In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth. That’s the first of the many readings tonight at the vigil service. I thought of the similarity between this reading and the John 1;1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Tonight’s readings begin with the story of creation and end with the Gospel passage from St. Mark, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter,‘He is going before you to Galilee;there you will see him, as he told you.”.
Jesus is the first and the last, the alpha and the omega. He is the beginning and the end. He is creation. In him all things were made. “All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race.” The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.
Tonight at Mt. Irenaeus, Brother Joe will light the bonfire as we gather around it before processing into Holy Peace Chapel. Fr. Dan Riley will light the paschal candle and hold it into the night sky and proclaim, “Light of Christ.” In the darkness and beauty of the night the acclamation, “light of Christ,” will have more meaning for those of us assembled on this holy ground. Tonight we are here to proclaim the light of Christ. We are here to follow Jesus into Galilee wherever Galilee is for each of us and for all of us.
At times the world has seemed dark and without hope. Tonight there is light and hope. Tonight we will pray, “Lord send out your spirit and renew the face of the earth.” Tonight we will hear Isaiah proclaim, “All you who are thirsty,come to the water! You who have no money,come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost,drink wine and milk! Why spend your money for what is not bread, your wages for what fails to satisfy?”
Tonight we will proclaim that the King of Kings is risen. Alleleuia. Peace.