Holy Saturday is characterised by absence. There is no liturgical focus; indeed, there are no liturgical ceremonies whatsoever, beyond the daily office. It is a day on which we come face to face with the emptiness of the world when Christ was killed; what life would be like without the loving presence of God in the world. It’s the only day on which the blessed sacrament is not reserved in church.

In the evening, however, as night falls, we will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness, and life over death, as Christ rises from the tomb. The Easter Vigil is the liturgical cornerstone of the whole Church calendar.

The focus from earliest times has been the journey from death to life: our ‘Exodus,’ our liberation from the captivity of sin and death, and entry into the new life of the resurrection. The first part of the service consists of vigil readings, accounts of God saving his people in the Old Testament, and the climax is the reading from Exodus 14, the parting of the Red Sea.

The Paschal Candle, lit from a fire kindled outside the church, leads us in procession into the church, and the priest sings the ‘Exsultet,’ the ancient and beautiful song in praise of the light. We acclaim the resurrection with an organ fanfare, and the ringing of bells and clashing of pots and pans, and the church lights are raised as we throw open the doors of the reredos above the high altar in joyful celebration. A moment of high drama not to be missed!

The Paschal Candle leads us to the font and is dipped into the water to bless it. Gathered around the font, the symbol of the empty tomb, we renew our baptismal vows and are sprinkled with the waters of resurrection; a reminder of our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ.

The joyful celebration of the Eucharist crowns the liturgy. This is one of the longer services of the year, but certainly one of the most powerful, and the most glorious.