Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Easter: It's Not About the Bunny

I am sitting at my desk in our classroom getting a little work done, and Chloe has just taken the stage in the playroom next to me. Her Daddy built her a stage a few Christmases ago and she spends quite a bit of time up there, practicing her ballet at the barre and singing into the microphone. What can I say? Our girl loves to perform. I just received a real treat, though, and was compelled to capture this memory. I wish so much that I had a video camera right now!

Chloe must have decided to tell a story... she attends a lot of weekly gatherings - Bible Study Fellowship, Awana, and church on Sunday mornings - where Bible stories are told, and she has taken to coming home and telling them herself with great gusto to either her brothers or her dolls and stuffed animals - whomever is more easily cornered on that particular day.

I was working away and simultaneously thinking through the math lesson we were about to start when her little voice caught my ear: "Listen up, everyone," she said, authoritatively but not unkindly, "the Easter story has a very happy ending, and every word of it is true. Easter is not about the bunny. I know the bunny is a lot of fun, but Jesus is even better!"

She went on to tell the story of the "women who went to Jesus' tomb to take care of His body." With great enthusiasm, she told her imaginary audience that the stone was rolled away and Jesus was not there! Instead, an angel said, "Why are you looking for Jesus here? He is not here! He is not dead - He is alive!"  She finished up by saying, "They were impressed!

Sometimes I get caught up in measuring what Chloe knows - how quickly she does her flashcards, for instance, or masters this week's consonant blends - but it's pretty cool to hear your six year old articulate the things that truly matter better than you can, and with more joy to boot. It's pretty cool that God, in His grace, allowed me to be present for that sweet moment.

I hope I never forget the sound of her voice, announcing that He is alive. I hope that every day I am as impressed as those three women were at the life-changing magnitude of that truth.

I just called her in and asked her to repeat what the angel told the women, and she repeated it again, word for word.

Then without missing a beat, she asked for a snack.

"Cookies and milk?" I asked.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," she said.


 1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
 6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 

From Mark, Chapter 16

2 comments:

  1. Hi Laura,
    Thanks you for your sweet comments.The moss for the Easter display/ topiary, I got on my walk with my dogs.Just look around you when you go out and take a bag with you!! I have moss in my lawn as well by the way, hahaha, but that did not make the grade :-)))

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  2. Hi Laura,

    Thank you for having us over yesterday. We had a great time and Emily had a blast!!! We'd get the kids together again soon!!!

    Nando, Hari & Emily

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