Roo MacRae
21 April, 2025
Opinion

Comment by Harborough churches: Beyond chocolate - the real message of Easter

Every week, the Harborough churches write for the Harborough Mail. Jan Turner, co-chair of Harborough Churches Together writes this week. Over the past few weeks the Church has been recognising a period of 40 days when Jesus went into the desert to prepare himself for his ministry. Churches Together in Harborough have met together to prepare for Easter and to share worship, being led by a different church each week.

Jan is co-chair of Churches Together in Harborough

This last Sunday we celebrated Palm Sunday, when we remembered Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, when the crowds shouted praises to Him. On Maundy Thursday the crowds were now shouting for his crucifixion.

Jesus gave his life for us, so that we might experience eternal life – both in this life and the one to come. As a child, I attended a boarding school for the blind. At Easter the Lions Club presented our school with a huge Easter egg, which was about 3foot tall. All of us children received a large slice of this egg, the day before we broke up for the Easter holidays. 

My parents usually bought me a Good News Easter Egg, which was in a box displaying Good News chocolates in the box below the egg. One year I had a competition with my cousin to see who could eat the most easter eggs – I think we ate about 6 eggs each!

The Good News of Easter very much relates to the Good News that the angels brought to the shepherds telling them about the birth of God’s Son Jesus Christ. He came to die on a cross giving his life to take away our sins so that we may have fellowship with God the Father. 

Easter eggs have been in the shops since just after Christmas and hot cross buns seem to be available all year round. On Good Friday my father used to go down to the bakers and queue so that we could have hot cross buns on Good Friday. Which Good News do you believe in? The good news of the easter egg and easter bunny, or the Good News of Jesus coming to earth to die on a cross so that all of us may experience God’s love?

Happy Easter, Jan Turner, Churches Together in Harborough Co-Chair