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By the time you read this you will likely have enjoyed a few chocolate eggs.
Those who were able to get to the dawn vigil on Easter morning will certainly have had the opportunity to indulge. After the austerity and self-denial of Lent we find ourselves marking a great celebration.
Given the recent publicity about Easter Egg hunts, and the reaction of the Church to the ways they are advertised, perhaps the connection between chocolate eggs and Easter could not be stronger.
The tradition of decorating eggs at this time of year is an ancient one. Early eggs have been found from 60,000 years ago. It is a relatively recent thing that the eggs have been made of chocolate. The first such egg became available in England in the late Victorian period.
There are a number of strong themes connecting eggs with Easter. Not least the notion of new life and the breaking through the shell by the new born chick. A connection has been made between this new birth and the new life in Christ we share through his death and resurrection.
At one level Easter Eggs are a trivial bit of fun and they add something to the unique and particular flavour of the season, but in other ways they help us to remember the new life in Christ in which we are all invited share. That Easter is a time of hope and joy, a time when we recall all that Jesus did for us and the new life we share.
Happy Easter!
Canon Christopher Burke
Vice Dean and Canon Precentor