Honoring Easter

  An Easter Story 

Adapted from "Missing Easter" in Storybook House: Timeless tales for Fun-Loving Families

  
One spring Mom told Loraine she would be getting a store-boughten dress. Loraine loved the cute clothes Mom had always made for her but this would be special. After trying on a gazillion dresses at the store, Loraine finally chose a lavender dress with a petticoat that swirled and rustled when she moved.
 
     Very early on Easter morning, birds caroled outside Loraine's open bedroom window and awakened her. The first rays of sunlight sneaked into her room, along with a butterfly and the scent of fresh earth, daffodils and hyacinths; a perfect day. At the outdoors community sunrise service, everyone sang one of Loraine's favorites, "Christ Arose.” She felt glad the angel rolled the rock away from where they had laid Jesus. She wished she could have been there when the angel said, “He is not here. He is risen!" 

* * *

 After breakfast, Loraine put on her new dress. She twirled around,  laughed when the petticoat rustled, and said, "Everyone will see how nice I look at church today." When they arrived, some of her friends said, "I really like your new dress." Loraine did too, but it would be rude to say so. Only a few others had new clothes

* * *

All during church Loraine thought about her Easter dress. She stroked it, careful not to let the petticoat rustle and disturb the people around her. The congregation sang Easter songs, but Loraine barely heard them.

The pastor talked about Easter. Loraine usually liked listening to him, but was too busy being proud of her new dress. After the service, people crowded around the pastor. “Thank you for a wonderful sermon,” one said. “You brought things so alive.”
“I felt like I was right there on that first Easter,” someone else said.

 Another agreed. “Oh, yes! I imagined I was with the disciples and Mary when they found an empty tomb. I rejoiced with them when I knew our Savior was truly alive."

A funny feeling crept through Loraine. She hadn’t felt like she  was there. She hadn’t imagined rejoicing with Mary and the disciples. She had been so busy thinking about her new dress that she had missed Easter.

When Loraine got home she took off her lavender dress and hung it at the back of her closet. It made her think about what had happened.. She remembered that Jesus had warned people not to give thought to what they wore. He  clothed the grass of the field, how much more would He clothe His followers.

Filled with disappointment and regret, Loraine bowed her head and closed her eyes. “Lord, I am so sorry. Please forgive me. I promise to never, ever wear a brand-new dress to church on Easter as long as I live.”

I never did.

 When I got new spring clothes, I made sure to wear to them to church before Easter so they wouldn't be brand new and distract me from why I was there. Colleen Loraine Reece

May the joy of the Resurrection fill your hearts and lives today and always. 

Happy Easter!

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