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SUMMARY:Easter Day - Lighting of the New Fire\, Vigil and Morning Prayer
DTSTART:20260405T053000Z
DTEND:20260405T070000Z
DTSTAMP:20260408T015158Z
UID:13149982026-04-05 05:30:00+00:00achurchnearyou
CATEGORIES:
DESCRIPTION:We begin in darkness and move into light\, just as the long ni
 ght of sin and death is brought to an end by the Resurrection – the risi
 ng of the True Sun\, Jesus Christ. The service begins with the lighting an
 d blessing of the ‘New Fire:’ ‘Sanctify this new fire\, and inflame 
 us with a\nnew hope\; in this paschal feast may we so burn with heavenly d
 esires\, that we may attain to the feast of eternal light.’ The priest t
 hen takes the great Paschal Candle\, traces the cross in its wax\, adorns 
 it with Alpha and Omega\, adds the current year\, and five grains of incen
 se for the five wounds suffered by Our Lord. The Paschal Candle is lit fro
 m the New Fire and becomes the focal point of our praise – an eloquent s
 ymbol of the risen Saviour. In procession\, the great candle is carried up
  the aisle through the darkened church. Our hand tapers are lit. The light
  spreads. At the front of the church\, the Exultet\, an ancient and beauti
 ful chant\, is sung. Its theme is the overcoming of the darkness of this w
 orld by the light of Christ. It summons all creation to rejoice. Next\, re
 adings from the Old Testament help us to recall God’s mighty acts in anc
 ient times and these prophecies foster our own sense of hope and anticipat
 ion of the coming Messiah. We listen to the Creation story\, and the story
  of the People of Israel escaping from Egypt through the Red Sea on their 
 way to the Promised Land. Following the Old Testament readings\, we conclu
 de with Morning Prayer and are welcome to stay for breakfast in preparatio
 n for the glorious Sung Easter Holy Communion at 10:00am.
GEO:5.166307469844815;52.22552490855727
LOCATION:Church of the Ascension Hilversum
URL:https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/33342/service-and-events/events/
 1314998/
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