When I was a young lad growing up in Brisbane in the early 1950s, my parents took our family to the Iona Passion Play.

When the performance came to the crucifixion of Jesus and played it out, a number of people got up to leave, including the then Archbishop of Brisbane! They believed at that point the play was over and it was time to go home.

They were simply following the core of their faith that in those times placed extraordinary emphasis on the crucifixion and its pain and suffering.

The Jewish doctrine of atonement was very strong in our understanding then that Jesus had to suffer and die so that we might be freed from our sinfulness.

While some of the letters of Paul, written for a Jewish mindset, might give this slant to try and connect Jesus as being the Messiah, the Gospels do not give a primacy to this view.

The Jesus who speaks through the Gospels does not give the impression of setting up a legalistic and binding religious restriction, but rather seems to be teaching a spirituality that frees people from burdens by developing a mature relationship with God, who loves as a father. His command when Lazarus was raised to life could well be his motto: "Unbind him, and let him go free" Jn 11.44.

Consequently, it seems to me that a faith that focuses on death and crucifixion alone, when the whole point of Christian faith is life and its power for good, could be somewhat misplaced and even misleading.

I think more than ever I need an Easter this year. I need to know that despite all the difficulties our world is facing, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and it is life that will overcome death.

I want to believe that despite the debacle that is Iraq, with its enormous loss of life since the invasion, good will ultimately come to the fore.

I want to be reminded that life for me is not going to lie in what I own or where I live or what I do, but rather the sort of person I am, and how I interact with other people for the cause of good.

I need to know that life is not about the doings of the rich and famous, the Paris Hiltons of the world, but about the integrity and goodness of every single person, no matter how insignificant they might seem.

Easter doesn't just celebrate Jesus rising from the dead, but rather that he rose to life. It is the future, not the past.

Jesus's resurrection becomes real for me every time I rise to the challenge of life, and don't remain focused on pain, death and negativity.

Bring on the celebration of the Resurrection!