The Best Easter Ever

The picture in my mind is clear, fresh and crisp. The colors are bright, and the voices are strong. The picture is almost 50 years old.

It is an Illinois spring morning. Midwestern springs are especially exciting and refreshing after the long, cold winters. In my memory, the air is saturated with the smells of new life – moist newly plowed earth, the aroma of trees turning green and the fragrance of flowers. A soft, warm, comforting breeze is blowing. The sunshine penetrates through the body and warms the winter out of the bones.  It is one of those days that reminds one that it is good to be alive. And it is Easter. We celebrate that the tomb is empty, He has risen and the promises of forgiveness and life are real. God is good.

It is an Easter Sunday, but I can't remember anything about going to church that day. It seems there was nothing unique about the worship service. I guess there was a large crowd – Easter brings out the "Occasional Christians" to pay their semiannual homage to God (they also drop by to say "Hi!" at Christmas). The kind of church members whom we love but, don't count on or invest in much in.

Since I preached it, there is a good chance the sermon was good, but not great. If it had been great I probably would have remembered it, since I preach so few outstanding sermons during my days in the ministry. On the other hand, since I can’t remember any of my sermons, maybe I didn’t preach any outstanding sermons.

I have never preached my best on Easter Sunday (I must fold under the pressure of large crowds). It strikes me as interesting that my mental videotape of that day contains no footage of "religious" happenings. I don't remember the sermon, the scriptures, the songs and hymns, the people at church (whom I dearly loved), or the special music. That part of the day didn't make much of an impression, it just didn't take. All I can remember is the beauty of that particular day, and a little girl.

The little girl visits me twice as I replay the tape of this lovely day. She is about four years old and she's a doll. In our first visit, I remember her as being as perfect as the day. Long red hair with ribbons holding her soft curls up in ponytails, and huge, deep blue eyes. She has that perfect skin some children have, with a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. Deep, sweet dimples appear on her cheeks when she smiles (she smiles a lot). She is wearing a lacy, flowered dress with a pink ribbon sash tied in a big bow in the back and pink socks with lacy tops set off her new, glistening, black patent leather shoes. In those days, little girls couldn’t attend Easter services without patent leather shoes. There must have been a rule. Since we had four young children at the time and very little money, I'm guessing the shoes were probably really plastic. She was, without a doubt, the prettiest child I had ever seen. Her name is Robin. She is my youngest child.

The next picture my mind plays for me is that same little doll after spending the morning at church. The hair ribbons have been lost in the flurry of the morning's activities. Smudges of chocolate cover both her face and the front of her new dress. The ribbon sash has gotten turned around and the bow, now in the front, is partially untied. She has walked her lacy socks down into her shoes. She is, what my mother would call, a mess. "Robin," I asked, "did you have a good time?" A huge, deep dimpled smile spread across her face and her eyes sparkled as she replied simply, "Yes, Daddy!" In my second memory – the picture of her she is more precious and beautiful than in the first. On that marvelous Easter Sunday, Robin stole my heart. Thankfully she never returned it.

Easter, for me, is bright shiny, dirty faces. It is a Father who loves us when we are at our best and at our worst. Easter is spring and all of the new life it promises. Easter is our reminder of God's gift of life to us and that He walks with us in all the seasons of life – the good times and the difficult times. Easter is Robin with chocolate on her dress and joy in her eyes.

Copyright © 2020, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

Bill McConnell is an Interim Minister, a Church Transformation consultant and a Christian Leadership Coach. He is a frequent speaker at Church Transformation events. His latest book on church transformation is DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT CHURCH and is available at Westbow Press. He can be contacted @ bill45053@gmail.com. Connect with him on Facebook @ William T. McConnell or on Twitter @billmc45053 or visit his Amazon Author Page @ Amazon author page

This blog is an edited excerpt from the author’s first book, YOU CAN’T SCARE ME, I HAVE KIDS, and is available on Amazon