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Easter Season · Year A

A Sixth Reading Easter Vigil

April 5, 2026

The Fountain of Life, Master of the Fountain of Life
The Fountain of Life, Master of the Fountain of Life, c. 1511National Gallery Prague
Below the cross, a Gothic fountain pours out the water of life, and crowds of the faithful, monks, nuns and laypeople, gather to drink from it.Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.Master of the Fountain of LifeAn unnamed painter of about 1511, named after this panel of the Fountain of Life.National Gallery PragueThe National Gallery Prague, the Czech national collection of art.National Gallery Prague
Revised Common Lectionary
Old TestamentIsa. 55:1-11Is 55:1-11
PsalterIsa. 12:2-6Is 12:2-6

Overview & Insights

“Seek the Lord while he may be found, call on him while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:6)

An Invitation to Sing: Once again a return to a focus on Ms Jerusalem follows the servant passage, as happened after 49:1–6 and 50:4–11. There were hints there that Ms Jerusalem’s restoration was the correlate of Ms Babylon’s humiliation in chapter 47. Chapter 54 is the systematic exposition of that theme. The prophet takes up five images of Ms Jerusalem which once again resume the themes of the people’s prayers (we are like a childless and abandoned woman, the victim of angry abuse—literally, we are a battered and insecure city) before coming to a striking conclusion.

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Take it further: Isaiah 55:1-11

Commentary

Commentary on Isaiah 55:1-11Commentary on Is 55:1-11 Working Preacher

The Vigil of Easter commentary on God's word that will not return empty, read as promise in the silence between Good Friday and Easter.

Isaiah 55 - An Invitation to Receive the GloryIs 55 - An Invitation to Receive the Glory Enduring Word · David Guzik

David Guzik's verse-by-verse study of the free invitation to come, buy, and eat without money.

Isaiah 55:1-9Is 55:1-9 Center for Excellence in Preaching

A Reformed preaching commentary that recovers the exile context so the invitation lands with a hungry, decimated people.

Isaiah 55:1 CommentariesIs 55:1 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic commentaries (Barnes, Matthew Henry, Gill, and others) gathered verse by verse on the great invitation.

Isaiah 55:1 Verse-by-Verse Bible CommentaryIs 55:1 Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary StudyLight

A large library of expositors stacked verse by verse for a fifth voice on the passage.

Background & Word Study

Isaiah 55:1 InterlinearIs 55:1 Interlinear BibleHub

The Hebrew of the invitation word by word with Strong's numbers and parsing.

Isaiah 55 (Hebrew and English)Is 55 (Hebrew and English) Sefaria

The original Hebrew of Isaiah 55 alongside English with linked Jewish commentary for the OT reading.

The Church Fathers

Isaiah 55 (Catena)Is 55 (Catena) Catena

Patristic comments gathered verse by verse, hearing the free water and bread as the gifts of the risen Christ.

Art & Music

The Great Vigil of Easter, Revised Common Lectionary Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt art index for the Easter Vigil, with historic images keyed to the Vigil readings.

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