Easter Parade

At Tallarook, the school had an Easter Parade on the last day of term. There were many kids with bunny ears. There was a boy dressed as a carrot and others had hats with dangling eggs. Then there were two boys each dressed as Jesus. This is something new to ponder. Yes, Easter is not just about chocolate eggs delivered by a magical bunny or bunnies. It is also about the death of Jesus of Nazareth some 1,985 years ago outside Jerusalem. He was overturning religious life. He was a miracle healer, even bring people back alive from the grave. The city's religious leaders with the full support of the Roman occupation arranged to have him killed and did so during the Jewish Passover Festival. To justify this corrupt plot, the high priest had said earlier, "It is better for you to have one man die for the people than to have the whole nation destroyed." His words were prophetic at so many levels. Jesus was executed on a Roman cross but rose a few days later from the grave, stayed a while longer and then left into the clouds. The intervention of God's Spirit into the lives of countless numbers of people, generations and societies following this event was transformational. It tends not to be possible to believe the resurrection (and ascension) story unless God's Spirit works on someone's heart. There seems to be a fine balance between freedom of choice and God's intervention. Many a Christian grows into this realisation and discovers the full impact of it power over time. And today we have children dressed as Jesus offering a relaxed reminder of this message. Its simple and light-hearted look is refreshing because of the total acceptance of their peers, parents and teachers. This is innocence in action and a possible taste of open sharing of faith and spirit for this new generation growing up without the religious baggage that has gone before it.