Archbishop of Canterbury - Easter Sermon

ACNS 4275 | LAMBETH | 08 APRIL 2007

Archbishop of Canterbury - Human failure is overcome by God's love

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams says that the whole weight human failure cannot extinguish the creative love of God. In his Easter sermon, to be preached at Canterbury Cathedral this morning [Sunday 8th April, Easter Day], Dr Williams says that conflict and failure are part of the human condition, but that Jesus' death and Resurrection turns that on its head:

"We share one human story in which we are all caught up in one sad tangle of selfishness and fear and so on. But God has entered that human story; he has lived a life of divine and unconditional life in a human life of flesh and blood."

He recalls a visit to the Solomon Islands in 2004 when one of the leaders caught up in the islands' recent civil war took public responsibility for failure:

"He said 'I want you to bless us; I need to say in public that we were responsible as well as the people on the islands.' Here was a politician representing a community that had suffered greatly and inflicted great suffering as well saying 'We were all wrong. We needed healing and forgiveness.' And it was as if for the first time you could see the bare bones of what reconciliation means."

The lesson, he says, can be learnt in other conflicts when people learn to listen to stories other than their own:

".going forward requires us all to learn a measure of openness to discovering things about ourselves we did not know, seeing ourselves through the eyes of another. What they see may be fair or unfair, but it is a reality that has been driving someone's reactions and decisions. We'd better listen, hateful and humiliating though it may be for some of us."

In Northern Ireland, he said, progress towards reconciliation had made it possible for people to start to hear each other's histories; this meant that they needn't be bound by the past:

"Everyone in this history made decisions, some shockingly evil, some tragic, some foolish [but] those decisions and the sufferings that came from them don't have the power to tell you what decisions you have to make today."

The Easter story, he says, provides comfort and encouragement:

"If we can accept the unwelcome picture of us and our world that Good Friday offers, we are in the strangest way, set free to hear what Easter says. Give up the struggle to be innocent and the hope that God will proclaim that you were right and everyone else wrong. Simply ask for whatever healing it is that you need, whatever grace and hope you need to be free, then step towards your neighbour; Easter reveals a God who is ready to give you that grace and to walk with you."

"When in our world we are faced with the terrible deadlocks of mutual hatred and suspicion, with rival stories of suffering and atrocity, we have to pray for this resurrection message to be heard."

Ends

The Archbishop's sermon for Easter Day will be delivered at the main Eucharist in Canterbrury Cathedral tomorrow, 8th April. The service starts at 11am

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Holy Spirit in Scripture (New American Standard Bible)

Job 33:4

The Spirit of God has made me;
And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

Ezekiel 36:26

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

John 3:8

The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

John 6:63

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.

John 14:26

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

Acts 10:34-35

Opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him."

Romans 8:26-27

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Galatians 5:22-23

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

1 Corinthians 12:1-6

The Use of Spiritual Gifts

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

1 Corinthians 13:12

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Holy Week and Easter Schedule

Maundy Thursday,
7:00 pm, Maundy Thursday Eucharist - Ceremony of Washing Feet
8:30 pm - 9:00 am Watch at the Altar of Repose

Good Friday,
9:00 am, Morning Prayer
12:00 pm - 3:00 pm Seven Last Words from the Cross
7:00 pm, Good Friday Liturgy

Holy Saturday,
1:00 pm - Sacrament of Reconciliation
3:00 pm
8:00 pm, The Great Easter Vigil (arrive at 7:30pm)

Easter Sunday,
8:00 am, Holy Eucharist, Rite I
9:15 am, Contemporary Eucharist, Rite II
10:30 am, Holy Eucharist, Rite II