Christians the world over will mark Jesus Christ's crucifixion tomorrow and his resurrection on Easter Sunday, and will restore their belief that eternal life follows death on earth.

To some extent, the traditions of Christmas overshadow the fact that Christ's birth on Christmas Day merely represented the promise of his life; Easter marks his final sacrifice and the fulfilment of his promise.

The lessons of Easter also require a leap of faith that is central to Christianity -- believing that a person can die and be born again is both hard to accept and the central tenet of belief.

But for non-believers too, there are lessons that are worth taking from Christianity.

The idea that is better to give than to receive -- just as Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice for his followers -- is crucial.

It is no less important to remember the Golden Rule -- do unto others as you would have them do unto you -- which winnowed down Ten Commandments to one and remains the simplest, and sometimes the hardest "commandment'' to carry out.

Then too, the tale of Easter is not complete without its tale of betrayal -- Judas Iscariot "turned in'' Jesus and was later granted forgiveness.

Between kite flying, marbles, codfish cakes, Easter egg hunts and all of the other Bermuda Easter traditions, these are lessons worth remembering this weekend -- and through the rest of the year.

Bermuda is a wealthy and successful Island, yet too many people still suffer.

If it is better to give than to receive, then we should look around and see who deserves help and may be in trouble through no fault of their own. We should recall the saying: "There but for the grace of God go I''.

We should also remember that it is easy to blame others for our problems, and to seek out scapegoats, whether they are men, women, whites, blacks, expatriates or Bermudians. Very often, the person most responsible for our own misfortunes is in the mirror in front of us. Thus, we should seek forgiveness from those we may have hurt, rather than seek revenge from those who may have hurt us.

In an Island as diverse as Bermuda, tolerance and forgiveness are vital.

Harbouring grudges and keeping hold of age-old and unfair bigotries will do more to poison this community than anything else.

Jesus, through his teachings, urged his followers to forget their prejudices and biases and to recognise that all people are equal. That's a lesson we would all do well to remember.