Happy Easter... a little late!
I hope you all had a meaningful and joyful Easter! I did. What I will probably remember most from this year is a 4 year old boy weeping. Timmy and I invited some friends to come to our "Walk through the Passion" for children at our church on Good Friday. This was the first time our little friend and his 7 year old brother had ever been in church. They enjoyed the re-enactment of the Last Supper and even sat to get their feet washed. They loved that they got to snuff out candles as they moved from station to station. But then came the bad news... Jesus was crucified. He died. And tears started to roll down our little friends face.
I thought it was because he didn't get to blow out the candle at the cross but he continued to cry through the procession to the tomb in the basement of the church and when we all blew out our candles. I asked his Mom what was wrong and she said he was sad because Jesus died. So I crouched down and looked him in the eyes and told him the good news.... Jesus doesn't stay dead. He rises on the third day. Laughter came out of his mouth and a smile shone on his face.
What I saw in him was the sorrow and joy of Easter from someone who is hearing the story for the first time. It was raw and intense.
Now that we are in Eastertide, we get to ponder what that super-intense weekend so long ago means for our lives. I haven't decided exactly what I will be blogging on but I encourage you to not move too quickly away from Easter. As the green grass (finally) grows and the buds start to blossom on the trees, let it speak to you of the new life we have because Jesus rose from the dead. As Paul said in Romans 6:4
"4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
I thought it was because he didn't get to blow out the candle at the cross but he continued to cry through the procession to the tomb in the basement of the church and when we all blew out our candles. I asked his Mom what was wrong and she said he was sad because Jesus died. So I crouched down and looked him in the eyes and told him the good news.... Jesus doesn't stay dead. He rises on the third day. Laughter came out of his mouth and a smile shone on his face.
What I saw in him was the sorrow and joy of Easter from someone who is hearing the story for the first time. It was raw and intense.
Now that we are in Eastertide, we get to ponder what that super-intense weekend so long ago means for our lives. I haven't decided exactly what I will be blogging on but I encourage you to not move too quickly away from Easter. As the green grass (finally) grows and the buds start to blossom on the trees, let it speak to you of the new life we have because Jesus rose from the dead. As Paul said in Romans 6:4
"4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."
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