AS CHRISTIANS “shout with joy that Christ is risen”, they should “pray and call with renewed urgency for an end to the violence and destruction in the Middle East”, the Archbishop of Canterbury said in her first Easter Day sermon at Canterbury Cathedral.
Archbishop Mullally preached during a sung eucharist broadcast live on BBC Radio 4’s Sunday Worship, and is due to preach at an Easter Day eucharist, which begins at 11 a.m.
Preaching on John 20.1-18, the Archbishop observed that the resurrection began “early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark” (v1).
She said: “Before the stone was moved, before the angels spoke, the work of God was already unfolding in the dark. This morning, we celebrate the darkness as the site of God’s glory, the womb of resurrection life. God’s most essential work of the resurrection happens in the depths of the earth, while the world is silent and still dark.”
Society conditioned people to be “impatient with the dark”, she said. “Yet, for me, darkness is also a place for the movement of the Spirit, knowing that Jesus is with me.
“In the ordinary life of the world there is much that sustains us while we sleep. Last night, in hospitals around the country, nurses tended to those who struggled to sleep. In hospices, carers and loved ones will have held someone’s hand, letting them know that they are not alone. Parents will have cradled their babies to sleep. This vigil of care is the work of remaining — of staying present in the quiet and the dark.”
The resurrection was a reminder that “God is at work in the quiet depths of the tomb”, she said. “God does not wait for the sun to rise to begin the work of saving the world; the life-giving work is already at full strength in the darkness.”
Archbishop Mullally continued: “When Mary Magdalene arrives in the garden, she is grief-stricken. When the other disciples run away, she remains at the tomb seeking Jesus. There is a profound faithfulness in this. It reminds us that we do not need to have clear answers to be close to God. For Mary, seeking, weeping, and peering into the mystery, is her act of worship.”
The Archbishop made a personal appeal to people who were suffering: “Perhaps you are standing here today in your own version of the dark, perhaps with your own heart shattered. . . If you have been knocked off course by illness, bereavement, unemployment, or any other human crisis — I pray that you will know that God walks with you through that darkness.”
Turning to the war in the Middle East and the Gulf, Archbishop Mullally said: “This week, our gaze and our prayers have been turned towards the land where Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead. Today, as we shout with joy that Christ is risen, let us pray and call with renewed urgency for an end to the violence and destruction in the Middle East and the Gulf. May our Christian sisters and brothers know and celebrate the hope of the empty tomb — and may all people of the region receive the peace, justice, and freedom they long for.
“The invitation of Easter is to a relationship. Jesus does not wait for Mary to be certain; he finds her in her grief and darkness and calls her into the light and hope of the resurrection.”
The Archbishop concluded: “Jesus doesn’t wait for us to have it all together. Jesus is with us in the darkness. Jesus calls us by name, and invites us to be with him in the light of the resurrection, to trust that we are known and deeply loved.
“As the sun rises and the dawn breaks, Mary runs with the good news — the apostle to the apostles — proclaiming: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ This Easter, we are all invited to follow in Mary’s footsteps. The risen Christ stands beside you, calling your name and inviting you into the resurrection life.”
