Holy Saturday (Easter Eve)
Antiphon
Setting by Rachel Wilhelm: https://tinyurl.com/ssededyz
Man that is born of a woman
has but a short time to live and is full of misery.
He comes up and is cut down;
much like a flower in spring that blooms and then is gone.
He flees, he flees, as he were a shadow;
He flees, he flees, as he were a spark;
He blooms for a time then the wind
Blows him away…
All flesh is like grass.
He is but a breath, his days are like a shadow.
He’s of yesterday and not tomorrow, tomorrow.
All his years seem long and scatter in the breeze.
All his sorrow fleeting memory.
We thank you, heavenly Father,
that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son;
and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life,
so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys;
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and forever. Amen. WS2
Music: https://tinyurl.com/ufxekitx
God, come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
HYMN: Thomas Whytehead
Tune: Petra/Redhead https://tinyurl.com/2ksxp2tu
1 Resting from His work to-day
In the tomb the Saviour lay;
Still He slept, from head to feet
Shrouded in the winding-sheet,
Lying in the rock alone,
Hidden by the sealèd stone.
2 Late at even there was seen
Watching long the Magdalene;
Early, ere the break of day,
Sorrowful she took her way
To the holy garden glade,
Where her buried Lord was laid.
3 So with Thee, till life shall end,
I would solemn vigil spend:
Let me hew Thee, Lord, a shrine
In this rocky heart of mine,
Where in pure embalmèd cell,
None but Thou may ever dwell.
4 Myrrh and spices will I bring,
True affection’s offering;
Close the door from sight and sound
Of the busy world around;
And in patient watch remain
Till my Lord appear again.
PSALMS
Psalm 22 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/tcvjnwc)
1 My God, my God, look upon me; why hast thou forsaken me *
and art so far from my health, and from the words of my complaint?
2 O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest not *
and in the night-season also I take no rest.
3 And thou continuest holy *
O thou worship of Israel.
4 Our fathers hoped in thee *
they trusted in thee, and thou didst deliver them.
5 They called upon thee, and were holpen *
they put their trust in thee, and were not confounded.
6 But as for me, I am a worm, and no man *
a very scorn of men, and the out-cast of the people.
7 All they that see me laugh me to scorn *
they shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying,
8 He trusted in God, that he would deliver him *
let him deliver him, if he will have him.
9 But thou art he that took me out of my mother’s womb *
thou wast my hope, when I hanged yet upon my mother’s breasts.
10 I have been left unto thee ever since I was born *
thou art my God even from my mother’s womb.
11 O go not from me, for trouble is hard at hand *
and there is none to help me.
12 Many oxen are come about me *
fat bulls of Basan close me in on every side.
13 They gape upon me with their mouths *
as it were a ramping and a roaring lion.
14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint *
my heart also in the midst of my body is even like melting wax.
15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
and my tongue cleaveth to my gums *
and thou shalt bring me into the dust of death.
16 For many dogs are come about me *
and the council of the wicked layeth siege against me.
17 They pierced my hands and my feet; I may tell all my bones *
they stand staring and looking upon me.
18 They part my garments among them *
and cast lots upon my vesture.
19 But be not thou far from me, O Lord *
thou art my succour, haste thee to help me.
20 Deliver my soul from the sword *
my darling from the power of the dog.
21 Save me from the lion’s mouth *
thou hast heard me also from among the horns of the unicorns.
22 I will declare thy Name unto my brethren *
in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.
23 O praise the Lord, ye that fear him *
magnify him, all ye of the seed of Jacob,
and fear him, all ye seed of Israel;
24 For he hath not despised, nor abhorred,
the low estate of the poor *
he hath not hid his face from him,
but when he called unto him he heard him.
25 My praise is of thee in the great congregation *
my vows will I perform in the sight of them that fear him.
26 The poor shall eat, and be satisfied *
they that seek after the Lord shall praise him;
your heart shall live for ever.
27 All the ends of the world shall remember themselves,
and be turned unto the Lord *
and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him.
28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s *
and he is the Governor among the people.
29 All such as be fat upon earth *
have eaten, and worshipped.
30 All they that go down into the dust shall kneel before him *
and no man hath quickened his own soul.
31 My seed shall serve him *
they shall be counted unto the Lord for a generation.
32 They shall come, and the heavens shall declare his righteousness *
unto a people that shall be born, whom the Lord hath made.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 23 (Anglican Chant: https://tinyurl.com/swfdhyk)
1 The Lord is my shepherd *
therefore can I lack nothing.
2 He shall feed me in a green pasture *
and lead me forth beside the waters of comfort.
3 He shall convert my soul *
and bring me forth in the paths of righteousness, for his Name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil *
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff comfort me.
5 Thou shalt prepare a table before me against them that trouble me *
thou hast anointed my head with oil, and my cup shall be full.
6 But thy loving-kindness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son :
and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be :
world without end. Amen.
Psalm 22 (Tonus peregrinus)
2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? †
Why are you far from saving me,
so far from my words of anguish?
3 O my God, I call by day and you do not answer; *
I call by night and find no reprieve.
4 Yet you, O God, are holy, *
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
5 In you our ancestors put their trust; *
they trusted and you set them free.
6 When they cried to you, they escaped; *
in you they trusted and were not put to shame.
7 But I am a worm and no man, *
scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
8 All who see me deride me; *
they curl their lips, they toss their heads:
9 “He trusted in the LORD, let him save him; *
let him release him, for in him he delights.”
10 Yes, it was you who took me from the womb, *
entrusted me to my mother’s breast.
11 To you I was committed from birth; *
from my mother’s womb, you have been my God.
12 Stay not far from me; *
trouble is near, and there is no one to help.
13 Many bulls have surrounded me *
fierce bulls of Bashan close me in.
14 Against me they open wide their mouths, *
like a lion, rending and roaring.
15 Like water I am poured out, *
disjointed are all my bones.
My heart has become like wax, *
it is melted within my breast.
16 Parched as burnt clay is my throat, *
my tongue cleaves fast to my jaws.
You lay me in the dust of death. †
17 For dogs have surrounded me; *
a band of the wicked besets me.
They tear holes in my hands and my feet; *
18 I can count every one of my bones.
They stare at my and gloat. †
19 They divide my clothing among them, *
they cast lots for my robe.
20 But you, O LORD, do not stay afar off; *
my strength, make haste to help me!
21 Rescue my soul from the sword, *
my life from the grip of the dog.
22 Save my life from the jaws of the lion, *
my poor soul from the horns of wild bulls.
23 I will tell of your name to my kin, *
and praise you in the midst of the assembly.
24 “You who fear the LORD, give him praise; †
all descendants of Jacob give him glory; *
revere him, all you descendants of Israel.
25 For he has never despised *
nor scorned the poverty of the poor.
From him he has not hidden his face, *
but has heard him whenever he cried.”
26 You are my praise in the great assembly. †
My vows I will pay before those who fear him. *
27 The poor shall eat and shall have their fill.
They shall praise the LORD, those who seek him. *
May your hearts live on forever and ever!
28 All the earth shall remember and return to the LORD, †
all families of the nations worship before him, *
29 for the kingdom is the LORD’s, he is the ruler of the nations.
32 They have eaten and adore him, all who sleep in the earth; *
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust.
31 And my soul shall live for him, my descendants serve him. *
They shall tell of the Lord to generations yet to come.
32 declare his saving justice to the peoples yet unborn: *
“These are the things the LORD has done.”
Psalm 23 (Gregorian Tone 6)
1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
there is nothing I shall want.
2 Fresh and green are the pastures *
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me; *
3 he revives my soul.
He guides me along the right path, *
for the sake of his name.
4 Though I should walk in the valley of the shadow of death †
no evil would I fear, for you are with me. *
Your crook and your staff will give me comfort.
5 You have prepared a table before me *
in the sight of my foes.
6 My head you have anointed with oil; *
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me *
all the days of my life.
In the LORD’s own house shall I dwell *
for length of days unending.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus Christ, our good shepherd,
in the waters of Baptism you give us birth,
and at your table you nourish us with heavenly food.
In your goodness and mercy,
lead us along safe paths,
beyond the terrors of evil and death,
to the house of the Lord
where we may rest securely in you forever. Amen. BCW
THE WORD OF GOD
READING: Zechariah 14:1-11
See, a day is coming for the Lord, when the plunder taken from you will be divided in your midst. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped; half the city shall go into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the mount shall withdraw northward and the other half southward. And you shall flee by the valley of the Lord’s mountain, for the valley between the mountains shall reach to Azal, and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him.
On that day there shall not be either cold or frost. And there shall be continuous day (it is known to the Lord), not day and not night, for at evening time there shall be light.
On that day living water shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of it to the eastern sea and half of it to the western sea; it shall continue in summer as in winter.
And the Lord will become king over all the earth; on that day the Lord will be one and his name one.
The whole land shall be turned into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem shall remain aloft on its site from the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. And it shall be inhabited, for never again shall it be doomed to destruction; Jerusalem shall abide in security.
HYMN: Bernard Barton
Tune: Caithness https://tinyurl.com/43v4hnkh
1 We journey through a vale of tears,
By many a cloud o’ercast;
And worldly cares, and worldly fears,
Go with us to the last.
2 Not to the last! Thy word hath said,
Could we but read aright,–
Poor pilgrim, lift in hope thy head;
At eve it shall be light!
3 Only believe, in living faith,
His love and power divine;
And ere thy sun shall set in death,
His light shall round thee shine.
4 When tempest-clouds are dark on high,
His bow of love and peace
Shines sweetly in the vaulted sky,–
A pledge that storms shall cease.
5 Hold on thy way, with hope unchilled,
By faith and not by sight,
And thou shalt own His word fulfilled,–
At eve it shall be light.
READING: 1 John 5:5-12
Who is it who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This [Jesus] is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth. There are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree. If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
HYMN: Charles Wesley
Tune: Selena https://tinyurl.com/4j9fvr9e
1 O LOVE divine! what hast Thou done?
The immortal God hath died for me!
The Father’s co-eternal Son
Bore all my sins upon the tree;
The immortal God for me hath died;
My Lord, my Love, is crucified.
2 Behold Him, all ye that pass by,
The bleeding Prince of life and peace!
Come, sinners, see your Maker die,
And say, was ever grief like His?
Come. feel with me His blood applied:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified:
3 Is crucified for me and you,
To bring us rebels back to God:
Believe, believe the record true,
Ye all are bought with Jesu’s blood,
Pardon for all flows from His side:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified.
4 Then let us sit beneath His Cross,
And gladly catch the healing stream,
All things for Him account but loss,
And give up all our hearts to Him;
Of nothing think or speak beside:
My Lord, my Love, is crucified.
READING: John 19:31-42
Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the Sabbath, especially because that Sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth, so that you also may continue to believe.) These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed his body. Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
CANTICLE
Martin Luther; trans. Lutheran Hymnal, 1941 ©
Tune: Mitten wir im Leben sind
In the very midst of life
Snares of death surround us;
Who shall help us in the strife
Lest the foe confound us?
Thou only, Lord, Thou only!
We mourn that we have greatly erred,
That our sins Thy wrath have stirred.
Holy and righteous God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Eternal Lord God!
Save us lest we perish
In the bitter pangs of death.
Have mercy, O Lord!
In the midst of death’s dark vale
Pow’rs of hell o’ertake us.
Who will help when they assail,
Who secure will make us?
Thou only, Lord, Thou only!
Thy heart is moved with tenderness,
Pities us in our distress.
Holy and righteous God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Eternal Lord God!
Save us from the terror
Of the fiery pit of hell.
Have mercy, O Lord!
In the midst of utter woe
When our sins oppress us,
Where shall we for refuge go,
Where for grace to bless us?
To Thee, Lord Jesus, only!
Thy precious blood was shed to win
Full atonement for our sin.
Holy and righteous God!
Holy and mighty God!
Holy and all-merciful Savior!
Eternal Lord God!
Lord, preserve and keep us
In the peace that faith can give.
Have mercy, O Lord!
THE PRAYERS CW:TS
Let us pray to the Father through his Son
who suffered on the cross for the world’s redemption.
Fill Christ’s broken body, the Church, with your Spirit…
Give to Christian people everywhere a deep longing
to take up the cross and to understand its mysterious glory.
By the Saviour’s cross and passion,
Lord, save us and help us.
Bless those who lead the Church’s worship at this solemn time …
In the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments
draw your people close to you.
By the Saviour’s cross and passion,
Lord, save us and help us.
Strengthen those who are preparing for baptism,
together with their teachers, sponsors and families …
Teach them what it means to die and rise with Christ
and prepare them to receive the breath of his Spirit.
By the Saviour’s cross and passion,
Lord, save us and help us.
Look in your mercy upon the world you loved so much
that you sent your Son to suffer and to die …
Strengthen those who work to share
the reconciliation won at such a cost upon the cross.
By the Saviour’s cross and passion,
Lord, save us and help us.
Bring healing by the wounds of Christ
to all who are weighed down by pain and injustice …
Help the lonely and the betrayed, the suffering and the dying,
to find strength in the companionship of Jesus,
and in his passion to know their salvation.
By the Saviour’s cross and passion,
Lord, save us and help us.
Welcome into paradise all who have left this world in your friendship …
According to your promises,
bring them with all your saints
to share in all the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection.
By the Saviour’s cross and passion,
Lord, save us and help us.
Holy God,
holy and strong,
holy and immortal,
have mercy on us.
Setting: Sanford Dole https://tinyurl.com/y7ldq7h5
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your Name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today the bread of life;
and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
O Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the living God,
set your passion, cross and death
between your judgement and our souls,
now and in the hour of our death.
Grant mercy and grace to the living,
rest to the departed,
to your Church peace and concord
and to us sinners forgiveness,
and everlasting life and glory;
for, with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
you are alive and reign,
God, now and for ever. Amen. CW:TS
Music: https://tinyurl.com/y9efvwm5
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen. 2 Cor. 13:14
BCW Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 1993.
BCW2018 Book of Common Worship, Presbyterian Church U.S.A., 2018
CW:TS Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included here,
is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006 and published by Church House Publishing
WS2 The Worship Sourcebook, 2nd edition, © 2013, Faith Alive Christian Resources
The main scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The traditional version of the psalms is from The Book of Common Prayer (1662).
Psalms marked Gregorian are from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles ©2010, 2018 The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved. ©2020 as recorded for the Chants and Rants YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@chantsandrants
Musical links are usually either to artists’ albums posted on Spotify or to recordings made available at smallchurchmusic.com. Audio stripped from YouTube videos is footnoted accordingly above.
Compilation © 2026 Stephen T. Benner. All links worked at the time they were created, but I cannot accept responsibility for their content or any damage resulting from their use. The linked content is under the control of the respective content creators and is subject to change at any time. Any copyright texts included in this compilation are provided for non-commercial purposes related to study or worship. Please contact the respective copyright holders for permission to use the texts in other contexts.
Oremus 