Bulletin Shorts for the Easter Vigil

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord – Saturday night, 11 April 2020  

At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter 

Genesis 1:1–2:2.  Genesis 22:1-18. Exodus 14:15–15:1.  Isaiah 54:5-14. Isaiah 55:1-11. Baruch 3:9-15, 32–4:4.  Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28. Romans 6:3-11. Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23.  Matthew 28:1-10.  

A Shocking First Morning.  Two Marys come to the tomb at dawn and are shocked by a great earthquake, an angel coming like lightning, and soldiers shaken with fear.  “Do not be afraid,” the angel says to the women. The same words spoken to mother Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds by other angels years before.  The same words spoken by the Risen Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection. The same words spoken to us today. And every day.  

• What do I fear that I need to stop fearing?  
• How will this risen and renewed life fill me with grace?  
• What will I do this Easter week to share life, bring life, be the very presence of the life-giving Christ the Lord?  

This post was first published on the worship pages of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois website.
Sunday Prayer Shaping Life and Belief
Written by Eliot Kapitan.

Permission is given to use, reprint, and distribute these bulletin shorts in any way you find helpful for your community.

Image credit:  Neal E. Johnson,  Unsplash, CC0.