WERE YOU THERE?
Readings and Song for a personal Easter Vigil
Luke 23:20-21:
Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again, but they kept shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”
Luke 23:24-27:
So Pilate decided to grant their demand. He released the man who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, the one they asked for, and surrendered Jesus to their will. As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.”
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble,
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
LSB 456 vs 1; CW 119 vs 1; ELW 353 VS 1
Mark 15:22-25:
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of The Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was the third hour when they crucified him.
Mark 15:40, 41:
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
Oh, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble,
Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
LSB 456 vs 2; CW 119 vs 2; ELW 353 VS 2
Matthew 27:50:
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Matthew 27:59-61:
Joseph [of Arimathea] took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
Oh, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble,
Were you there when they laid Him in the tomb?
LSB 456 vs 3; CW 119 vs 3; ELW 353 VS 3
Sit in silence for 3 minutes.
Mark 16:1-7:
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb, and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, and tell his disciples and Peter, “He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will find him, just as he told you.”
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead?
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead?
Oh, Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble,
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead?
LSB 456 vs 4; CW 119 vs 4; ELW 353 VS 4
Luke 24:9, 10:
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others, it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who said this to the apostles.
John 20:11-18:
But Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
“Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” [which means Teacher].
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” and she told them that he had said these things to her.
For all the faithful women Who served in days of old,
To You shall thanks be given; To all their story told.
They served with strength and gladness
In tasks Your wisdom gave,
To You their lives bore witness, Proclaimed Your pow’r to save.
We sing Your praise for Mary, Who came at Easter dawn
To look for Jesus’ body And found her Lord was gone.
But, as with joy she saw Him
In resurrection light,
May we by faith behold Him, The Day who ends our night!
O God, for saints and servants, Those named and those unknown
In whom through all the ages Your light of glory shone,
We offer glad thanksgiving
And fervent prayer we raise
That, faithful in Your service, Our lives may sing Your praise.
All praise to God the Father! All praise to Christ the Son!
All praise the Holy Spirit, Who binds the Church in one!
With saints who went before us,
With saints who witness still,
We sing glad Alleluias And strive to do Your will.
(LSB 855, vs 1, 13, 3, 4; ELW 419, vs 1, 9, 3, 4)
A note from Natalie-
I love the tradition of the Easter vigil and rejoice that more congregations are celebrating the vigil with full liturgical flourishes. If you are unable to join a congregation for such a service, consider a private vigil. For this purpose, consider that, according to the Hebraic tradition, the day begins at sundown. At the close of the Sabbath the women were able to begin preparing the spices. Doubtless they shared memories of Christ and the horror of the crucifixion as they worked together. For this reason, the readings selected are those that specifically mention the presence of the women. I used the verses of the spiritual, “Were You There” to break the readings and closed the vigil with a new hymn, “For All the Faithful Women” that includes a verse that tells the story of Mary Magdalene.
Natalie Grace
Thank you to Natalie Grace Hatrwig
who compiled the readings and hymns
for this personal devotion- 2019.
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