THIS Easter Bank Holiday Monday with the weather being so amazing, we visited a local heritage centre that had an Easter treasure hunt organised for children.

As I watched them searching eagerly for the questions, it made me wonder what searching questions Easter raises for us? Easter is a time when we enjoy a public holiday and millions of chocolate Easter eggs are consumed in the UK (some made with Fair Trade chocolate), but many people do not know that Jesus is at the centre of this Christian festival.

On Good Friday many churches now give away free Hot Cross Buns in town centres to remind people of the reason for Easter. The cross on the top is a symbol of the terrible suffering Jesus endured when he was crucified and died. However there is treasure to be found in the Easter story through engaging with the questions that arise when focusing on the cross. Why did Jesus die? Why does God allow suffering in the world? Did Jesus rise from the dead on Easter Day? What difference does he make today? God continues to surprise us if we join in the hunt for the treasure.

REVEREND ALISON RICHARDS Methodist Minister for Lansdowne Crescent Methodist Church, Somers Park Avenue Methodist Church & Upper Welland Methodist Church