Why does Easter continue to matter—even after the weekend itself has passed?

Christians return to it year after year not simply because it marks a moment in history, but because its meaning continues to shape our lives. Easter speaks of something both deeply personal and universally needed: forgiveness—and the freedom it brings.

If God is truly at the heart of the cosmos, then love—and specifically forgiving love—is not peripheral to reality, but central to it. For at the centre of the universe is not a cold singularity, but the living God whose nature is love. And at the cross of Christ, that love is revealed most clearly: a love that does not ignore sin, but bears it; a love that does not turn away, but makes a way back.

Jesus’ words point us to the result: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). But free from what?

First, forgiveness brings freedom to know God. Human instinct, when faced with guilt, is to hide—to minimise, deny, or justify. Yet the cross opens a different path. Because sin is dealt with, we are no longer driven to conceal ourselves. We are free to come honestly before God, not as those under judgement, but as those welcomed and restored. Forgiveness opens the door; freedom is the life we discover as we walk through it.

Second, forgiveness brings freedom from resentment toward others. Unforgiveness has a way of imprisoning us. We replay wrongs, keep score, and allow past hurts to shape our present. Yet the forgiveness we receive from God enables us to release others into his hands. This is not about excusing wrongdoing, but about refusing to let it define us. In forgiving, we are set free.

Third, forgiveness brings freedom for the future. Many carry not only guilt, but shame—the sense of being defined by what has been done, whether by us or to us. The message of the cross speaks directly to this. In Christ, we are not trapped by the past or bound by the voices that diminish us. We are free to become who God has made us to be.

Perhaps this is why Easter continues to matter. Forgiveness remains the most powerful force we know in human relationships. It restores what is broken, releases what is bound, and opens the possibility of new life.

And Christians believe this: that what we glimpse in human forgiveness has its source in God himself. At the cross, forgiveness is not simply taught—it is accomplished. And through it, a deeper freedom is given than we could ever create for ourselves.

Author: Dr Malcolm Falloon

Malcolm is an Anglican minister with over thirty years’ experience in pastoral ministry. He currently pastors Church of the Ascension in Auckland, which is affiliated with the Church of Confessing Anglicans. Through his work with the Latimer Fellowship (an evangelical society within the Anglican Church), he has experience in connecting leaders together for mutual encouragement and support in the Gospel. Malcolm is a keen student of New Zealand mission history, and has a PhD specialising in the Māori conversion to Christianity.