Easter Vigil: A Rookie Anglican Guide
There may be no more powerful portrayal of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Christian liturgy than that which happens in the dark of night before Easter morning. In the Easter Vigil, a service that begins in total darkness, light is carried into the midst of the people and spreads, culminating in the jubilant proclamation of Christ’s resurrection. In this most dramatic of liturgies, we rehearse the story of our redemption.
Out of Darkness, Light
A central element of the Easter Vigil is light. The concept of light evokes life, order, and knowledge. Darkness, on the other hand, evokes death, chaos, and uncertainty. Darkness is the absence of light. However, light invades and conquers darkness, and darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5). Scripture tells us that Jesus is the light of the world. He is the standard and ground of our life and knowledge. He is our everything, and all things are measured against him and revealed by him.
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Paul said it this way, in his second letter to the Corinthians:
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:5-6
A Journey Through the Vigil
The Lighting of the Pascal Candle
At the Easter Vigil, we gather outside, in the darkness of night, just as the women who went to the tomb went there before the dawn. In fact, if the church happens to have a graveyard or outdoor columbarium, the service will often begin there. Outside the church (or at the back of the darkened sanctuary), a fire is kindled. This new fire symbolizes the light of Christ rising in glory. The celebrant (the celebrating priest or bishop) tells us,
Dear friends in Christ, On this most holy night, in which our Lord Jesus passed over from death to life, the Church invites her members, dispersed throughout the world, to gather in vigil and prayer. For this is the Passover of the Lord, in which, by hearing his Word and celebrating his Sacraments, we share in his victory over death.
From the fire, the celebrant lights the Paschal Candle. This large candle represents the light of the risen Christ dispelling the darkness of sin and death. The priest may trace symbols (a cross, alpha and omega, and the year) into the candle and insert grains of incense into it, symbolizing the wounds of Christ.
The Procession of Light
The celebrating priest, a deacon, or a designated cantor carries the Paschal Candle into the dark church, stopping three times to chant or say, “The Light of Christ.” The people respond, “Thanks be to God.”
As the candle progresses, congregation members light their own small candles from it, gradually filling the whole church with light.
The Exsultet (Easter Proclamation)
Once the candle reaches the sanctuary, the deacon (or priest/cantor) chants the Exsultet, a long and ancient hymn of praise that celebrates the Resurrection and the significance of this night. It recalls salvation history and rejoices in the triumph of light over darkness.
The History of Salvation
This part includes a series of Old Testament readings interspersed with psalms or canticles and prayers.
These recount the history of salvation, from Creation to the Exodus, the prophecies of redemption, and more. There are typically three to nine readings, followed by a psalm or canticle. The ones listed in the 2019 Prayer Book are below. The most commonly included are in bold:
- The Creation
- Genesis 1:1-2:3
- Psalm 104:1-13 (14-24) or A Song of Creation (Supplemental Canticle 10)
- The Fall
- Genesis 3
- Psalm 32
- The Flood
- Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-20; 9:8-13
- Psalm 36 or Psalm 46
- Abraham’s Sacrifice of Isaac
- Genesis 22:1-18
- Psalm 16
- Israel’s Deliverance at the Red Sea
- Exodus 14:10-15:1
- The Song of Moses (Supplemental Canticle 5)
- God’s Presence in a Renewed Israel
- Isaiah 4:4-16
- Psalm 122
- Salvation Offered Freely to All
- Isaiah 55:1-11
- Surely, It is God Who Saves Me (Supplemental Canticle 8) or Psalm 42:1-7
- A New Heart and a New Spirit
- Ezekiel 36:24-28
- Psalm 42:1-7 or Surely, It is God Who Saves Me (Supplemental Canticle 8)
- The Valley of Dry Bones
- Ezekiel 37:1-14
- Psalm 30 or Psalm 126
- The Three Young Men in the Furnace
- Daniel 3:1-28
- A Song of Creation (Supplemental Canticle 10) or A Song of Praise (Benedictus es, Domine)
- Jonah and the Fish
- Jonah 1:1–2:10
- Psalm 130
- The Gathering of God’s People
- Zephaniah 3:12-20
- Psalm 98
A moment of silence and a collect (a short prayer) follow each reading and psalm.
The Easter Acclamation
And then the light blazes as we celebrate the coming of the day of his resurrection, with shouts of “Alleluia! Christ is risen!” and the people responding, “The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” With the lights on and alleluia restored to our worship for the first time since Lent began, the liturgy bursts into Easter joy. After being omitted throughout Lent, the Gloria in Excelsis is sung with bells ringing and joyful music.
The Liturgy of the Word
The celebrant then reads the collect:
O God, you 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.
The lessons follow. Romans 6:3-11 serves as the Epistle lesson, followed by the singing of the Easter Alleluia. The deacon then proclaims the Gospel lesson, typically the account of the Resurrection from Matthew 28:1-10. The sermon follows (occasionally, the sermon may instead follow the service of baptism, confirmation, or the renewal of baptismal vows below).
Baptism, Confirmation, or The Renewal of Baptismal Vows
This part focuses on Christian initiation, which is appropriate for Easter when new life in Christ is celebrated. If there are new converts or children born of Christian parents seeking Holy Baptism, those rites may be performed. If a bishop is present, those who have already been baptized and have been prepared for Confirmation may be confirmed by the bishop.
In the Renewal of Baptismal Vows, the congregation collectively reaffirms its baptismal promises, rejecting evil and professing faith in the Trinity. As a sign of renewal, the priest may sprinkle them with holy water from the font.
The First Eucharist of Easter
From this point, the service picks up with the rest of the Eucharist service as it would normally play out (minus, possibly, the Creed if it has already been said in the baptism, confirmation, or renewal of baptism vows liturgies).
Enter Into Christ’s Mystery
Jesus chose basic elements of our universal human experience to teach us about himself and our world: bread, wine, water, darkness, and light. Christ is both God and Man, two natures in one person. We don’t have an imagination wide enough to see the logical connection between those two things. We call these heavenly realities mysteries.
This Easter Vigil, enter into the mysteries of Christ personally. Celebrate his resurrection. Let the image of light breaking into and overpowering the darkness do its work. The Son of Righteousness has risen. The Light has come!
A version of this article originally appeared on April 27, 2011, written by the founder of Anglican Compass. It was revised and greatly expanded by Jacob Davis on April 17, 2025.
Photo by Scopio Images, courtesy of Canva.
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