Easter egg...
A favorite comfort food for my boys and I are scrambled eggs.
A tradition at our house is 'weekend breakfast'... my husband is following in the footsteps of his father... he makes a big breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings... sustaining us 'til Saturday cow chores are completed.... or 'til lunch is prepared after Sunday service...
I have even perfected the "speedy scrambled egg"... cooked in the microwave for school when the boys need a protein boost...
As a girl a favorite was a fried egg... my dad would fry them in bacon drippings... divine...
The egg is also a very prominent symbol of Easter.... the Easter egg... our church sponsored a community egg hunt...
140+ un-churched & churched in attendance... loured by the free eggs & goody bags... this year the organizers toyed with the idea of hiding empty eggs ... a disappointment at first... but a very teachable moment... a time to cleverly share the Gospel & pass out goody bags, teaming with treats....
This has me thinking about WHY the egg has become such a symbol of Easter....
Wikipedia gave me a great history on eggs...
"Easter eggs are special eggs that are often given to celebrate Easter or springtime. The egg is a pagan symbol of the rebirth of the Earth in celebrations of spring and was adopted by early Christians as a symbol of the resurrection of Jesus.
The oldest tradition is to use dyed or painted chicken eggs, but a modern custom is to substitute chocolate eggs, or plastic eggs filled with confectionery such as jelly beans. These eggs are often hidden, allegedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning. Otherwise, they are generally put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw to resemble a bird's nest."
It even elaborated on the Jewish (the belief system of the Old Testament)and Christian (the belief in the New Testament) Symbol ...
Jewish Symbols and Practice "At the Jewish Passover Seder, hard-boiled eggs called Beitzah dipped in salt water symbolizes the Hashlamim, the festival peace-offerings sacrificed at the Temple in Jerusalem to be eaten on Erev Pesach.
There are good grounds for the association between hares (later termed Easter bunnies) and eggs, through folklore confusion between hares' forms (where they raise their young) and plovers' nests.The mention of eggs left for children in connection with the Germanic goddess Ostara in the supposed Old High German lullaby is considered a literary forgery."
Christian symbols and practice
"Orthodox priest blessing Easter baskets at Pascha (Easter) in Lviv, Ukraine.
The egg is seen by followers of Christianity as a symbol of resurrection: while being dormant it contains a new life sealed within it.
In the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, Easter eggs are dyed red to represent the blood of Christ, shed on the Cross, and the hard shell of the egg symbolized the sealed Tomb of Christ—the cracking of which symbolized his resurrection from the dead. Easter eggs are blessed by the priest at the end of the Paschal Vigil, and distributed to the faithful."
Easter usually occurs in spring ... some years when we have a March Easter, the Indiana weather isn't that spring like.... not very conducive to the Easter outfits of shorts and sleeveless dresses... sandals left sitting in the closet .... but this year Easter is at the end of April.... spring has sprung.... the birds are in full force... sounding like a choir of Star Wars R2-D2 's in my backyard woods.... calling to one another.. . another answering back...
The TRUE Easter story is like this nest in a way...
Jesus was laid to rest in the tomb on Friday, 'Good Friday' for us... when Mary Magdalene, Johanna, & Mary the mother of James, went to the tomb on Sunday, Easter Sunday for us... they were shocked to find it empty...
Luke 24:3 http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24&version=NLT#fen-NLT-25958a
this parallels to the shock the mama robin probably felt when she returned to an 'empty nest'.....
A part of the Luke 24 Easter story that doesn't always get the attention it deserves takes place on the road to Emmaus..... take a look at Luke 24: 13-27
"13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 As they walked along they were talking about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them. 16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. 18 Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have happened there the last few days.”
19 “What things?” Jesus asked.
“The things that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and all the people. 20 But our leading priests and other religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.
22 “Then some women from our group of his followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an amazing report. 23 They said his body was missing, and they had seen angels who told them Jesus is alive! 24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”
So this has me thinking.... are you a person Jesus would call 'foolish'? ... not seeing the prophesy of the Old Testament and the obvious fulfillment of it in the death and Resurrection of our Lord... pronounced dead by the Romans, the most medically advanced civilization of the time... walking & talking on the road to Emmaus 2 days later... living & breathing the 'Good News'... OR are you a paradox to foolish.... knowing the wisdom & truth of the Messiah... our incredible Redeemer.... spreading it to all you know and love? ...
as for me & my house ... He is risen! ... He is risen INDEED!
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