Monday, April 5, 2021          (today’s lectionary)
The empty, clear clean egg
Miles came down the stairs on Easter morning. He saw unexpected presences on the couch. “Are there surprises?” he asked. Easter baskets. His joy-giggles might have awakened the neighborhood.
After church Andi gathered up 12 plastic eggs with stickers, and 12 plastic eggs without stickers, and she hid them in the back yard. Miles helped Jasper find the eggs without stickers, but he couldn’t find the last two eggs with stickers. Andi wanted to find the clear egg, especially; that was the most important egg of all.
You will show me the path to life, and the fulness of joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever. This is the day that the Lord has made!
We all searched and searched. At last one of us said, “Aha!” and stood quietly in the vicinity of the clear clean egg. Miles ran across the yard, found it, picked it up, and put it in his egg carton. There’s still one left for the lawn mower to find one of these days. But the most important egg was in the bag.
The eggs had pennies, dimes and nickels in them. Some hid small chocolate eggs covered with foil. The clear egg was empty. That’s why it’s the most important, Andi said. Do you know why? “Because of Jesus,” Miles said, somewhat disappointed it didn’t have the biggest chocolate egg or something inside.
Jesus told the women, fearful yet overjoyed, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Across the street from our apartment complex is the new Austin Porsche showroom. When we drove back from Andi and Aki’s last night, the twelve brightly colored cars parked on the fifth floor behind the plate glass windows shone out shining into Easter evening. The lights were bright, the cars were polished and gleaming, ready to roll.
God raised this Jesus, of this we are witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God he poured forth the promise of the Holy Spirit that he received from the Father, as you both see and hear.
So the question is, for Miles and Jasper, for Aly and Jack, and for me too … do I want the clear clean egg or do I want a Porsche? It may be awhile before they can drive a car anyway, but everyone gets to make choices every day. If we sold our house we could buy one of those shining colored jewels. Should we do it?
Keep me safe, O God. You are my only hope.
I have a few friends who can buy one of those fancy cars without batting a fiscal eye. A couple of days ago, Miles was pretty sure he wanted somebody in his family to buy one. Andi asked him about making choices with his money. She said their family chose other things to use their money for, to do fun things, to give money to other people, to be generous and joyous and happy in the morning and at night.
Miles sighed. But I know he understands what choices are. He got to choose between a candy egg and hot chocolate for dessert last night. And he told me when we left their house that I could either leave my jacket hanging in the closet, or I could take it with me. “Those are your two op-tions,” he said.
As he grows up, his choosing will beome more crucial. If he had been a soldier guarding the tomb of Jesus, for example, what would his options be?
The chief priests told the soldiers to say his disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep. The soldiers took the money and did as they were told. And this story has circulated among the Jews until the present day.
(Acts 2, Psalm 16, Psalm 118, Matthew 28)
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