As churches and Cathedrals around the country prepare to celebrate Easter, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, will for the first time give his Easter sermon across BBC television, local and national radio, and the Church of England digital platforms.
A service will premiere on the Church of England website, Facebook and YouTube channels at 9am while viewers of BBC One will be able to tune in to a live Eucharist from Canterbury at 10am.
Easter Sunday will also feature a broadcast of Eucharist on BBC Radio 4 from Canterbury at 8.10am led by the Archbishop, before BBC Radio 3 broadcasts live from Manchester Cathedral for a Festal Choral Evensong at 3pm.
Archbishop Justin’s Easter sermon proclaims the resurrection as the turning point of history. In raising Jesus to new life, he will say, God makes a “lie” of death.
He will call every Christian to be not only “disciples of private hope” but “Good news and change for the world.”
Because of the risen Jesus we have “resilient and strong hope in the face of death” and know joy in the truth that it is the God of life, not the lie of death, who has the last word.
Following updates to Government guidance the previous week, some Cathedral and church choirs will sing to a live congregation for the first time since Christmas, while thousands of services will also be streamed into people’s homes - continuing the trend which has seen millions of people worshipping online during lockdown.