Events for the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer in Kenmore, Washington
In-person and on-line Great Vigil of Easter
Sat, April 19 at 9:00 pm to 11:30 pm PDT
Everyone is welcome at Church of the Redeemer. We look forward to seeing you at this 9:00 pm Great Vigil of Easter at Church of the Redeemer. It is in-person and on-line.
While not required, you may wear a mask when in the building. We have masks available for you, if you want.
This is the Easter service you want to attend, if you have a choice. You may bring children. Everyone learns from this liturgy, even if half-asleep.
Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil is intended as the first (and arguably, the primary) celebration of Easter in the Book of Common Prayer (pp. 284-95). It is also known as the Great Vigil.
The service begins in darkness, sometime between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter, and consists of four parts:
- The Service of Light with the kindling of new fire, lighting the Paschal candle, and the Exsultet
- The Service of Lessons with readings from the Hebrew Scriptures interspersed with psalms, canticles, and prayers
- Christian Initiation (Holy Baptism) or the Renewal of Baptismal Vows
- The Eucharist
Through this liturgy, the Book of Common Prayer recovers an ancient practice of keeping the Easter feast. Believers would gather in the hours of darkness to hear scripture and offer prayer ending at dawn on Easter. This night-long service of prayerful watching anticipated the baptisms that would come at first light and the Easter Eucharist.
Easter was the primary baptismal occasion for the early church to the practical exclusion of all others. This practice linked the meanings of Christ’s dying and rising to the understanding of baptism.
Related Events
Church of the Redeemer
Church of the Redeemer: Worshiping God, living in community, and reaching out to the world around us. We are an Episcopal Church serving north King County and south Snohomish County, Washington. As you travel your road, go with friends walking the way of Jesus at Redeemer.
Church of the Redeemer is at 6210 Northeast 181st Street in Kenmore, Washington. The campus is a short distance north of Bothell Way, near the Burke-Gilman Trail. The entrance looks like a gravel driveway. The campus is larger on the inside than it is on the outside. And we managed to hide a large building on the side of a hill that is not easily seen from the street.
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.