Living in Easter Joy (1)

I always love Easter and its glorious after-glow with life changed for ever by a risen, living Christ. For the first time our UK grandchildren celebrated Easter with us.  The Sunday service was inspiring, but the whole bitterly cold weekend sabotaged other family plans. Easter Monday was another day on which to shiver!

Wearing full Winter gear I took the older boys, Luca and Anton,  out to a village near us. While walking in Histon a few weeks ago I had spotted an unusual front garden where the householder had sculpted a considerable number of animals and human figures.  Using sheet steel, shaped in fantastical and whimsical ways, the bungalow's front garden has turned into a children's wonderland.  Actually, not only the front garden but animals are on the roof, with a gigantic spider climbing the chimney stack.

I parked the car round the corner and the boys could not believe their eyes as the garden came in sight.  A welcome notice encourages children to climb the horse, pig and dog sculptures.  In biting wind they clambered on and then ran excitedly from figure to figure, pointing out creative extras that gave each piece such humor and interest. But, inevitably, the metal figures were brown with rust and seemed so drab in the Winter weather.

I guess the sculptor must have heard the boys.  He shuffled out with a kindly smile and a big carton of chalks. 'Oh, it's too cold!' he said. 'Here, write your names on this board as big as you can, and then start coloring the figures. There's no color.  We need color.'  Quickly he returned indoors. The chalks were immediately opened.  Luca and Anton not only wrote their names on the big board but on the giraffe, horse, penny-farthing, cockerel and pig.  Then began a busy time of giving the pig blue ears, the turkey multi-colored feathers, marking the faces of figures with smiles and highlighting their eyes.  The task of transforming the garden was hopelessly beyond us (yes, I joined in!)  but as we rushed from piece to piece we enjoyed great happiness together.  You can imagine the surprise that the creator of these pieces had given us such a task.  I thought of his comments that there was no color, and how that applies to life before Easter; and how multicolored and rich life truly is when we are joined with the indestructible Jesus and his community. 

May you continue to live in colorful Easter joy!  (For my UK readers, please note my US laptop insists on spelling color this way!)