IrishOboe

I get up in six hours for the sunrise service, but I just got back from an Easter Vigil service that lasted longer than two hours and there was no sermon and I’m pumped!  Christ is risen!!!!

I went to Allerheiligen (Catholic church) which is close by on Neubadstrasse (I forgot to mention that the Good Friday service I went to was at Heiliggeist on Thiersteineralle).  As I walked up to the church there was a fire on a pedestal and I immediately thought of the fire Peter warmed himself at.  I’m sure it has more symbolism than that, but that was powerful enough for me as I stopped to reflect and warm my hands from the bike ride.  The large and modern church was dimly lit with candles and I found a hymn book and candle and made my way to the front of the church.  There was a large wooden cross lying on the steps up to the alter that was covered in white cloth.  The first part of the service was a series of readings from the Old Testament.  Each one was introduced by the priest (I suppose they could be considered mini-sermons, but mini even for Episcopal standards) and followed by singing “Du führst mich hinaus ins Weite, Du machst meine Finsternis hell.“  I’ll let you have fun translating that.

The last reading was from Romans where Paul talk about us being baptized into Christ’s death and sharing in Christ’s resurrection.  The acolytes removed the white cloths and three men carried the heavy cross out of the church – what great symbolism!  Then they took the Christ candle and everyone went back outside and gathered around the fire.  They lit the candle with due ceremony then we walked behind the priest carrying the lit Christ candle into the dark church.  Nearly to the alter the acolytes lit their candles from the Christ candle and soon the whole church as dancing with the light of a hundred candles.  Most of the service was conducted this way.  I was most impressed with the thin candles that lasted so long and didn’t drip wax.

We sang plenty of songs but the congregation didn’t sing much.  They didn’t make a great noise when we greeted each other with “Christ is risen” either.  Oh well, if it were perfect I’d want to change churches and that’s no good.

The children were invited to the front and they all stood their with their live flames during long chants and readings all in high German.  Finally they got to take some holy water back to their seats, but they all managed well and there was no children’s sermon.  Interesting to know what children are capable of.

They read the resurrections story then the church bells rang and the acolytes rang their bells and the trumpet and organ played and we sang and I could have gone on like that for much longer.  The trumpet player was excellent.

I said the parts of the liturgy that I knew in English and could thus follow most of communion, though I was disappointed that they only served the bread.

I know I’m forgetting something interesting, but there was so much!  At the end they gave out dyed eggs and the tradition here is to knock yours against your neighbors and if yours doesn’t crack then you win and go knock against someone else.

Another impressive thing was that the hymnal included chants in older notation (square note) and the congregation was expected to sing, and did as well as with the others.

On my bike ride home I couldn’t help but cry out in the stillness of the night “Christus is auferstanden!”  That moment I looked up and it began to snow!  I took that to mean “Er ist wahrhaft auferstanden!”

Happy Easter!

P.S. My post was happily interrupted by a call from Texas!  My dear friend SW heard I was on Skype and called to bug me about not writing.  It was so lovely to talk to her and her husband and her parents!  What took me so long to join the legions of Skype-lovers?  Now after the call and the post it is 11:30 I need to be up in five hours and I’m still pumped.  It’s Easter!  Christ is risen!  There are so many people I love dearly in my life!  God is so good and generous and full of blessings for those who struggle to follow Him!  How I’ve failed even focus on Him during lent and Holy Week and how graciously He still sends joy over his resurrection and forgiveness.  Praise God for His patience and graciousness!