Yesterday Jim and I made our yearly trip to church. Surprisingly, this year I was actually the one to suggest attending. My dear friend Jake invited us to watch him play bass in the band at a new church called The Vine near Falls Church. Initially Jim seemed apprehensive. Okay, that is a blatant understatement. He did not want to go. But with diligent persuasion, he finally caved.
We pulled into the parking lot just as the Easter egg hunt began, and watching the little kids try and "find" the eggs (which were literally just strewn all over the lawn, barely hidden at all) was quite entertaining. We located Jake right in front and met his band members, who were all wearing plaid (he must have missed the memo.) He led us inside and introduced us to Pastor Todd, who appeared to be in his mid-30's with a goatee and dressed even more casually than Jim. Immediately we knew this would not be a stuffy old people church service.
And when the band began playing U2's "Beautiful Day" our thoughts were confirmed. Jake of course kicked ass, and the rest of the guys didn't do too bad either. They played a few more songs and Pastor Todd came up to begin. Being Easter and all, I expected to hear the traditional sermon about Jesus rising, but the inspiring message that followed was completely unforeseen.
Pastor Todd began reading John 20:1-4 and noted how frequently Mary and the disciples were running while looking for Jesus. He broke into a quick story about how as a child, he ran away from some old guy whose car he'd hit with a snowball. Then he related running to those of us in Northern Virginia who are constantly running errands, rushing around for work, always on the move. Jim and I could certainly identify with those feelings.
Why do we run? Some of us run because everyone else is running. We run because we are scared of missing out on something. Maybe we run because we're confused. Running isn't bad, running can be quite good. Accomplishing things, staying ahead of the game. But always being on the move, we're bound to miss something.
In the next few verses (John 20:5-10), the disciples slow down to look in the tomb and see Jesus' cloth wrappings. Again, Pastor Todd told a quick personal story to make everyone laugh and related the message back to all of us. Although running can be good, when you slow down, you see the signs.
Of course, the signs he is referring to here are the signs of Jesus all around us. Since I'm not super religious, I take this to mean other signs too. The world giving us clues as to which paths to take in life. But even slowing down, you might miss the real message behind the signs.
Finally, in the last verses (John 20:11-18) Mary stops to weep and reflect on where Jesus has gone. In this moment, she sees angels and asks them where they have taken Jesus. Then Jesus appears and delivers his message to her. Instead of just seeing the signs, by waiting Mary was able to experience Him.
This message hit home and stuck with me all day. The past few months I have been running non-stop. Between 18 credits at school, working almost full-time, finishing up wedding planning, trying to spend time with Jim, Lucky, friends, family and by myself, I've missed out on just spending time with the world, listening and experiencing what it says.
Almost a year ago I wrote this post. Another one of my favorites is this one. Clearly I enjoy taking time to stop and listen. Its just been awhile.
So with the Easter message in mind yesterday, I did just that. Stopped. Listened for the signs. When I opened them, there in front of me were tons of buttercups, which always remind me of Grandma. In that moment, her love washed over me.
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| The biggest things in the smallest places. |
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