When I was younger, my family and I were often on holiday over Easter. Mum and I had a tradition that we’d always go to the Easter service at the local church, which I really enjoyed.
One Easter, we were on holiday somewhere in Wales and I was sitting in the pew next to a young boy and his mother. As is traditional at many churches on Easter day, all the children were to be given a chocolate egg at the end of the service. The little boy next to me clearly knew about this custom and was eagerly awaiting his chocolate. He kept asking his mum when he would get his egg and she told him to be patient and wait.
Finally, the end of the service came and the chocolate eggs were distributed to all the children. I didn’t get one as I was a teenager and clearly deemed too old for such treats. The little boy clutched his precious egg with delight, but then noticed that I didn’t have one. He looked at his egg and then looked at me. He looked at his egg again and then looked at me. He then pulled my sleeve and said, “Excuse me miss. Would you like my egg?”.
Easter is all about sacrificial giving and this small act helped me to see more the clearly the one ultimate act of sacrificial love. That Jesus willingly gave his life for us is the deepest, awe-inspiring truth there is. And I think that little boy understood it better than many.
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.”
1 John 3: 16