Easter Eggs

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Cynthia L. Eppley 04/02/2021

Easter and Eggs

It is that time of year where Easter eggs are being dyed. Sure, there are the plastic ones that get reused every year.
There are Ukrainian eggs that are lovingly and meticulously painted.
But dying Easter eggs the old fashioned way?

It is a classic rite of childhood. And parents and grandparents enjoy it as well.

Dye

So what is a Grandparent to do when a little one is here with you?
Dye Easter eggs. It sounds simple enough doesn’t it?
But the new razzle dazzle methods are not sufficient. No mixes for us. No, these had to be the regular water, food dye, and a touch of vinegar.

Dunk

So we got out several mugs and added the food dye. Many combinations were created, and patience was required as we waited for the dye to do its job.
Of course, who can resist lifting it out of the murky solution to check on the progress?

The Roll

As eggs were dyed, they were brought out and placed on the counter.
Or maybe on a plate.
Either way, I don’t remember specifically.
I do remember hearing the slow roll across the counter. Almost in slow motion, and then the…..

Splat

The egg dropped onto the floor with not a crunch, as we’d expect from a hard boiled egg, but a “Splat.”
Uh-oh.
Her big eyes looked at mine as if to question my reaction.

What is a grandmother to do except laugh?

The Messy Clean Up

Eggs are a nasty business to clean up.
And why the “splat” and not the “crunch?”
Evidently, I had not cooked the eggs long enough. Maybe 5 more minutes would have done the trick.
So back into a simmering water bath they went.
Who would have known that the dye would have been lost in the new bath?
Now they looked mottled and grey.
Not quite the colorful plethora of shades we had anticipated.
This was more the color of death.

Good Friday

Considering what Jesus did on the Cross, there is much to consider. His body was beat and broken and hung on a tree.

Matt 20: 17-19
Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests

and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!”

Crushed and Broken

Isaiah 53:5
But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus was crushed for our iniquities, for our sins. The punishment we deserved was placed upon Him. In a miraculous exchange, we are healed through His wounds.

Splattered Lives

But perhaps we don’t feel healed right now.
Perhaps our lives seem to be “splattered” all over the floor.
Perhaps we can’t seem to find our way forward through the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. Perhaps our lives look dull and grey like death.

The Reality

In reality, we may as well be dead in our sins.
The stores may be selling brightly colored plastic eggs and decorations.
Easter is getting more commercialized with gifts galore.
Bunnies smile at us from display shelves.
It seems innocent and cute and adorable.
But the reality of the Cross stands in stark contrast to the commercialized hype.

Friday is here….but Sunday is coming!

So we take our broken lives, that may look gray and shattered, and we offer them up to Jesus. He alone can fix the chaos of our lives.
He can look at the mottled mess smeared across the floor.
He takes our sin and casts it into the depths of the sea.

What kind of miraculous exchange is this that takes our broken, crushed lives and gives us new life?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!