How Has Easter Touched You?

I will resume what I started with my graphic illustration this week regarding the Incarnation.  But first, I am curious to hear from you regarding your Easter experiences.  What are your favorite memories of Easter?  Favorite traditions?  Profound experiences?  Hilarious stories?

I have really been enjoying the comments you have been leaving since I recently made some changes to make commenting more inviting here on my blog.  I would love to hear your Easter stories!

I suppose the most profoundly touching Easter of my life came last year.  My grandparents had been slowly dying in a nursing home room together for long months, and Granny had gone home just a few weeks prior to Easter.  I had been saying for a couple of years that Granddad would hang in there to watch over her until she died, and then he would join her as soon as possible.  Well, Easter morning seemed to be the right time for him and his Lord, and off he went.

It was a tremendously bittersweet experience for me, as I had always been close to him, and looked up to him so much.  Losing him was sad and painful, but I knew he was going up to join Granny and get the horses ready for me and the rest of our family in Heaven’s pastureland, somewhere near the honeysuckle vines (and the Tastee Freeze).  I was also richly blessed to have had the opportunity for us to say our tearful goodbyes to one another just a few months earlier – one of the most gutwrenching blessings of my life.  And so it was with inexplicable peace that I received the news that Granddad had headed out to that great Pasture in the sky on Easter morning.

And then there was the Easter service at church!

It was the very first Sunday for my family to worship with a different church, as we had just made the very difficult and prayerful decision to leave the congregation and church tradition (read “denomination”) that had been home for as long as my wife and I could remember.  We felt numb, scared, excited, doubtful, eager, and so much more, all at the same time, as we made our way through the doors of the church that houses the counseling center where I worked at the time.  The folks at “First Pres” were so gracious and wonderful, showing so much love to Chemaine and me and to our son!

Given all that went into our decision to leave our previous church tradition, and how involved we both had always been in church life, we felt very out of place and in need of some special grace and blessing from our Father.  We got it!

At that time, the song “In Christ Alone” had come to hold very powerful and special meaning in our hearts and lives.  Guess what song was sung at the crowning moment of the worship service that Easter morning!  We cried sweet tears of joy and sadness and healing as we stood with our newfound brothers and sisters, singing praise to God, declaring our faith, and drinking in His rich mercy.  (After taking our prayerful time searching for the right church home, we have very gratefully joined the family at The Chapel!)

Okay, feel free to share lighter Easter stories!  ;D  Or share your heartwrenching stories, as well.  How has the celebration of Easter touched your life?