The Vigil of Easter
Emmanuel Lutheran Church
High Point, NC
Saturday, March 30, 1991

Come, O Faithful, and take light from the Light that never fades; come and glorify Christ who is risen from the dead!
From the Orthodox Liturgy

The Service of Light

Assemble in the columbarium for the lighting of the new fire with prayers.  We will follow the lighted candle into the worship center.

The Lighting of the New Fire

The Procession
	The assembly’s response to the assisting minister as we move inside is:

	Thanks be to God!

The Exultet

The Service of Readings

These ancient stories are the models of our own faith experience.  All generations of the faithful have been liberated from bondage by God as if we had all gone out of Egypt.

The First Lesson	The Creation
	The Hymn	This is My Father’s World	554
	Silence
	Prayer

The Second Lesson	The Great Flood
	The Song	Rise and Shine	See Insert
			(Children should bring their stuffed animals forward)	
Silence
	Prayer

The Third Lesson	Abraham Sacrifices Isaac
	Silence
	Prayer

The Fourth Lesson	The First Passover
	The Hymn	Go Down, Moses	See Insert
	Silence
	Prayer

The Fifth Lesson	Crossing the Red Sea
	The Hymn	Go Down, Moses	See Insert
	Silence
	Prayer

The Sixth Lesson	Charge to Moses & Joshua
	The Hymn	Go Down, Moses	See Insert
	Silence
	Prayer

Canticle:	All You Works of the Lord is sung as the worshippers follow the Paschal candle to the baptismal font.  (Bring hymnals to the font)

The worshippers sing the refrain after bells:

The Service of Baptism, An Affirmation

P: The Lord be with you.
C: And also with you.
P: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give God thanks and praise.

The Creed (Please respond as instructed)

The Prayers and Passing of the Peace

The Hymn	Praise and Thanksgiving	191

Go Down Moses

(after 4th lesson)
When Israel was in Egypt’s land: Let my people go;
Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go.
Chorus: Go down, Moses,
‘Way down in Egypt land,
Tell ole Pharaoh, 
Let my people go.
“Thus saith the Lord,” bold Moses said, Let my people go;
“If not, I’ll smite your first-born dead,” Let my people go.
(Chorus)
No more shall they in bondage toil
Let them come out with Egypt’s spoil (Chorus)

 (after 5th lesson)
When Israel out of Egypt came, . . . 
and left the proud oppressive land, (Chorus)
O, ‘twas a dark and dismal night, . . .
When Moses led the Israelites, (Chorus)
‘Twas good old Moses and Aaron, too, . . .
‘Twas they that led the armies through, (Chorus)
The Lord told Moses what to do, . . .
To lead the children of Israel through, (Chorus)
O come along, Moses, you’ll not get lost, . . .
Stretch out your rod and come across, (Chorus)
As Israel stood by the waterside, . . .
At the command of God it did divide, (Chorus)
When they had reached the other shore . . .
They sang the song of triumph o’er, (Chorus)
Pharaoh said he would go across, . . .
But Pharaoh and his host were lost, (Chorus)

(after 6th lesson)
Jordan shall stand up like a wall, . . .
With a lighted candle in your breast, (Chorus)
Your foes, shall not before you stand, . . .
And you’ll possess fair Canaan’s land, (Chorus)
‘Twas just about in harvest-time, . . . 
When Joshua led his host divine, (Chorus)
Oh, let us all from bondage flee, . . . 
And let us all in Christ be free, (Chorus)
We need not always weep and moan, . . . 
And wear these slavery chains forlorn, (Chorus)

Rise and Shine

The Lord said to Noah, “There’s gonna be a flood-y, flood-y” Lord said to Noah, “There’s gonna be a flood-y, flood-y.  Get those children out of the mud-y, mud-y.”  Children of the Lord.

Chorus: So rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.  Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory.  Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory, Children of the Lord.

The Lord said to Noah, “You’d better build an ark-y, ark-y.” The Lord said to Noah, “You’d better build an ark-y, ark-y, build it out of hickory bark-y, bark-y.”  Children of the Lord.  (Chorus)

The animals, they came aboard two by two-sy, two-sy. The animals, they came aboard two by two-sy, two-sy.  Elephants and kangaroo-sy, roo-sy, Children of the Lord.  (Chorus)

It rained and rained for forty day-zy, day-zy. It rained and rained for forty day-zy, day-zy.  Almost drove those animals crazy, crazy, Children of the Lord.  (Chorus)

The sun came out and dried off the land-y, land-y. The sun came out and dried off the land-y, land-y.  Everything was fine and dandy, dandy.  Children of the Lord.  (Chorus)

		
	W
Used by permission from Heilig Resource Center.