Easter Sunday

Chocolate Bunnies.  Peanut butter eggs.  Jelly beans.  Easter eggs.  Marshmallow Peeps.  That's Easter, right?  ...not so much.

I have grown tired of commercialized holidays - annoyed that my kids have expectations for "things" with each holiday.  That's our fault as parents.  We let it happen.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not anti-gift.  I'm just anti-gluttony. 

All week I've been reminding the kids of what Easter means.  "What happened on Good Friday?"  Sidney:  "Jesus died on the cross for us."  "What happened on Easter?"  Ashton:  "Jesus came back from the dead."  "Is Easter about candy and gifts?"  Both kids:  "No."

Sunday morning we went to church as we always do.  The place was packed.  Wall to wall people - no place to sit, no place to park.  The sanctuary was so full that it closed and people were routed into our worship center, Resonate.  Resonate is a very laid back, modern place of worship.  Coffee, iPads, smart phones, jeans and a rockin' band are staples to this Sunday morning gathering place.  There were a number of visitors who both purposefully came to our class and those who were directed there due to overflow.  When I looked around the room it seemed that people were truly enjoying themselves.   This wasn't a fire and brimstone environment.  This was all about grace and joy.  People responded to that. 

It's Easter, it's a joyful time!  We don't need chocolate and sugar-coated marshmallows to remind us of that....although they do sweeten the day.