Sometimes I hate Christmas! Every year I’m faced with the same conflict; on the one hand I want to embrace all that Christmas means in our country today – presents, family, turkey, tinsel etc.. but while doing this there is a danger that I can forget about the true meaning of Christmas.

The same thing can happen at Easter. There is a danger that I spend the whole time stuffing my face with Easter eggs ( cream eggs are my favourites if any of you are thinking about buying me one ) that I can forget what it’s all about.

This is made worse by the fact that Easter is not much of a holiday these days with many people working on Good Friday and only really having a 3 day weekend in which to do all the family stuff.

It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t for the fact that if I was to choose between Christmas and Easter as to which one was the most important I would always choose Easter. Okay so Christmas might have a cute baby, pretty angels and some farm animals, as opposed to an execution, but while Christmas tells the story of God coming to Earth in human form it is the Easter story where God’s plan comes together and finally makes sense.

As most of us will already know the true meaning of the Easter story my point is that we should have as our top priority this Easter to try and find some time to reflect on it’s meaning. I am reminded of Psalm 46 v 10 ‘Be still and know that I am God’. No matter how busy we are likely to be over Easter, whether that is with overindulgence of chocolate or with family and other commitments, we should prioritise some time to ‘Be still and know that I am God’. For if Easter is to have any real meaning we must give ourselves chance to remind ourselves of that meaning.

You could of course do this by yourself by just taking some time out or you could come and do it at St. Paul’s where there are events on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Day where you’ll have chance to stop stuffing yourself cream eggs or overindulging in what you’ve been struggling to live without for lent and focus on what Easter is all about.

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