Living Tradition

Yesterday the kids and I did some of our Easter traditions, maybe a little early. We dyed hard-boiled eggs, and I hid plastic eggs in the house since it was so cold it snowed. 

A dozen plastic eggs held symbols of the resurrection.

As we opened our story eggs, we read about the crucifixion. The kids were horrified, of course. They're children, and stories open their emotions. 

But adults are different. I told the story routinely, numb to the shock of what Christ did - until I saw it in their faces. 

Each Sunday, we take Communion. We confess our sins and humble ourselves, and we accept the huge grace that comes with it.

But if we're not careful, we still forget. 

Some people say tradition is the problem, and repetition just makes us numb. And maybe it can. 

But then God seems to have a thing for memorials. In Communion, we revisit Christ's table, and our senses encounter the reality of what He did. We remember as we experience, and tradition isn't the problem.

The problem is us. Whether a routine is dead or alive depends entirely on us.

As we tuck our kids into bed, do we consider the precious gift they are? When we take a deep breath, are we glad for healthy lungs? As we stand at the stove cooking dinner again, are we amazed at the bounty of our homes? Not usually, right?

Routines can make us numb. But then routines can also wake us up. 

In the routine of Communion, Christ asks us to recall the price He paid, to remember the life He gave -  and to see with confidence the new life we already have. 

As Lent draws to a close, Easter beckons us to new life. And we're given a choice:

Dead tradition or childlike wonder?    

Resurrecting the awe, 

Becki*