In the public mind when compared to Christmas, Easter is a Cinderella Festival.

The cynic in me would say this is because the commercial opportunities for exploiting the festival are far fewer. After all, how can an Easter Bunny compare with Santa Claus? We have eggs, hot cross buns, cards, flowers and bonnets but that’s a meagre base on which to build merchandising promotions in comparison with those afforded by Christmas.

However, for the Christian, Easter is the Queen of Festivals. Without Easter, we could not celebrate Christmas. Without Easter, the story of Jesus would be yet another in a long and dismal list of good and noble people persecuted or martyred for their beliefs. In fact, Jesus of Nazareth would now only be the subject of a historical footnote rather than the one who more than anyone else has shaped the world in which we live. Therefore, the celebration of Easter is, I believe, an imperative for Christians. Whilst I appreciate that the Easter holiday provides an opportunity for a much-needed break for many of you, I would hope that you would find some time to get into a church and celebrate with others, this festival of the Resurrection. It is the core of our faith.

And yet, we need to remind ourselves constantly that we can never experience the true meaning of Easter without first knowing the sorrow, pain and anguish of Good Friday. To appreciate the glory we need to share the shame.