An Easter message from the Vicar of Halifax Hilary Barber

Alleluia Christ is risen! These are the words that will echo round the Minster on Easter Day, as we come to the end of Holy Week and this year’s Festival of Faith 25.

For Christians, Easter has far more significance than Christmas, as we remember the death of Jesus on Good Friday, and his resurrection three days later on Easter Day.

In the same way that Muslims celebrate Eid with the month of Ramadan, so Christians celebrate Easter following the weeks of Lent.

And this week it’s also the Festival of Passover for the Jewish community, which makes it a very special and Holy time of the year for all the Abrahamic Faiths here in Calderdale.

For Christians, we believe that death is not the end of life, but the beginning of a new life with God in another place, which we call heaven. The God who created each of us and the whole Universe, eventually calls us back to himself, so that where he is, we can be also.

Like all Festivals, it’s a time of celebration, for family, and for celebrating the new life we see all around us, as spring takes hold, and we begin to see the sun shine and blossom on the trees. Happy Easter everyone!