The Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) has suggestions for Easter
Evening, after having provided readings for Easter Vigil and the Main Service
of Easter. It contains this note
regarding these lessons:
The following readings
are for occasions when the main (eucharistic) Easter service must be late in
the day. They are not intended for Vespers (Evening Prayer) on Easter Evening.
It is an interesting note.
I assume that the lectionary compilers believe that a congregation has
already conducted some earlier service – either a vigil or sunrise service –
before a worship time containing these readings come around.
The Gospel Reading for this grouping is Luke 24:13-49, which
is the somewhat lengthy account of the walk to Emmaus. That event takes place over in the day on the
first day of the week, but it is certainly not at daybreak. The empty tomb scenario is narratively in the
past. This is not to quibble, but I
merely observe that this is a story that the contemporary reader has trouble
assigning to Easter Day. The
storytelling is there, and there is no doubt.
But I think that we are so accustomed to hearing this on the week after
Easter, or the week after that, that we double-take at the thought of rehearsing
these events Easter Day. I don’t know
that I have ever been a part of “occasions when the main (eucharistic) Easter
service must be late in the day.” Even
in churches that usually conducted evening worship, we always took Easter night
off.
In considering this, I think that it is too bad that I have
never been in a situation that allowed for this time-line. It is a powerful story, but when I consider
the possibilities of concluding the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord with
this tale I boggle at the possibilities.
So, I am a day (three, actually) late and a dollar
short. But, I intend to live with the
Emmaus passage a while before too much time passes.
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