Normally on Easter Eve we would have our Easter vigil service. At this service the Easter fire is lit from which the paschal candle – the Easter candle representing the resurrected Christ – is lit and carried into church. Then Rev Bryony sings the exsultet, an ancient chant which is the first hymn of Easter declaring the resurrection. After this we hear readings from the Bible that lead up to the declaration of the resurrection and renew our Baptismal vows.
This year, because of the unusual circumstances, in a live video on Facebook (and here on this page) Rev Bryony will show you the paschal candles she has decorated for our churches (we have new ones every year) and then sing the Exsultet.
We will do the full Easter fire and lighting of the paschal candles on the Sunday morning we return to worship in our churches – it will be a great resurrection celebration (whatever time of year that ends up being as Sunday is always the day of resurrection!)
Watch the video from Saturday 11th April here:
View the words to the Exsultet here: https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/holy-week-and-easter/easter-liturgy#mm077
Here are the candles for 2020. The wider one is for St James Barlborough and depicts Jesus calming the storm – an apt story for the times we are living in. The year is painted in NHS blue as a tribute to the NHS staff working on the frontline. The slimmer candle is for St John the Baptist, Clowne and has a rainbow cross (the rainbow again being for the NHS) with the dove of peace – and the dove that Noah sent out that was the sign of the end of the flood.
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