Reflections
Adam’s Easter
Posted on April 14, 2018 | Posted by Annie Saunders
A few weeks ago, my sister and her family drove down to the Springs for Easter weekend. With them, of course, was my nephew Adam.
Since the last child in our family was myself, to say that Adam is precious to us all would be an understatement. He’s a happy, well-behaved, vastly intelligent child…and he’s only three.
Adam’s parents believe in actively teaching children about the faith as young as possible. Heck, Adam was reaching for the communion bread when he could barely walk. Like any good Sunday schooler—Adam knows the God made the world, Jesus loves him, and that Jesus died for him.
However, the “died for us” part didn’t quite sink in until this year’s Good Friday service.
Adam’s eyes were wide and wondering as we gathered around the cross and the crown of thorns. His somber face glanced about at his fellow Christians as we sang “Were You There.” He was silent, as we filed out of the church.
For the rest of the night, his mind kept cycling back to Good Friday. He’d come up to us and say, “Auntie Boo,” (that’s me by the way…) “Did you know Jesus died today?”
“That’s right he did. It’s sad, huh?”
“Yeah…did you see the crown of thorns?”
“Uh-huh.”
“They hurt Jesus.”
Hearing those words come from my nephew, the kid I’ve put down for naps and played trucks with, sobered me.
I know the story of Jesus’ death. I’ve been to Good Friday services every year for as long as I can remember. Yet, I had forgotten. In my adult’s perspective, my brain had wandered into worrying about what I was going to wear Easter morning, assignments I had due at school the upcoming week, and if the choir was going to perform our song without a hitch.
I forgot that they hurt Jesus.
To have this sweet soul, gripped by the ideas of death and agony, made me wish I could cover up this hard part of Easter.
But we can’t do that, can we? That would defeat the purpose of it all.
“But you know what,” I said to Adam, “Jesus came back to life, in just three days! Death couldn’t keep Jesus down, okay?”
Big brown eyes meet mine, “Okay.”
Easter may have been a couple weeks ago, but the gravity of the death and the resurrection shouldn’t be easily forgotten. Just ask a toddler.
