Easter faith “a lived reality”
Bishop Conway’s first Easter Day sermon as Bishop of Ely
Easter is a time to recognise “a deep sense of freedom” from failure, wrongdoing and bad choices – according to the Bishop of Ely, Stephen Conway, in his first Easter Day sermon to his Diocese.
Preaching to a packed congregation in Ely Cathedral this morning , Bishop Conway said: “ We come to church today to celebrate the Resurrection. Yet…. there can be a large gap somehow between our faithful living of the Christian life and a deep sense of freedom in resurrection life.
He added: “We can carry around a lifetime of grief inside There is persistent bereavement; the frustrations and disappointments we have suffered in our lives; the wounds of pain inflicted by others and our physical ailments, too.
“Not least, we bear the weight of our own sins, the bad choices we have made in our lives.”
Bishop Conway talked of forgiveness and the intensely personal relationship between God and each believer: “Today the reality of forgiveness is no longer solely an intellectual discipline but a lived reality.
The personal nature of the resurrection faith is rooted in that fact that each person is known by God by their name: “Today, as we celebrate the Resurrection, we can put down our grief at the feet of Jesus, and when he calls our name, we can answer, "Rabbouni! Teacher!” This does mean that all burdens will lift as if by magic; but our burdens will be differently distributed, the weight borne by Him.”