THE Bishop of Exeter has prepared for his first Easter in Devon by making hot cross buns for the first time.

The Rt Rev Dr Mike Harrison, who is a keen baker, baked the buns from scratch for an Easter video in which he talked about the rich Christian symbolism of the buns, which are traditionally eaten on Good Friday.

The white cross on the buns represents the death of Jesus on the cross, the spices represent the spices used to embalm a body, the yeast which helps the bun to rise is a reminder that Jesus rose from the dead after three days. The fruit is a symbol of the fruitful new life that Jesus brings.

As viewers of the video will see, Bishop Mike's first attempt at hot cross buns did not turn out entirely as planned!

He said "While the hot cross buns didn’t quite turn out as I was hoping, the experience of making and baking them while talking about the way the history, ingredients and symbols related to the Easter story was really helpful in challenging me to think about how this story can be made accessible to a wide variety of people - whether those completely unfamiliar with the events of Easter or those who know the narrative very well."

He added: "Easter is for me the most important Christian festival and I'm really looking forward to my first Easter in Devon. I’ve been invited by Exeter Cathedral to preach on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and on Easter day, when I'll be starting the day at 6am with a firelit dawn vigil on Cathedral Green. I'll also be taking baptisms and confirmations in Barnstaple on Saturday evening, so it's going to be a packed weekend."

On Maundy Thursday priests and lay ministers from across Devon will gather at Exeter Cathedral for the annual Chrism Eucharist service, at which the holy oils used by parish churches for anointing people are blessed for the year to come. It is also an opportunity for ministers to renew the vows they made when they were ordained or licensed.

Bishop Mike will be leading the service for the first time. He has also enabled some new Easter traditions closer to home: "This year, for the first time, we've had a children's Easter egg trail in the garden of the Bishop's Palace in Exeter," he said. "It's been lovely seeing families hunting for printed eggs with letters on to spell out a phrase in exchange for an Easter egg (and in case you were wondering, I'm very partial to the slightly rarer white chocolate egg!)

"The phrase we chose for the Easter trail is ‘He is risen’, the incredible message of hope based on the bible verse Matthew 28:6, when the angel says to the women who have come to mourn at Jesus' tomb: ‘He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.’

"Just as he said. At Easter we celebrate the risen Jesus, whose words and actions we can trust, no matter how many times we have messed up, been let down or had our hopes dashed.

"I invite you to come and hear this message of hope yourself, with me at Exeter Cathedral this weekend, or at one of our many parish churches as they mark Good Friday and celebrate Easter Sunday in communities across Devon."

Churches in Devon will be holding special Easter services and events for children and families this Thursday, Friday and Sunday.

You can find a church near you here: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/ .