Easter comes early at our neighborhood discount store. They’ve been at this Easter thing since February 15th. Since the day after Valentine’s, the Easter goods have dominated the center aisles of the store. And believe me, I know the timing. Like most guys, I’m usually there to pick out a couple of last-minute Valentine things.
As I rummage through the cards on the aisle that, by this point, looks as apocalyptic as a teenager’s bedroom, I notice through the door of the back room that it’s stuffed with Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, plastic bouquets, egg coloring kits, and pastel candies.
All the specialty Peeps are there too. Peeps were once just your basic yellow carbohydrate balls, but now there are blue raspberry Peeps, cotton candy Peeps, fruit punch Peeps, party cake Peeps, sour watermelon Peeps, coconut Peeps, chocolate caramel Peeps, and even “surprise Peeps” … and that’s just for starters.
As I peek through the little submarine-like window in the back of the pharmacy, I see the Easter inventory staring back at me on carts, packed like sardines. They’re just waiting for the clock to strike midnight so they can take over the store. It’s so un-Easter like!
And I don’t just mean that they have missed the whole point of the Resurrection, which they have. But what makes Easter so amazing is that it’s so surprising.
Tullos
The disciples weren’t counting down the days until the Resurrection. They didn’t gather around the tomb before dawn, waiting for the greatest moment in history. They totally didn’t get it. They said that the women who went to the tomb were talking nonsense when they came back after seeing Jesus — No way! That’s crazy talk! The news seemed just too good to be true. The Resurrection caught the whole universe off guard. Even the guards!
This is the true spirit of the Resurrection morning: dumbfounded surprise! God loves to surprise us. I don’t know what surprising thing has happened to you so far this year. It may have been an engagement, an unexpected pregnancy or a new job. But those are just the little surprises in comparison to what we will celebrate on Easter Sunday.
We get to celebrate (once again) that the tomb is empty, and we get God’s amazing grace! That surprise lasts forever, and He’s got more surprises ahead. And we all get to experience them together — as moms and dads, kids and parents, communities and churches.
If you pay attention, you’ll begin to notice surprises every single day of the year. But stock up on the yellow Peeps. They’re seasonal. B&R
