Trinity church in the City of Boston
Easter Vigil, Year C 2025
6pm
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 [Israel’s deliverance at the Red Sea]
Zephaniah 3:14-20 [The gathering of God’s people]
Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 114
Luke 24:1-12
O God, who made this most holy night to shine with the glory of the Lord’s resurrection: Stir up in your Church that Spirit of adoption which is given to us in Baptism, that we, being renewed both in body and mind, may worship you in sincerity and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
I’m gonna tell you a story
I’m gonna tell you about my town
I’m gonna tell you a big fat story, baby
Oh, it’s all about my town
Yeah, down by the river
Down by the banks of the river Charlesi
Many of you might recognize these words as the words of “Dirty Water” written by the Standellsii and sung with wild abandon at Boston Sports events. The chorus continues with
I love that dirty water (I love Boston)
I love that dirty water (have you heard about the strangler?)
I love that dirty water (I’m the man, I’m the man)
I love that dirty water (oh)
I love that dirty water (come on)
I kinda love that dirty water (come on)
The song has a very interesting story. It comes not from a native Bostonian, not someone singing of a space that was home… rather it is written by Ed Cobb, the band’s producer. A native of Los Angeles, Cobb wrote this song after walking with his girlfriend down by the Charles river and being mugged. An unfortunate event and from that event, comes this song acknowledging the wrongs and beauty of the dirty water that Boston surrounds.
It’s home.
It’s dirty, it’s full of all of humanity- gorgeous beauty and brokenness.
And it’s beloved.
Each day beginning new.
Each day a chorus of I love that dirty water.
Tonight, we gather to hear the story of water in our midst.
And the water we here of is also murky, dark and muddy water.
We are reminded through storytelling of God’s presence in the dirty water of humanity.
The need for God to save us and lead us through the challenges and brokenness.
We hear of the Israelites, given a pathway where none previously existed, through the dirty, muddy water of the Red Sea, parted for their path and trapping those behind them.
Miriam gets out her tambourine, once they are safely on the other side, singing about the water through which they were saved, of God’s provision and coming to them in their midst.
In our reading from Romans, we are reminded of Jesus’ own baptism that we too are baptized into. We remember John the Baptist baptizing Jesus in the River Jordan. A river that is really a muddy marshy, water way running through the land. This baptism was not with a font and lightly warmed water, the water was muddy, murky, dirty. In this water Jesus is baptized and we too, are baptized.
Into the muddiness of life, into the muck of living in close proximity to one another, we are reminded of the story of God’s deep undercurrent of love calling to us, inviting us to be washed by this water and be in the midst of the messiness of being a neighbor and a beloved child of God.
We are called by baptism to be in the midst, these candidates will soon commit themselves – as we too will renew our own baptismal covenant with them – to being washed anew in the waters of baptism.
Baptism doesn’t mean that any of us become perfect. While we are washed clean, we are reminded that each day we renew our promises to live faithfully as God’s beloved.
Into the messiness, into the continued promises that God has given us to be present with us in our midst, calling us into community, calling us into relationship with those who are familiar and those who make us uncomfortable.
On this holy night, in the most ancient of services –when the first baptisms of converts took place in the early church, we remember not only the story of God coming to save God’s people over and over again, we hear the culmination of the Easter story.
From the waters of the Jordan river to the fresh dew of Easter morning, we see the completion of Jesus’ earthly ministry with the empty tomb. The messiness of the unexpected, the murky fog of confusion, the tears of disappoint and the unexpected revelation of God’s presence in their midst- renewing hope in a world of muddy water, brokenness and incompleteness.
In that story we are invited and included through baptism. (it’s our home)
Into that story we are adopted, each as children of God, no matter our age. (You are the child)
Into that dirty water, we too sing
I love that dirty water (I’m the man, I’m the man)
I love that dirty water (oh)
I love that dirty water (come on)
I kinda love that dirty water (come on)
For we understand where we are is imperfect and yet here we are- each day striving to live with God’s help into being the beloved that God has called us.
It’s the rest of the story that we are invited into.
Into the waters of baptism, into the waters of Easter Sunday, resurrection and new beginnings.
We ring those bells with each alleluia and dance and sing together.
Knowing that there will be more mud to wade through
And we are together on this journey, we are companions- sharing story like Miriam, like the women who saw it first at the tomb, inviting others into the muddy waters of hard work and hope.
I will with god’s help.
You will say so too.
In this muddy murky world, let’s remember the songs and story that have preceded us when we feel most stuck, reminding us to take one step at a time with Easter hope.
Alleluia Alleluia
"I will with God's Help" 