Great Easter Vigil, Year C

All the trees of the field shall know
that I am the Creator of All.
I bring low the high tree,
I make high the low tree;
I dry up the green tree
and I make the dry tree sprout buds.
I the Ageless God have spoken;
I will make it so.
– Ezekiel 17:24
 
Rejoice heavenly powers!
—Exsultet
 
For three days Esther fasted, and Judith kept vigil, the exiles came home from Jerusalem and the Hebrews marched to the bitter waters of Marah. For three days darkness afflicted the Egyptians, Hezekiah lay mortally ill, Jonah was entombed in the belly of a fish. And Saul who became Paul waited three days in blindness before he saw.
 
To say it differently, in all these stories God makes God’s home with us, God settles into the neighborhood, as The Message so familiarly says it. It means that God wrestled with Jacob and talked with Adam and Eve and (arguably) disappointed Hagar at a rate she could manage.
 
It means Jesus knew a guy who had a donkey, a woman who was a pillar of the community and of faith. He had a connection to someone with an upper room and walked alongside a Pharisee who was just waiting to brave. He knew sickness and he knew death. He nurtured relationships in the neighborhood and saw earth tangle with heaven as it does every day and in every moment, every bush ablaze—whether we notice or not. He feasted; he fasted; he marched. He built bridges and movements. He made friends and allies. He laughed and he wept. He lived like he died in order that something new (and older than the hills) might come of it.
 
This night, of all nights, is a night to notice…and maybe to be a little braver and a little more hopeful for doing so.
 
Enter into worship. We'll gather Saturday, April 19, 2025 around the fire at 7:45ish. In person only.
 
Readings: Genesis 1:1–2, 26–27; 2:1–4 † Daniel (LXX) 3:52–60 † Genesis 21:2, 8–21 † Psalm 27:5–7, 10–14 † Genesis 21:2, 8–21 † Psalm 27:5–7, 10–14 † Exodus 14:26–29; 15:20–21  † Exodus 15:1–3, 11, 13, 17–18 † Joshua 2:1–14; 6:15–17, 22–23  † Wisdom 5:1–5; 6:6–7  † Judges 4:1–10, 23  † Judges 5:1, 4–7, 12, 24, 31  † 2 Kings 11:1–4, 10–12  † Psalm 9:1–2, 7–11, 13–14  † Judith 8:9–10, 32–34; 13:3–14, 17–18 † Judith 16:1–6, 13  † Acts 16:13–15 † John 20:1-18
 
About the Image: These towering tendrils of cosmic dust and gas sit at the heart of M16, or the Eagle Nebula. The aptly named Pillars of Creation, featured in this stunning Hubble image, are part of an active star-forming region within the nebula and hide newborn stars in their wispy columns.

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