Church's Easter billboard has Christ using youthful slang

The Easter billboard is intended to make people think about what Jesus said and did, St Matthew's vicar says.

The St Matthew-in-the-City church is hoping its Easter billboard will be as much food for thought as its Christmas hoarding was - but without the controversy.

The latest billboard shows an image of an unhappy Jesus Christ on the cross. A thought bubble reads: "Well this sucks. I wonder if they'll remember anything I said."

The billboard comes after the controversial one put up by the church before Christmas which pictured the Virgin Mary and St Joseph in bed.

On that billboard, Joseph looked dejected, with his eyes cast downwards. Mary's eyes gazed heavenwards.

Above them a statement read: "Poor Joseph. God was a hard act to follow."

The billboard made international headlines, was vandalised and stolen, replaced, and then vandalised again, before the church took it down.

St Matthew's communications manager, the Rev Clay Nelson, said the church had not deliberately looked to tone things down this time round.

"Let's just put it this way: our billboards are a hard act to follow.

"Everything came together for that [Christmas] one in ways they sometimes do and it developed the type of controversy that went vile.

"We're happy with this one, but it's just not the same as the previous one."

St Matthew-in-the-City vicar Glynn Cardy said the billboard was intended to get people to reflect on the words and actions of Jesus.