Today's Devotional
Vigil is a watch kept on the night before a religious feast with prayer or other devotions; the day before a religious feast observed as a day of spiritual preparation. In many Christian traditions, communities gather for a candlelight vigil through the night from Holy Saturday into Easter morning.
In recent years I have grown to love and long for the observance of Easter Vigil. My church congregation gathers on Saturday night, after Good Friday and before Easter Sunday. We begin with Genesis and work our way through a selection of stories across the Old and New Testaments until the Resurrection; woven impeccably together upon a theme like food, water or fire. We gather as the beloved community to remember the WHOLE epic story. To watch the full spectrum of God’s love expressed across the breadth scripture.
Easter is a BIG deal, the celebrations are the finest and the joy is palpable. The poetic arc from Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, up to Easter Sunday is perfection. Even still, in these years that Easter Vigil has entered my Holy Week ritual, the magnitude of the Resurrection and God’s love throughout scripture resonates even deeper.
And as a ritual does, it gives me pause to think of when there may be other times, other events in the routine of my life that I might pause – take watch, pray – spiritually prepare. Where am I so focused on the event or the exact moment which it commemorates that I miss the magnitude of all the stories that are held with it? The fullness of Jesus’ life, death, resurrection. The fullness of God’s love. It is both a moment and a million moments.
— Kelly Carpenter, Interim Director
for the Center for Leadership Development, NTC delegate
kelly@ntcumc.org
