From the point of view of a disinterested observer, some of the activities engaged in by Christians over the Easter period look a bit strange or even silly: walking around parts of the town with long faces behind a cross on Good Friday, gathering in an old, uncomfortable and cold building to declare ‘Christ is risen, Alleluia!’

But I think the issue is that many human activities, especially those pertaining to a religious belief, cannot really be appreciated from the perspective of a lofty, disinterested observer - from what has been termed a ‘balcony’ viewpoint.

One can only get a genuine appreciation from some degree of participation, from some level of entering into the activity - to obtain a view from being with other participants ‘on the road’.

This is true even of spectator sports: from the perspective of someone who knows little and cares less about Premier League football, what goes on for a couple of hours in a stadium looks fairly silly; it can only be appreciated by engaging with it to at least some extent as a genuine, interested fan.

It is very tempting for us to conceive that God’s interest in us is from a lofty, ‘balcony’ perspective, sitting impassively, observing the actions of these funny little human beings scurrying about on the surface of the earth.

The message from the Christian faith, though, is that God is not like that at all. The claim is that Jesus Christ was, and is, God, and therefore that God himself is with us ‘on the road’ and sees us from that perspective, from one of active engagement with mortal, physical life.

One of the stories read from the Bible at Easter time graphically illustrates this, when Jesus, after his resurrection, joins two disciples depressed by the death of their leader, as they journey ‘on the road’ to a village called Emmaus.

Strangely, they did not recognise him at the time - that came later - but they were thrilled at what he was saying. This is perhaps a picture for us: as we journey through our lives, Christ is with us but we do not see him. If, though, we raise our inner concerns, seeking help from beyond ourselves, we will receive words or circumstances that will lift us and encourage us.