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Easter Vigil ONLINE ONLY
April 11, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm EDT
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency, the Shadyside Presbyterian Church building and offices are closed until further notice.
While we cannot be together on-site for any activities, we invite you to participate in an online Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 11, at 7:00 p.m. Join us online as we anticipate the Resurrection of our Lord.
We are glad to share with you a video which will be made available at 7:00 p.m. on Holy Saturday, so that you may join us remotely. You may access the video here on our website, from our YouTube channel, or from our Facebook channel. Visit the live webcast page or the worship archive to access the bulletin in .pdf format.
We regret that we cannot gather in-person for worship, but we hope you will gather with us in spirit. We thank you for your patience and understanding.
About the Easter Vigil
The liturgy of the Three Days (Triduum) proclaims one dramatic story in three acts. The events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Great Vigil of Easter are best understood as one service, unfolding over the course of three days. Through this profound and transforming experience at the heart of the Christian year, we are immersed in the holy mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection and the great story of God’s saving love.
The Great Vigil of Easter proclaims God’s victory over sin and death through Christ’s resurrection. Traditionally, the Easter Vigil begins at sunset on Saturday, in keeping with the ancient Jewish/Christian understanding of evening as the start of a new day. The liturgy consists of four movements: the Service of Light, rejoicing in the coming of Christ as the light of the world; the Service of Readings, remembering the story of God’s mighty acts through history, leading up to Jesus’ resurrection; the Service of Baptism, welcoming new members of Christ’s body and reaffirming God’s covenant with us; and the Service of Eucharist, giving thanks for new life in Christ and anticipating the joyful feast of the realm of God.
The liturgy for the Three days encompasses the end of Lent and the beginning of Easter. Like the threshold of a door, it stands between the two seasons — as through the suffering and sorrow of Jesus’ death we enter into God’s promise of abundant and everlasting life. Thus the Great Vigil begins the great fifty days of Easter, the church’s joyful celebration of the new thing God has done, is doing, and will do in Jesus Christ.
Book of Common Worship, 2018
Missed a service of worship?
Visit the worship archive to explore past worship services and discover resources for enhancing your personal devotional time as we face an extended period of physical separation from our community of faith.