Easter on Thursday

Not a lot of detail is given about the post resurrection, certainly not in comparison to his death and ministry.  Just read the Office this week and you will find yourself re reading accounts of the resurrection and I think I know why the church fathers and mothers did this.  They knew we would forget by Friday or if you are like me by Tuesday morning.  We know he ate fish sandwiches with Peter, we know he walked through a wall or two, we know he met Mary in the garden, (and if I were Mary I would be a little annoyed that he didn't come home with me), we know he walked along a road for quite some time with two people from Emmaus and had toast with them, (and we have drawn so many allegories and metaphors and even developed a whole spiritual renewal program based on that event), we know he appeared to about 400, and we know some saw him take off to heaven.  I did try one of those walks to Emmaus events once and I must confess Jesus did not come up and eat toast with me.  In fact, I was very much alone the entire weekend.  Everyone else was having toast, but I was still trying to recognize Jesus.  That is another blog series completely all together.  I do take great comfort in the fact that I have a minister friend who said he would  have been without toast too.

Humans tend to do that with extraordinary events.  Forget them, water them down.  We tend to move very quickly to the next "big" thing.  We tend to minimize the holy in our lives.  I am not sure why, except that we do.  What usually ends up happening is by the following Friday, we have completely forgotten Sunday.  We are bogged down in "ourselves" again. 

Personally, I forgot about Sunday by Tuesday.   And by Wednesday, it might as well as been Saturday again.   But on Thursday, I was reminded of Sunday again.  And I was struck how quickly I forgot. 

It was this small gift of kindness.  She unwrapped carefully.  It was wrapped up in paper towels and sealed in a Ruth's chicken salad container.  I tried to guess what it was, I was so excited. I was screaming out guesses..like it must be chocolate...it must be cake...it must be peanut butter cookies...well, you get my point.  I obviously was hungry.   It was an Easter egg!  It had been blown out, (every time I try to do this, I end up with a pseudo aneurysm), and had decorated with zenderlings.  It was the most beautiful egg I had ever seen.  I know I did not express my thanks or surprise or delight enough, mainly because I was too bogged down with "me".  But I did cry on the way home and I did place it on my mantle.  I do not think I will pack it up with all my other Easter "stuff".  I think I will keep it out all year.  To remind me that it is Easter everyday.

Resurrection moments fill our lives and mostly we do not see them.  And this is so sad.  Because this is the message of the resurrection...this is the message...

"I have come so you may have life abundantly..."

Everyday.

Life abundantly in the midst of...

death

worry

taxes

hunger

thirst

abandonment

betrayal

when no one understands

exhaustion

when you do not know what to do

when you wonder if you got it all right

when you are standing in the check out line

when you fill your tank with gas

when you are lonely

when  you are depressed and anxious

when you don't think you can

LIFE is there abundantly....Life is there...it is the promise...you just have to look for it...and sometimes it is just a egg wrapped in paper towels in a plastic Ruth's chicken salad container....
And thankfully she gave me that egg...because I am the one who needs to be reminded daily that I am a Christian and not spend so much time reminding everyone else that I am Christian.

Grateful for
eggs on Thursdays
memory lessons
golden finches
cold April mornings
sweaters
Irish spring soap
hot orange tea
toast even if I eat it by myself
butter

and Mandissa