Redcliffe Anglican Parish

It is Pentecost this Sunday so come and join us for the birthday of the church!
7.30am at St Mary’s
9.30am at St Anne’s with Kids Church

So good to be able to drop off so many groceries at The Breakfast Club Redcliffe Inc today. The pantry shelves were looking worryingly empty so it’s good to be able to put something back into the community.
Let’s keep it up!

Thank you so very much to the Redcliffe Anglican Parish for another wonderful donation. It is always great to see you.

For those of you who were present at the Saturday night service you would have heard the Exsultet sung, and this is a little bit of info as to why.

✝️ WHY WE SING “EXSULTET” 😳
THE MOST POWERFUL HYMN YOU’VE NEVER UNDERSTOOD
___________________
In the darkness of the Easter Vigil…

A candle is lit.
The church is still.

And then a voice breaks the silence:

👉 “Exsultet!”- Rejoice!

Why does the Church begin the greatest night of the year with this ancient chant?

Because this is not just a hymn.

👉 It is a proclamation of victory.

✝️ 1. IT IS THE CHURCH’S OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RESURRECTION

The Exsultet is sung after the Paschal Candle enters.

Why?

Because:

👉 The Light has returned
👉 Christ has risen

And the Church cannot remain silent.

So she sings:

👉 “Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad!”

This is not music.

👉 It is announcement.

✝️ 2. IT CALLS ALL CREATION TO REJOICE

The Exsultet does something unusual.

It doesn’t just speak to people.

It calls:

Heaven

Earth

Angels

The entire universe

👉 To rejoice.

Why?

Because the Resurrection is not just about humans.

👉 It is cosmic.

Creation itself is being restored.

✝️ 3. IT PROCLAIMS THE “HAPPY FAULT” 😳

One of the most shocking lines says:

👉 “O happy fault… that earned for us so great a Redeemer!”

How can sin be “happy”?

It doesn’t mean sin is good.

👉 It means:

👉 God brought a greater good out of it.

Sin brought death

Christ brought salvation

So the fall of Adam…

👉 Became the doorway for divine mercy.

✝️ 4. IT EXPLAINS THE MEANING OF THE CANDLE

The Exsultet speaks about:

👉 The Paschal Candle

A flame that is shared but not diminished

A light that conquers darkness

This is Christ:

👉 Given to all… yet never reduced.

✝️ 5. IT CONNECTS PASSOVER TO CHRIST

The hymn recalls:

The Exodus from Egypt

The night of liberation

The passing over of death

Then reveals:

👉 Christ is the true Passover.

Pharaoh - defeated

Slavery - broken

Death - conquered

What happened in Egypt…

👉 Is fulfilled in Christ.

✝️ 6. IT IS SUNG AT NIGHT, FOR A REASON

The Resurrection is first announced:

👉 In the night.

Why?

Because:

👉 Light shines best in darkness.

The Exsultet is not sung in daylight celebration.

👉 It is sung in the tension between darkness and dawn.

✝️ 7. MOST PEOPLE HEAR IT… BUT DON’T REALIZE WHAT’S HAPPENING

Let’s be honest:

Many hear the Exsultet…

👉 But don’t understand it.

Yet in that moment:

👉 The Church is:

Proclaiming victory over death

Interpreting all of salvation history

Announcing the Resurrection before the Gospel is even read

✝️ FINAL MESSAGE

Why do we sing the Exsultet?

Because:

👉 Silence is no longer possible
👉 Darkness has been broken
👉 Christ is alive

This hymn is not decoration.

👉 It is the Church crying out:

👉 “He has risen, and everything has changed.”

Before the Resurrection Gospel is even proclaimed, the Church has already announced the victory, through a hymn older than most nations.

✝️

It is finished.

This night we gather for Maundy Thursday—a sacred pause in the story of Holy Week.

We will receive the holy oils, signs of God’s healing, strengthening, and calling in our lives. And we will share in the washing of feet, a powerful act of humility and love, as Jesus showed his disciples how to serve one another.

Come and be part of this quiet, profound moment as we remember that love is shown not in words alone, but in service.

6pm at St Mary’s