With more chocolates and presents on the shelves than ever before, Rev. Smith understands that Easter has taken on different meanings for a lot of people.

“I think it’s seen by many people in different eyes right across the board,” he said.

“For people of faith it’s still the main focal point of what our faith is about – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and people all around the world will be celebrating that.”

“At different levels, as you look into the secular world, people see it as a family time, a time to rekindle friendships and to get out into the community.”

Rev. Smith compared the changing views of the Easter holidays to what the celebration of Christmas has become in modern times.

“It’s like Christmas, it’s less understood and people have a nominal understand but a lot of the basics of the celebrations aren’t understood by people who are connected with the church.”

Rev. Smith is quite sure that the way that Easter is celebrated is changing, and understands that the churches cannot get bogged down by a desire to have the holidays be run ‘their way’.

“I think sometimes as church people we have to be careful not to get too precious,” he admitted.

“We can get so tied up in what’s wrong about the celebrations of Easter, and at the end of the day it’s still a time when people and families come together.

“It might just be to share Easter eggs now, but is that such a bad thing? I’m not sure that it is.”

The next step forward for the church, and all manners of faith, the reverend suggests, is to embrace the changing times and continue to deliver the integral message.

“I think that the church has a really big role to play to make itself relevant again,” he said.

“The message of Easter is still relevant, it’s an amazing message and we talk about death, resurrection and new life. Sometimes we get exclusive in the church, and we do need to reinvent how we deliver the message.

“We have to do this without giving up the core of the message, and that is that 2000 years ago something pretty bizarre, spectacular and wonderful happened, so much so that folks back then were willing to put their lives on the line for it.”