Hi everyone,
So today is our oldest son’s birthday. He’s 14, if you can believe that. Well, it does make sense seeing as how he was born 14 years ago, but what I find hard to believe is that I have 14 years of parenting experience. Seems like way way less (judging by how I parent, at least).
I remember when he had their first kid, how my brother-in-law saying to me how he can’t even remember what life was like before having kids, that he can’t imagine life any other way. At the time I had no idea what he was talking about, but after our first son was born I totally got it.
Life changed so much that I couldn’t even remember what it was like before. It was like I was rocked to the core but in a good way. My whole world shook and I was going to be different forever.
Not much of a better parent apparently, but at least different.
Here are the readings for this week:
Acts 10:34-43
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Colossians 3:1-4
Matthew 28:1-10
Through the plethora of familiar texts for this familiar day of Easter, what stood out to me was how the earth shook on that first Easter morning. Those of you with keen observation and memory would have noticed that the earth shook shortly before this as well, at the death of Jesus.
These were two very big events in the life of Christians and the world. While earthquakes can be and are very scary, powerful, and life changing, these events change us for the better. They are events that change us, reform us, rock us to the very core. And from them, much like a parent welcoming their first child, we are different.
We are different for knowing that even we can be forgiven. We are different from knowing that even when we aren’t perfect, we are still worthy. We are different because we know that God’s love for us is bigger than anything we can throw at it, bigger than even death.
And that is the great joy of the Easter season, that we are reminded of God’s grace that saves us, God’s mercy that forgives us, and God’s love that makes it all possible, recreating us as saints even while we are in sin.
That is truly some earth-shaking news!
Thanks be to God! Have a great Holy Week, everyone!
Photo by Dave Goudreau on Unsplash