Symbols of Easter. Lots of things come to mind. Those yummy chocolate eggs, Easter chicks, daffodils. A bank holiday. Hooray! Lawn-mowing, groan! But is there something more?

The words of Isaac Watts (1674-1748) hymn ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’ express for me the Easter message. The cross is central to the Christian faith. ‘Did e’er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?’ An instrument of torture becomes a symbol of faith. On Good Friday by suffering and dying on the cross, Jesus redeems us. ‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.’ But the story does not end there.

The cross of Good Friday is known as a crucifix. It bears an image of the crucified Lord. Many people wear one as an object of devotion. But the cross of Easter is a simple plain cross. Jesus is risen! He is not there. It mirrors the empty tomb. Most churches have a plain cross on the main altar.

You cannot have Easter without Good Friday. Love and sorrow. New life from death. And that is what makes Easter so special. It has something special to say to us all.

Mark Binney.