An Introduction To The Paschal Vigil Service

The Paschal Vigil is the foundational service of all Christian worship. In this service the great theme of Christian salvation is enacted in recollection of the days of salvation. Inasmuch as the purpose of worship is to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ for the salvation of the world, the Paschal Vigil is the source of all Christian worship. It is the single most important service of the year, the fount from which all the praises of the church flow. In a most primitive and basic sense, it can also be regarded as the oldest service of the church. Its roots go clear back to the original day of the Resurrection and the great rejoicing of the people of God on that day. The contemporary forum of the Paschal Vigil consists of four parts (the Service of Light; the Service of the Word; the Service of Baptism; the Service of the Eucharist) that originated in the early church. In the first century the Paschal Vigil centered on the Eucharist: "For indeed, Christ our Passover w…