Easter Eve, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem
This evening we're in Jerusalem and not far from where we're staying lots of Christians of many backgrounds are crowded into the ancient Church of the Holy Sepulchure, perhaps the site of Jesus' burial and resurrection. Several different denominations squabble over the right to be there and fisticuffs have ensued along the way, which is totally disheartening.
Tonight's Easter Vigil intrigues me nonetheless, even though it doesn't make sense to be there given the unsettled state of the city these days. On Easter Eve day a fire is kindled in the darkest recess of the church which is then sent out to countries across Europe.
When we lived in Sudbury an multi-congregational Easter Vigil was part of our Holy Week for several years. It was always a service of mystery and power and, yes, we lit a fire out on the street which then provided the flame for the processional candle for our choir on Easter morning. We used what we termed the "holy hibachi" -- a bit irreverent, but accurate. Keeping that flame alive and making sure the church wasn't torched in the night was a challenge.
Easter Eve is also a traditional time for baptisms and our son Isaac, now a United Church minister, was baptized during that service when he was eight years old. We wanted our three kids to remember their baptisms and they all were part of the decision-making process. I asked him about his memory of the experience and he shared a page from his journal at the time (he was a thoughtful lad, even then) He said that on his way to the baptismal font: "when I was walking up the stairs I thought I was flying."
I hope there is a sense of the holy for all of us this Easter weekend.
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