Service 'shows the beginning of hope'

In a darkened chapel, lit mainly by candles, the congregation of Christ Episcopal Church remembered the resurrection of Jesus in their annual Easter vigil.

Each member held a small candle that had received its flame from a single Paschal candle, symbolizing the spread of the light of Christ throughout the world.

The Easter vigil "is the most moving service we have in our faith," said Barbara Giddens, a 20-year member of the congregation. "It shows the beginning of hope."

And for the first half of the service, the lights remained dim. But as the congregation prepared to witness the baptism of its newest member, 9-year-old Tyler Fisher, the Rev. Bob Towner turned up the electric lights.

He then led the boy through a ritual question-and-answer in which Tyler renounced Satan, the corrupting power of evil, sinful desires and proclaimed his acceptance of Jesus as savior. Tyler's voice, at first soft, grew stronger as he answered each question.

The decision to be baptized was up to Tyler, said his father, Dave Fisher. And even if he doesn't comprehend it all now, Fisher said, he will. "It is something he will grow to learn," he said. "He will grow in beliefs and spirituality, starting a new life with God."

When the baptism was complete, Towner turned to the gathering and proclaimed, "Alleluia. Christ is risen."

Episcopalians, members of the Anglican Church in the United States, and Roman Catholics are among the few denominations that make a vigil on the eve of Easter an important part of worship. The Episcopal Church is a little looser in its rules than the Catholic Church, Towner said, and the vigil service isn't an attempt to recreate the moment of Christ's resurrection.

"Christ rose and is risen now," Towner said before the service. "We are remembering that, we are recalling that. But it is a present reality."

Before he began the service by lighting a small wood fire outside the church, Towner told his congregation that the lighting of the Paschal candle "represents the spark that will break forth into the good news of Jesus Christ."

Steve Hendricks chanted the Exsultet, a prayer that he said "rejoices in the history of the salvation."

During the service, scripture readings touched on the flight of the Israelites from Egypt -- the Exodus that is commemorated in Passover, which Jesus celebrated with his disciples in what is now remembered as the Last Supper. Other scripture readings recalled prophecies of the coming of Christ, the gathering of people of many nations to belief and the bringing of a new heart and new spirit to the faithful.

All of the symbols of faith are brought together in the service and the candles, Towner said. "It is leading people from the darkness of being under the power of sin and death, guiding them into hope, light and freedom."

It is, he said, a summation of the faith. "The Easter vigil service, if we pick one single service in the entire year which said it all at one time about who we are and what we are called to be, it would be this service."

rkeller@semissourian.com

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