Archive for the ‘Genesis 8’ Tag
Above: Icon of the Resurrection
Image Scanned by Kenneth Randolph Taylor
The Light of Christ, Part II
APRIL 8-9, 2023
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The Collect:
Blessed Lord, who caused all holy Scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns
with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
—The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
At least three of the following sets:
Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18
Isaiah 55:1-11 and Isaiah 12:2-6
Ezekiel 20:1-24 and Psalm 19
Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Psalm 98
Then:
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Matthew 28:1-10
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The history of the Great Vigil of Easter is interesting. We do not know when the service began, but we do know that it was already well-established in the second century C.E. We also know that the Great Vigil was originally a preparation for baptism. Reading the history of the Easter Vigil reveals the elaboration of the rite during ensuing centuries, to the point that it lasted all night and was the Easter liturgy by the fourth century. One can also read of the separation of the Easter Vigil and the Easter Sunday service in the sixth century. As one continues to read, one learns of the vigil becoming a minor afternoon ritual in the Roman missal of 1570. Then one learns of the revival of the Easter Vigil in Holy Mother Church in the 1950s then, in North America, in The Episcopal Church and mainline Lutheranism during the liturgical renewal of the 1960s and 1970s. Furthermore, if one consults the U.S. Presbyterian Book of Common Worship (1993) and The United Methodist Book of Worship (1992), on finds the ritual for the Great Vigil of Easter in those volumes.
The early readings for the Easter Vigil trace the history of God’s salvific work, from creation to the end of the Babylonian Exile. The two great Hebrew Biblical themes of exile and exodus are prominent. Then the literal darkness ends, the lights come up, and the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus. The eucharistic service continues and, if there are any candidates for baptism, that sacrament occurs.
One of the chants for the Easter Vigil is
The light of Christ,
to which the congregation chants in response,
Thanks be to God.
St. Paul the Apostle, writing in Romans, reminds us down the corridors of time that the light of Christ ought to shine in our lives. May that light shine brightly through us, by grace, that we may glorify God every day we are on this side of Heaven.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 29, 2018 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF PERCY DEARMER, ANGLICAN CANON AND TRANSLATOR AND AUTHOR OF HYMNS
THE FEAST OF SAINT BONA OF PISA, ROMAN CATHOLIC MYSTIC AND PILGRIM
THE FEAST OF JIRI TRANOVSKY, LUTHER OF THE SLAVS AND FOUNDER OF SLOVAK HYMNODY
THE FEAST OF JOACHIM NEANDER, GERMAN REFORMED MINISTER AND HYMN WRITER
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https://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/the-light-of-christ-part-iv/
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Above: The New Jerusalem
Image in the Public Domain
And the Sea Was No More
MAY 11-13, 2023
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The Collect:
Almighty and ever-living God,
you hold together all things in heaven and on earth.
In your great mercy, receive the prayers of all your children,
and give to all the world the Spirit of your truth and peace,
through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen.
–Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), page 34
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 6:5-22 (33rd Day)
Genesis 7:1-24 (34th Day)
Genesis 8:13-19 (35th Day)
Psalm 66:8-20 (All Days)
Acts 27:1-12 (33rd Day)
Acts 27:13-38 (34th Day)
John 14:27-29 (35th Day)
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You let enemies ride over our heads;
we went through fire and water;
but you brought us into a place of refreshment.
–Psalm 66:12, Book of Common Worship (1993)
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Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
–Revelation 21:1, Revised Standard Version–Second Catholic Edition (2002)
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Water can be scary, for it has the potential to destroy much property and end lives. In much of the Bible water signifies chaos. The first creation myth (Genesis 1:1-2:4a), actually not as old as the one which follows it, depicts a watery chaos as the foundation of an ordered, flat earth with a dome over it. The lections from Genesis 6-8, being the union of of various texts (as evident in late Chapter 6 and early Chapter 7 with regard to the number of animals to take aboard the Ark), is a composite myth in which water is a force of divine destruction and recreation. And the water is something to fear in Acts 27. It is no accident that, in Revelation 21, the New Jerusalem has no sea; the city is free of chaos.
Professor Amy-Jill Levine, in her Teaching Company course, The Old Testament (2001), says that she does not like Noah. He, in the story, could have tried to save lives if he had argued with God, as Abraham did, she says. Maybe she has a valid point. It is certainly one nobody broached in my juvenile or adult Sunday School classes, for my first encounter with the idea came via DVD recently. Yet the story which the Biblical editor wanted us to hear was one of God’s covenant with Noah.
That theme of covenant fits well with the calm and confidence of St. Paul the Apostle en route to Rome. He had a legal case arising from preaching (Acts 21:27 forward). The Apostle had exercised his right as a Roman citizen to appeal directly to the Emperor (Acts 25:11). Yet Herod Agrippa II (reigned 50-100), a client ruler of the Roman Empire, had stated that the Apostle could have gone free if he had not appealed to the Emperor (Acts 26:32), who, unfortunately, was Nero. Anyhow, Paul’s calm and confidence during the storm on the Mediterranean Sea, with the danger on board the ship, came from a positive spiritual place.
That peace is the kind which Jesus bequeaths to us and which the world cannot give. That peace is the sort which enables one to remain properly–seemingly foolishly, to some–confident during daunting times. That peace carries one through the chaotic waters and the spiritual wilderness until one arrives at the New Jerusalem. That peace is available via grace.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
DECEMBER 18, 2013 COMMON ERA
THE EIGHTEENTH DAY OF ADVENT, YEAR A
THE FEAST OF MARC BOEGNER, ECUMENIST
THE FEAST OF DOROTHY SAYERS, NOVELIST
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/and-the-sea-was-no-more/
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Above: St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church, Atlanta, Georgia, April 7, 2012
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
Embrace This Mystery
LATE SATURDAY, APRIL 16-EARLY SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2022
(BETWEEN SUNSET AND SUNRISE)
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READINGS AT THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
(Read at least two,)
(1) Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
(2) Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
(3) Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
(4) Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Canticle 8, page 85, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(5) Isaiah 55:1-11 and Canticle 9, page 86, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(6) Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 and Psalm 19
(7) Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
(8) Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
(9) Zephaniah 3:12-20 and Psalm 98
DECLARATION OF EASTER
The Collect:
Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. or this 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.
READINGS AT THE FIRST HOLY EUCHARIST OF EASTER
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Luke 24:1-12
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My custom regarding posts for the Easter Vigil is to list the manifold and myriad readings (most of which are optional) and to offer a brief reflection. Consistent with that practice I invite you, O reader, to approach the question of divine power, which gave us the Resurrection, with awe, wonder, reverence, and praise. The Resurrection of Jesus is a matter of theology; historical methods cannot analyze it properly. I am a trained historian, so far be it from me to criticize methods which work well most of that time. But I am also a Christian, and I recognize the existence of mysteries beyond the bounds of historical scrutiny. Life is better with some mysteries than without them. So I invite you, O reader, to embrace this mystery.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 31, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF THE VISITATION OF MARY TO ELIZABETH
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/embrace-this-mystery/
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Above: Noah’s Thank Offering, by Joseph Anton Koch
Genesis and Mark, Part VIII: Societal Immorality
FEBRUARY 21, 2024
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 8:13-9:17
Psalm 5 (Morning)
Psalms 27 and 51 (Evening)
Mark 4:1-20
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A Related Post:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/prayer-for-wednesday-of-the-first-week-of-lent/
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The sower’s seed needed good soil in which to flourish. And, as I return to the beginning of the composite Noah’s Ark story, I read that
The earth became corrupt before God;
the earth was filled with lawlessness.
–Genesis 6:11, TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures
Thus the Great Flood followed in the narratives. And, as today’s Genesis reading begins, so does renewed life on the planet. But keep reading; the corruption returned almost immediately.
Corruption–societal immorality–is endemic among we human beings. As a student of history, I point to examples of this. Slavery was part of the socio-economic and political fabric of the nation from the 1600s, before this was the United States. The blood Civil War destroyed the damnable Peculiar Institution in the 1860s. Yet the racism which supported slavery persisted without apology, and many self-professing Christians quoted the Bible to support both slavery and Jim Crow. The civil rights movement erased much de jure discrimination against African Americans, changing the attitudes of many people yet leaving de facto discrimination in place. Many of my fellow human beings seek to discriminate against somebody. These days homophobia is masquerading shamelessly as societal righteousness, but it is still a form of bigotry.
We human beings have a vocation to act toward each other according to the Golden Rule. We ought to seek the best for each other, not look for ways to oppress each other. This proposition undergirds my sense of morality, my ethics. Thus I conclude that anything else is corruption and immorality. Here I stand; I can and will do no other.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 12, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF DUNCAN MONTGOMERY GRAY, SR., EPISCOPAL BISHOP OF MISSISSIPPI
THE FEAST OF SAINT GREGORY OF OSTIA, ROMAN CATHOLIC ABBOT, CARDINAL, AND LEGATE; AND SAINT DOMINIC OF THE CAUSEWAY, ROMAN CATHOLIC HERMIT
THE FEAST OF SAMUEL MARSDEN, ANGLICAN MISSIONARY IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-viii-societal-immorality/
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Above: The Subsiding of the Waters of the Deluge, by Thomas Cole
Genesis and Mark, Part VII: God and Crises
FEBRUARY 20, 2024
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 7:11-8:12
Psalm 34 (Morning)
Psalms 25 and 91 (Evening)
Mark 3:20-35
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A Related Post:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/25/prayer-for-tuesday-of-the-first-week-of-lent/
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The world of early Genesis mythology was a flat with a dome on top. There were waters beneath the land and there were waters above the dome. Thus, in 7:11b (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures), we read:
And the fountains of the great deep burst apart,
And the floodgates of the sky broke open.
As Richard Elliott Friedman wrote of the flood on page 38 of his Commentary on the Torah (2001),
It is more than ordinary rain. It is a cosmic crisis, in which the very structure of the universe is endangered.
Meanwhile, in Mark 3, some of our Lord’s relatives think that he might be out of his mind. Parts I and II of this story bracket an allegation by some scribes that Jesus is in league with Satan. This is how the author the the Gospel of Mark presents the material. So, in Mark, Jesus has to contend with disbelief by scribes and
his mother and his brothers (verse 31, The New Jerusalem Bible)
In the Gospel of Mark our Lord’s true identity is apparent to demons, God, and himself–yet not to his family members and to his Apostles–that is, until his death. Wilhelm Wrede, in Das Messiasgeheimnis in den Evangelien (1901), called this the Messianic Secret. (There was much more to his hypothesis, of course, but I will not chase that rabbit here and now.) In contrast, in the Gospel of John, there is no secret. In Mark, Jesus tells people he has healed to say nothing. (They disobey, of course.) Yet, in John, he never tries to conceal anything. The Markan premise makes sense to me, for it fits well with human relationships. We have blind spots regarding people who are very close to us, do we not? Often a stranger has more insight than does a friend, a relative, or an associate.
Anyhow, on to my main point..
In Genesis the world itself was in danger. The only protection for the intended survivors came from God. Certainly the boxy boat was not much compared to the water. And, in Mark our Lord’s personal world was in turmoil. Even worse, his life had been at risk since 3:6.
The Pharisees went out and began at once to plot with the Herodians against him, discussing how to destroy him. (The New Jerusalem Bible)
Even the life of the incarnate Son of God was endangered.
Such passages and themes of scripture cause me to wonder how anyone can, with a straight face, defend Prosperity Theology. Not only does the Book of Job raise questions regarding it, but the life of Christ and those of he Apostles (including Paul) disprove it. Furthermore, what about almost two thousand years of Christian martyrs? And there is the matter of the suffering prophets of God. But Jesus, Paul, and others knew that God was in charge. So, when one’s world is falling apart, God is still in charge.
That is a lesson worth taking to heart.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 8, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT BENEDICT II, BISHOP OF ROME
THE FEAST OF DAME JULIAN OF NORWICH, SPIRITUAL WRITER
THE FEAST OF SAINT MAGDALENA OF CANOSSA, FOUNDER OF THE DAUGHTERS OF CHARITY AND THE SONS OF CHARITY
THE FEAST OF SAINT PETER OF TARENTAISE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-vii-god-and-crises/
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Above: Noah’s Ark, by Edward Hicks
Genesis and Mark, Part VI: Survival in God
FEBRUARY 19, 2024
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Blessed Lord, who caused all holy scriptures to be written for our learning:
Grant us so to hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them,
that we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life,
which you have given us in our Savior Jesus Christ;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–The Book of Common Prayer (1979), page 236
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The Assigned Readings:
Genesis 6:1-7:5
Psalm 119:73-80 (Morning)
Psalms 121 and 6 (Evening)
Mark 3:1-19
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A Related Post:
Prayer:
http://gatheredprayers.wordpress.com/2011/01/24/prayer-for-monday-of-the-first-week-of-lent/
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Before I got to my main point I choose to geek out regarding the Hebrew text. We have part of the familiar tale of Noah’ Ark. It is a composite from various sources; I checked Richard Elliott Friedman’s The Bible with Sources Revealed: A New View Into the Five Books of Moses (2003) to see his color-coding scheme. But one does not need that book to notice two sets of instructions regarding how many animals to take into the Art: in 6:9-22 and 7:2-4.
I needed commentaries to explain that “Noah” in Hebrew is “favor” spelled backwards. Thus 6:8, which reads
But Noah found favor with the LORD (TANAKH: The Holy Scriptures)
contains a wordplay. And, as Professor Friedman explains in his Commentary on the Torah (2001), it is one of six wordplays on “Noah.” The others are found in 5:29, 6:6, 6:7, 8:4, and 8:21.
A further piece of information comes from The Jewish Study Bible (page 21). The Hebrew word translated “ark” appears in this story and in one other place: Exodus 2. There the mother of Moses places her son in an ark (there translated as “basket.” The Jewish Study Bible note on pages 21-22 tells me that
Noah foreshadows Moses, even as Moses, removed from the water, foreshadows the people Israel, whom he leads to safety through the death-dealing sea that drowns their oppressors (Exodus 14-15). The great biblical tale of redemption occurs first in a shorter, universal form, then in a longer, particularistic one.
Everett Fox, in a note on page 33 of Genesis and Exodus: A New English Rendition, explains further:
God, not human engineering, is the source of survival in the story.
I have no interest in engaging in pointless argument at the moment. We are reading mythology of the highest order. Mythology of such variety teaches transcendent truth while not being literally true. There it is. Accept it. Deal with it. Accept science for all its great value. And accept mythology for its worth. But do not try to turn a myth into a scientific historical account.
No, I do not want to quarrel. Rather, I seek to pursue a line of reasoning based on the essence of the flood myth, in the words of Everett Fox:
God, not human engineering, is the source of survival in the story.
God has always been the source of survival. The man with the withered hand found God via Jesus to be the source of his future means of survival. May we, unlike the Pharisees and Herodians of Mark 3, not quarrel with God’s methods and timing.
This is a difficult task for many people. (I count myself among them.) Although I seldom argue with divine tactics in my life, timing is a different matter. The methods by which God has provided survival have surprised me often, but I tend to accept them as such. But could they not occur sooner? I am not alone in this spiritual state, am I? Of course not!
So I have a spiritual problem to which I seek resolution. It is an opportunity for growth and learning, not a reason for condemnation. And you, O reader, have your own spiritual problems, just as I have mine. May you seek and find resolution via God. And may the journey to that resolution be an occasion for spiritual joy.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
MAY 7, 2012 COMMON ERA
THE FEAST OF SAINT DOMITION OF HUY, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP
THE FEAST OF HARRIET STARR CANNON, COFOUNDER OF THE COMMUNITY OF SAINT MARY
THE FEAST OF SAINT ROSE VENERINI, FOUNDER OF THE VENERINI SISTERS
THE FEAST OF SAINT THEODARD OF NARBONNE, ROMAN CATHOLIC ARCHBISHOP, AND SAINTS JUSTUS AND PASTOR, MARTYRS
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http://blogatheologica.wordpress.com/2013/01/20/genesis-and-mark-part-vi-survival-in-god/
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Easter Vigil, St. Peter and St. Paul Episcopal Church, Marietta, Georgia, April 4, 2010
Image Source = Bill Monk, Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta
He’s Alive!
LATE SATURDAY, MARCH 30-EARLY SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2024
(BETWEEN SUNSET AND SUNRISE)
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READINGS AT THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
(Read at least two,)
(1) Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
(2) Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
(3) Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
(4) Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Canticle 8, page 85, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(5) Isaiah 55:1-11 and Canticle 9, page 86, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(6) Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 and Psalm 19
(7) Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
(8) Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
(9) Zephaniah 3:12-20 and Psalm 98
DECLARATION OF EASTER
The Collect:
Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only- begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. or this 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.
READINGS AT THE FIRST HOLY EUCHARIST OF EASTER
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Mark 16:1-8
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A Related Post:
Great Vigil of Easter, Year A:
https://lenteaster.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/great-vigil-of-easter-year-a/
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Recently, while listening to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio, I heard an interviewee say,
We danced our religion before we thought it.
This is objectively accurate.
I am an intellectual–an unapologetic one. So I like to ponder various matters deeply, exploring their nuances. This is healthy, for one ought to exercise one’s brain power frequently. Yet sometimes intellect and reason cannot explain something. The Resurrection of Jesus is one of these matters.
Without the Resurrection Christianity is a lie and we who affirm the reality of this event are pitiable fools, the the latest in a long line of deluded idiots. Yet the saints who preceded us were not deluded fools, and Christ is risen indeed.
Happy Easter!
KRT
“This is the night….”
Image Source = John Stephen Dwyer
LATE SATURDAY, APRIL 8-EARLY SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2023
(BETWEEN SUNSET AND SUNRISE)
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READINGS AT THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
(Read at least two,)
(1) Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26
(2) Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18, 8:6-18, 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
(3) Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
(4) Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Canticle 8, page 85, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(5) Isaiah 55:1-11 and Canticle 9, page 86, The Book of Common Prayer (1979)
(6) Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 and Psalm 19
(7) Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalms 42 and 43
(8) Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
(9) Zephaniah 3:12-20 and Psalm 98
DECLARATION OF EASTER
The Collect:
Almighty God, who for our redemption gave your only- begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the power of our enemy: Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his resurrection; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. or this 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.
READINGS AT THE FIRST HOLY EUCHARIST OF EASTER
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Matthew 28:1-10
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Ritualism, despite what some say, is important. Rituals mark milestones in any civilization or culture. And rites are crucial to religion. So, with the Easter Vigil, we mark the resurrection of Jesus in a lovely (and long) ritual much grander and more meaningful than any Protestant Easter Sunrise Service.
During Lent we have not said the “A” word (Alleluia). We have put away most candles and entered into a penitential mood. This has become increasingly somber the closer we have come to Good Friday, the darkest day of them all. Now, after the beginning the Vigil in the darkness, we have a liturgical opportunity to welcome the light again and to resume saying “Alleluia.” And the candles are back!
Easter, a 50-day season has begun with a series of readings from the Bible about salvation history.
KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR
Published originally at SUNDRY THOUGHTS OF KENNETH RANDOLPH TAYLOR on June 19, 2010
LENTEN AND EASTER DEVOTIONS 
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