Rise

On Easter morning, a child revels in the colors and sounds of celebration. The church is bright with flowers and all the songs are full of hallelujahs. But as she repeats the joyful words, Christ is Risen, secretly she wonders, What does Easter have to do with me?Rise: A Child’s Guide to Eastertide follows a child through the fifty days of Easter, as she shares in family and community celebrations, hears stories of the Risen Jesus, notices how the world around her is coming alive again, and ponders how growth and new beginnings are part of her own life. Out of this wondering comes a new way of seeing. Easter is not just about what happened to Jesus long ago. It is about change and transformation here and now. When we let go of things—even our own mistakes; when we look for Jesus and find him in new places; when we fall and get up again; when we share a feast; when we love—that is Easter. Resurrection is a big word. It means rise again. I used to think it was a word only for what happened to Jesus. But now I’m not so sure. Sometimes we trip and fall. But falling does not have to be the end of the story. Peter did something bad because he was scared. But Jesus let him try again. I like how Jesus feeds his friends, even if they didn’t really deserve it. I like how he gives Peter another chance to show what he can do. Maybe Jesus could see that Peter was much more than the mistake he made. Maybe this is resurrection too.

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