What is Easter all about? Is it more than just a bank holiday weekend and Easter eggs?
I wouldn’t be writing this if it wasn’t.
Many people know it as a time for exchanging Easter eggs, a tradition that some say harks back to pagan spring festivals, where these symbols of rebirth and fertility were given. It marked the start of spring and the end of harsh winter.
However, for Christians, Easter commemorates the crucifixion and then resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
It is often re-enacted with a ‘Passion Play’, one of the most famous of which is held every ten years in Oberammergau in Bavaria.
It has been performed there since 1634, when the villagers made a vow to stage it in gratitude for being spared from the bubonic plague.
The significance of Easter lies in its central message of redemption, hope and new life.
Redemption is the Christian belief that we can have a close relationship with God because Jesus Christ sacrificed his life, taking the burden of all the sins of mankind on his shoulders.
Hope is the belief that through God, we will understand the purpose and meaning of our lives, and live a life that follows the teachings of Jesus.
New life is the belief that, although our physical bodies will die, we will be resurrected and have eternal life because Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday signified victory over death.
Christ Church Downend will stage a journey through Easter in words and music, with a choir, Bible readings and poetry, at a free two-hour Easter concert on Easter Saturday, March 30.
The doors open at 7pm and there will be refreshments at the interval. We’d love to see you there.
Mark Tanner