Not only was last Sunday the first occasion when the newly installed Bishop of Sheffield presided at a Cathedral Eucharist, and so this was an historic day for us in this, his Cathedral Church. It was also the day when we gave thanks for and blessed a new bell to be rung in the Cathedral tower and to add a great deal opportunities for ringing here. After many months of waiting to welcome our new Bishop and many years of raising the money for our new bell, they both arrived on the same day.
This led me to wonder what Bishops and Bells might have in common...
- They both proclaim the presence of Christ in the City with boldness and confidence. It is difficult to miss the impact of either as they boldly proclaim the presence of the Gospel in the life and communities of our City.
- They both are more effective when they are with others. A bell rung on its own, or a bishop working in isolation, lack the impact experienced when they are heard alongside others.
- They both, in substance or memory, stick around for an awful long time. As we are currently recalling the last eight bishops in our display in Old St George's Chapel, we are mindful that bells and bishops go back a long way in the history and memory of this community.
So, as we give thanks for our new Bishop and our new Bell, let us pray that we may also have the courage to share the good news of Jesus in our communities and across this diocese, that we may seek to do that together and that what we do may have an impact that lasts for a very long time.
Listen to our bell ringers in action below...
The Reverend Canon Christopher Burke
Vice Dean and Canon Precentor