Thought for the Week

Christians around the world are preparing to celebrate Holy Week and Easter, our biggest festival of the year.

But why does Easter fall on a different date each year?

A quick Google search tells us that the simple standard definition of Easter is that it is the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs on or after the spring equinox. If the full moon falls on a Sunday then Easter is the next Sunday. So there you go, nice and simple!

Who came up with this idea? The early church; a group of church leaders met at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and one of their decisions was to set the date of Easter.

Almost 1700 years later, we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus using their formula. It doesn’t really matter when the date is for Christians, it is the remembering and celebrating the great mystery of Easter.

Jesus died on the cross and was placed in a tomb on Good Friday and early on Sunday morning, when the women came to anoint his body, they found the stone rolled away and Jesus had gone.

His disciples didn’t believe the women when they told them the news and it was only when they saw Jesus for themselves that they believed.

This year, churches all over the world will celebrate Easter Sunday. Some will have a late Saturday vigil, others an early morning service, some up hills, others on the beach, some gather to share breakfast, some just meet as usual for worship.

Jesus’ resurrection is celebrated in church every Sunday but for Christians, this Sunday is extra special and everyone looks forward to it. Why not come and join us?

Reverend Lyn Peden, Church of Scotland minister for North Kintyre.