gave me another surprise.  It had buds!  Now, just eight days into March it looks like spring in our home.   

House plants are blooming.  But the Mum is the most surprising to me.  I had left it for dead last fall; thinking of tossing it into the forest.  But now it is alive and well.  It has new life!  Like the new life Jesus has provided us.  He gave His life for us.  He readily forgives and washes our sins away when we turn to Him and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour.  Hallelujah!  I may not have given anything up for Lent but Jesus gave His all.  I’m over joyed He did not toss me away in my days of “dryness and death” as I contemplated doing to the Mum. He patiently waited for me to turn to Him!  Praise the Lord!  Image that; a chrysanthemum reminding me about how great is my God!     

“For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”  Isaiah 55:12 NKJV

In the Footsteps of Paul by Karma Pratt

This Lenten season God has been guiding me in an in-depth study of 2 Timothy. As with all things, God opens the doors of opportunity, and we have to make the choice to walk through. The first door He opened was the opportunity to attend IF: Gathering via a livestream event. IF exists "to equip women with gospel-centered resources, events, and community so they may learn more about who God is and disciple other women right where they are." The two day event was transformational, and opened my eyes and heart to the study of the gospel. It gave me a taste of what was to come. 

The second door he opened was a ladies' Bible Study at my local church. Entrusted, a study by Beth Moore, is focused on 2 Timothy as well. God was lining things up and giving me all the signals I needed to wake up and pay attention! I dove into Entrusted excited for the journey ahead. 

Initially I thought perhaps God wanted to show me how to grow in discipleship like Timothy but, He showed me His intention was to have me follow the apostle Paul, Timothy's teacher, mentor, and trusted friend. As God revealed Himself in the pages of my Bible and the margin notes of my Bible Study, I kept wondering, "Why Paul?" The answers to that question were humbling and awe inspiring. 

Why Paul? 

Before he became known for his dedication to the gospel of Christ, Paul (or Saul, as he was originally known) was a devoted follower and practitioner of Jewish law. A Pharisee by training and ancestry, Saul was educated, privileged, dedicated to his religious roots, and even more dedicated to the persecution of the early Church. His zealousness for the Law made him oblivious to the truth of Jesus Christ initially. Saul was dead set against anyone who dared speak of Jesus. His entry into Biblical narrative is dark indeed, as we find him approving of the stoning death of Stephen (see Acts 7:58 - 8:3) and "breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord" (Acts 9:1-2). 

Saul and I have more in common than I realized. Educated, privileged, experienced in a certain way of walking in the world, blinded by our constructs of humanity. Jesus continues to open my eyes much the same way he opened Saul's: Do you see it yet? The life you are missing out on in lieu of the facsimile you've constructed? Stop living by your rules and learn to live by mine.

It gives me great hope that someone with a heart as dark as Saul's could be saved, redeemed, and become a forerunner for Christ. Saul's conversion breathes hope into my life: heart, mind, body and soul. There is a song by Brandon Heath that says, "give me Your eyes so I can see / everything that I've been missing / give me Your love for humanity." 

I imagine these words were similar to Saul's prayer after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. After hearing Jesus' voice and seeing the light from heaven, Saul - now blind - went into a period of prayer and fasting (Acts 9:9). While I can only speculate, I imagine Saul was asking God for wisdom and clarity about what he had just experienced. Perhaps he was praying for healing? While we may never know the exact nature of his prayers during that time, we can see the effects that encounter had on his life. He was changed completely.

The Gift of a Clear Conscience 

When Paul writes to his beloved Timothy he says, "I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day" (2 Timothy 1:3). Paul understood that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was not just a sin offering, but also a guilt offering. Beth Moore states it beautifully: "Until we let Christ's work on the cross not only save our souls but cleanse our consciences, our own self-destructive tendencies will unwittingly team with the devil to bully us with bouts of mental torment... A guilty conscience... sets you up for self-sabotage." This resonated with me. 

How long have I been hanging on to guilt when Jesus has already paid the price for me? How often have I prayed for grace, but not accepted it when it was freely offered? How many times have I built up the walls of my own prison, instead of becoming a prisoner for the gospel like Paul? 

What's Your Motivation? 

As I continue to study Paul's words, steps and impact on the world, I am drawn to this question: "What's my motivation?" 

I am learning that love is the catalyst that moves us from operating on our own strength to living in Christ and finding strength in God. Good deeds mean nothing without surrender to God's love. Even the best of intentions can go awry if we don't look to God first for guidance, wisdom and discernment. Paul's intention to squash all believers was far from pure. We can see from his own God-breathed words, though, that grace changed Paul. No longer an enemy of the Church, he became one of its greatest advocates, led by God and his own desire to do God's will. Nothing else mattered. 

Grace changed Paul, transforming his life and changing his trajectory. He willingly became an ambassador in chains for the sake of the gospel. He knew Christ personally. This is the greatest joy any of us can ever experience. 

God's inexhaustible grace holds me when I am exhausted, lost, and can't figure out which way to turn. When I am mired in my own selfish thoughts, grace unfolds around me, covering me like a warm blanket. 

Jesus continues to speak through this Lenten season. He breathes life into the Word, and continues to reveal Himself in new ways. He shows up in the small details and the big picture. Knowing Jesus has become my motivation, the only motivation that matters. 

***

Karma writes from the golden house in Northeastern BC. You can connect with her online at redraincoatcreations.com

Wrestling with a Decision? How to Know Which Advice to Take - Kim Rempel

Recently, I was wrestling with a decision. The kind where I wonder who I am and what I'm meant to do. The kind where I have to wonder if freelance is worth it or if I should reduce it to a hobby and go find a real job. The kind where a path must be chosen.

Most writers have stood at this crossroad at one time or another.

Funny thing is, at this crossroad place, we don't stand alone like we might imagine. This decision doesn't get made in a vacuum of silence and solitude. We're surrounded by people in our lives who have opinions or expectations of us and who may even voice them loudly. We're surrounded by examples of people we'd like to emulate or absolutely not become. We even surround ourselves with information about our options and imaginings of how things might work out. 

The difficult thing about all the advice and information is that it doesn't all match. Finally, it gets to the point where we don’t know which advice to take. How can we know?

The decision I'm wrestling with right now is on the bigger side, but I'd like to share a story about a small decision I was wrestling with once, as a fun and slightly silly example. 

One morning, I was assessing my outfit for church. I held my scarf aside and examined my outfit in the mirror. The brown lacy neckline of the camisole was just visible above the neckline of the grey and white shirt I wore over top.  I let the scarf hang down again, and arranged it to cover the protruding lace. I didn’t want the lace to show, but, if it did peek out from behind the scarf, it should at least match. I wasn’t sure it did, so sought my husband’s opinion.

“Does this match?” I asked Mark, standing to show what I was wearing.

“I think so.”

“What about this?” I pulled my scarf aside to reveal the brown lace protruding past the tank’s neckline. “Does it match?”

“Yes.”

“Because it’s brown, and I wasn’t sure.”

“It’s brown?” He looked again, “I didn’t see that.”

I replaced the scarf and sat down, shaking my head. “Look who I’m asking.” We both smiled. He had always seemed colorblind when it comes to things like that.  

Our young daughter Abby came upstairs and began buttering her dried out toast.

“Hey, nice outfit!” I said to her, “Your purple shirt matches well with the purple pants.”

She looked down at her pants. “They’re brown.” 

Mark laughed loudly. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who couldn’t tell one color from another. I said something about the purple shirt bringing out the purple tones in her pants. He just smiled and made a two-handed shoveling gesture. I smiled and walked into the kitchen and stood before her.

“Does this match?” I asked her.

“Match my shirt?” Abby asked. She didn’t look up from the toast she was still buttering.

“No, does my outfit match my outfit.”

“Oh,” she looked me over, “yes.”

I pulled aside the scarf to reveal the brown lace protruding past the neckline of my tank. “What about this?”

“Oh. I didn’t see that.”

Mark burst out laughing. I returned to the table shaking my head. For all the checking, I didn’t know any more about how my outfit looked.

I decided to wear it to church anyway. If the brown lace didn’t match the black and grey flowered tank, it seemed no one was likely to see it.

It’s a silly story about a small decision, but this is what we do, isn’t it? When it’s decision time, we go around collecting information and opinions that may or may not be helpful. This is the kind of census-taking that can leave us with a stew of varied and contrasting advice and opinions.

Making a Decision? How to Know Which Advice to Take.  

I wish decision making was straightforward, but it’s not. Especially for an over-thinker like me. There’s too much to consider. Even with the small decisions like lace on a shirt.

What might others think of my choice? What does my decision communicate about me? Is it offensive to any person or group? If it is, is that my problem? Does the decision honor God? Dishonor Him? 

This might be an over-thinker’s problem, but I suspect many writers are prone to overthought anyway, and can relate.

Litmus Test #1

In my big and small decision making, the first litmus test I run all the advice through is whether or not it aligns with what I know of scripture and of God. Whether it’s a decision about the direction my business should take or if it’s about the kind of clothes I’m wearing, I want it to honor Him.

I’m currently writing a story that’s difficult to write. It’sa fantastic story of faith and perseverance and even joy in suffering, but there are family members who would prefer I not tell the story. I wrestled with the decision of whether or not to write this story. How could I honor my family, as God instructs, while also publishing His great deeds in all the nations, as He also instructs? How could I tell the story without harming those in it? True stories are tricky business.

I could find all kinds of advice and opinions that I should write whatever I want to write, and that it’s my story to tell, and no one can tell me what to do, and they’d be right. But I’m more interested in what God will say to me about it. He’s not one to indulge self-indulgence. He’s deeply interested in our loving Him and each other though.

After much thought and prayer, I’ve decided to go ahead with the book and plan to release it in November of 2018. It’s an interesting balance to walk, and one I must continue to pray through, trying to honor God and others on the way.

Litmus Test #2

The second litmus test I use on the advice and opinions I’ve gathered is myself. Does the decision I’m making line up with my values and goals and identity? Is it something that’s good for me, or am I bending to pressure, perhaps to please someone else?  

For the people-pleaser in me, this has been difficult at times. Before I decided to go ahead and publish the book I’m writing, I was bending to the will of those family members who didn’t want the story told. It’s a story of my mom’s cancer journey and our experiences together. With her blessing, I’d already published excerpts while the book was being written. Now that she’s gone, some remaining family would like the story to be gone too.

I was torn between my desire to tell the faith-building, edifying story of her faith and mine, and my desire to please my family. I hate discord and desire peace, however, what they were asking me to do didn’t align with who I am (a writer must write!), or what I am created for, which is to shout and tell what the Lord has done.  

For a time, I chose to suppress the story for their sakes. Then, after much thought and prayer, I realized I can honor them and God and myself even in the telling of that wonderful story of joy in  suffering. So I decided to write it and share it with the world as I feel called to do.

Are you in the middle of a decision right now and getting lots of varied advice? 

Kimberly shares from the heart at her online home, KimberlyDawnRempel.com where you can sign up for her free 3-Day Faith Refresh. If you do, she'll also let you know when that book comes out! 

Authors wanting to learn more about how to market your books are invited to join her Facebook group, Marketing-Savvy Authorpreneurs here.