O God, Who didst enlighten this most holy night with the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection; Preserve in all Thy people the spirit of adoption which Thou hast given, so that renewed in body and soul they may perform unto Thee a pure service; through the same, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

--Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church

The Great Vigil of Easter is a long service that spans much of the entire evening between Holy Saturday and Easter morning. It is a service of contrasts--darkness and light, death and resurrection, waiting and rejoicing. Since the beginnings of Christianity, believers have marked this night with prayer, Scripture readings, and (finally) celebration of the resurrection of Christ Jesus and his defeat of sin, death, and the devil.

Instead of posting the entire service, here is a link for you to check it out. May it be a great blessing for you as you anticipate the resurrection of our Lord.

If you just want to prepare by reading the series of twelve readings, here is the traditional list (there is some variation historically, but most traditions use something very similar):

Genesis 1:1-2:2 (Creation)
Genesis 5:32-8:21, (Flood)
Genesis 22:1-19 (Binding of Isaac)
Exodus 14:24-15:1a (Crossing of the Red Sea)
Isaiah 54:17b-55:11 (Come ye to the waters)
Baruch 3:1-37 (God as the fountain of wisdom)
Ezekiel 37:1-14 (Valley of Dry Bones)
Isaiah 4:1-6 (Renewal of Zion)
Exodus 12:1-11 (Passover)
Jonah 3:1-10 (Jonah preaches to Ninevah)
Deuteronomy 31:22-30 (Moses Predicts Israel’s Rebellion)
Daniel 3:1-23 (Three Men in the Fiery Furnace)

Photo by Nicola Fioravanti on Unsplash