09 Sep This Is the Night: The legacy of the Easter vigil in the diocese of the Upper Midwest
By Bonnie McMaken
The sanctuary is illuminated by dozens of candles, the congregation is expectant—the Great Vigil of Easter is beginning under the skyscrapers of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, at Christ Our Peace Anglican Church. On this night before Easter, men, women, and children from multiple nations sing “Fear Not O Zion.” That song was composed by Fr. Steve Williamson from Church of the Resurrection in Wheaton, over 8,000 miles away.
Each year, churches around the world gather to tell the story of God’s saving deeds and await Jesus’ Resurrection together. Within the Diocese of the Upper Midwest, we have a rich heritage of beautiful Easter Vigils. And now our diocese includes international outposts—like this one in Cambodia.
What’s so powerful about this ancient service that tells the story of God’s saving deeds? How has it impacted so many of our lives and churches throughout our diocese and across the ocean? Leaders from the cathedral and elsewhere share stories.
A Rich Inheritance
But first, a bit of history. Resurrection Wheaton has been enacting the nine Vigil readings for more than 30 years. Katherine Ruch (wife of Bishop Stewart) has been involved in directing or another capacity for many years.
Left: Rez Vigil 25 years ago (’09) in Glenbard West High School. Right: Vigil in 2021, Katherine Ruch at right.
The Ruchs first engaged with the Resurrection Vigil in the early nineties, when—instead of simply reading the Scripture passages—people began experimenting by flashing the lights in the room, or playing a xylophone during the “Dry Bones” reading (Ezekiel 37). Though these actions seemed simple, they started to expand the imaginations of participants and invited the church to encounter the story of salvation history.
Today, The Vigil is Resurrection’s biggest service of the year: in numbers of people serving, the most production hours and energy, and the most visitors. But the heart of simple Gospel catechesis remains.
“It’s a pilgrimage, not a performance,” says Katherine, who directed the readings for the most recent Holy Week. “We’re inviting people into a prophetic experience with Scripture. It helps people grasp Scripture not just on a head level, but on a heart level. Above all I’m hoping they encounter Jesus, who is at the center.”
Different Expressions
The Flood reading at Church of the Cross, 2023
This same value remains the center of Easter Vigils around the diocese, even though they all look a little different.
This year, Cornerstone Chicago featured original music using wine glasses, mbira, and a rain stick for Isaiah 55. Other churches, like Church of the Cross in Minneapolis and St. Aidan’s in Kansas City, employed a variety of artistic mediums. Church of the Cross paired each of Jesus’ “I Am” statements with a reading, highlighting the parallels and themes in each. For example, “I Am the Light of the World” was the main theme for the Creation reading (Genesis 1), so photography and light was a central medium.
Fr. Matt Arndt, rector of Bread of Life in Madison, told me, “We’re a small church so we do the Vigil in a minimalist way. But I think that’s what makes it so powerful for us.”
The core of these readings is the people of God remembering and telling the story of God, or as Katherine Ruch puts it, “preaching the gospel in a different way. The wealth of images we can embody in these readings is a catechesis, and it’s so important for our sacramental understanding because ultimately—all of Holy Week is a real time journey with Jesus.”
Vigils Abroad
Dr. Heidi and Fr. Gregory Whitaker, Cambodia
The heritage of these nine readings has become deeply significant to pastors and church leaders who have been sent out from our diocese, like Fr. Gregory and Dr. Heidi Whitaker in Cambodia. They started celebrating the Easter Vigil in 2014 when they arrived.
Heidi said, “We have seen that even people who have zero liturgical church background appreciate the Vigil and the opportunity to fully celebrate the joy and power of the resurrection.”
Ellison and Betsy Ruch, serving in the Middle East, held an Easter Vigil this Holy Week with a group of new believers. Betsy said that they desired to celebrate to “the fullest extent possible” to help shape the identity of their “embryonic church plant community.“
Christ Church of Madison, 2024
“Copying the artistic form of different readings from over the years at Resurrection ended up being a meaningful experience,” she said.” We felt a deep connection to our mother church while our context lent new meaning to the readings.”
These stories are just a few examples of the ways the Lord meets and works through his people. And even though Holy Week only happens once a year, we can daily hold fast to a God who is with us in the floods and fires we face, a redeemer “mighty to save” (Zephaniah 3:17).
These stories are just a few examples of the ways the Lord meets and works through his people. And even though Holy Week only happens once a year, we can daily hold fast to a God who is with us in the floods and fires we face, a redeemer “mighty to save” (Zephaniah 3:17).
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