Easter Sunday

Today, Bishop Anna shares an Easter Sunday sermon. 

Dear friends, it is Easter 2026 and the violence we have seen is unimaginable, and so we go to the tomb, not expecting any answers or resolutions, but simply because we are broken, we are grieving. And the risen Christ meets us there, but offers no explanations, no easy pat answers. The risen Christ instead just calls us by name and offers us an embrace and then is gone again. 

And among the first things the risen Christ does is seek out Peter, the very one who betrayed him, not once but three times. And Jesus shares breakfast with Peter and forgives him and puts Peter back on the path of feeding the hungry, of living God's kingdom of love and justice, compassion and hospitality. 

And then Jesus finds some old friends and goes on a long walk and they talk and they do not quite figure it out, but somehow, well, like all good walks, it ends in a shared meal and it's in the breaking of the bread that they begin to understand. 

If you are wondering how to be an Easter people in 2026, follow Christ. Offer warm embraces. Call people by name. Seek out someone you need to make amends with and make amends. Go on long walks with friends and strangers. Share meals with friends and strangers. 

When the world is violent and greedy and corrupt, we must be loving and just, forgiving and hospitable. For it is the kingdom of God to which we owe our loyalties, the kingdom of God that can never be extinguished. The kingdom of God that will always rise again. Christ has risen. Christ has risen indeed. 

Blessings to you this Easter 2026, and please go and be an Easter people.