Simple: Easter

In all the Covid-19 concern it's kind of confusing to think about Easter. Like, I know it's coming, but what do we do? No church services, no parades, not even a televised appearance of the Pope.

Well, this is depressing.

And yet here I am, talking up Lent to my children and Easter, and I feel a little thin. Our normal "group" celebrations are canceled this year--no grand family Easter egg hunt. No riotous crowd control planned for church. No special music or clothes to wear. Just another day at home, waiting out a pandemic.

Well, this is depressing.

I got confused at the grocery story yesterday as I picked up Easter goodies for the kids. I wasn't sure what I was doing-- do I just buy anything special because this is the only store I can get to right now? Do I order from Amazon? Are my children suffering if they only get a couple dozen stuffed eggs instead of their normal 5000 (it seems)? What do I do?

Just keep it simple, I breathed.

Simple.

So here's what I did: I purchased a few of our favorite candies and some awesome stickers the kids will love and called it enough. I bought things for making fun desserts and a (kind of) fancy meal for Easter. I plan to order kites for the kids and some bubbles and chalk. It'll be nice, it'll be fun. But simple.

And we'll keep doing what we've been doing--reading Bible stories, praying, lighting candles, talking about hope in the midst of darkness.

I did try to get creative this morning and involve the kids in the famed "Resurrection Eggs" craft, but that ended badly, with frustration for everyone, so I kept it simple and set it aside. "We will have jelly beans," I announced. And that we did just fine.

We ate the sacrament of jelly beans because we can taste and see that God is good no matter what and Easter is sweet. We remembered God's promises in the Bible and how the stories came true in the Story of Easter.

We'll talk about that all of this Easter Holy Week, and if we do it right, far longer.

I feel the thinness of this Easter--so many loved trappings and traditions absent this year. But this I know-- it has never been about the trappings (even though they help), but always, always about the Story. The Story we all need more than ever.

We can still tell one another the Story. We can eat jelly beans, if that's all we can do. We can still remember and celebrate, group or no group.

 It might be simple, yes, very simple. But also, I think, sweet.