Two weeks ago I found myself hunting for fluffy yellow (toy) chicks in Gloucester cathedral, where twelve of them were nestling amidst the gothic arches and fan vaulting. As the rain pelted down outside, there was nothing for it but to try our hands at the cathedral’s ‘Easter chick challenge’ – and spotting them was remarkably tricky!  Once you saw them, though, their presence was unmissable, bright signs of life in the ancient, creamy stone. Yes, they were a little incongruous, but that was their power. Their brief appearance in the cathedral punctuated its usual rhythms, delighting children and surprising the adults who found themselves drawn in.

The cathedral was refreshingly light on the theology of the chicks, but I’ve been thinking about them since (perhaps because it took me a while to find the last ones…) These bright yellow creatures dotted among the architecture radiated life and joy, and invited us to share in the wonder and power of God’s eternal love – if only we will open our eyes to it. They were like the alleluias that punctuate our Easter liturgies, brief words of praise and thanks that shed new light on the everyday and make us see it afresh, alive with the presence of the risen Christ.  For the Easter season is a time to remember once more the beauty of creation, sustained by God’s eternal love; a time to sing with the Psalmist: ‘this is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it’.