There is no joy for a Christian quite that like of Resurrection Sunday morning. Jesus wins! He defeated everything, and because He lives in us, we win, too! There is no darkness or death that can separate us from victory, and eternity with Him. Hallelujah! Christ the Lord is risen today!
The color yellow is often associated with spring and
Easter. In contrast to the dreary hues of winter, spring’s bright sunshine and yellow
flowers warm our hearts. According to goodhousekeeping.com, “In a religious context, gold represents joy, victory, and triumph, as in the resurrection's
triumph over death.” For the ladies of Grace Baptist Church, yellow and Easter
became connected in a unique way this year, as “The Yellow Shirt Caper”
occurred.
It all started March 27, 2022, when Jen Greve shared a
video clip from Lighthouse Baptist Church in Florida. The ladies there pranked
their husbands into all wearing the same shirt, so Jen wondered if we’d all
like to try it at Grace. Everyone thought it would be fun, and the target date
and color were set: Easter Sunday, yellow shirts. Thus, the caper commenced.
Some wives weren’t sure if their husbands would wear
yellow. Then, too, finding yellow shirts was a bit tricky. The plan was
messaged, texted, and passed along by word of mouth. Amazingly, the secret remained
concealed, and excitement grew as the date approached.
Around fifty men and boys arrived at church on April 17, 2022,
wearing yellow shirts! There were pale yellows, bright yellows, yellow and blue
plaids, yellows with stripes, short sleeved and long sleeved shirts. Some men
also wore a tie, bowtie, or suit jacket. There was even a baby boy with a
yellow onesie. The caper had been successful!
Surprisingly, the men still didn’t realize what was going
on, that it had all been planned. Some of them commented after the service to
their wives that though they had noticed several others wearing yellow shirts,
they didn’t think anything of it. One gentleman thought people were wearing
yellow to show solidarity with the Ukraine. There were a lot of smiles amongst
families as the ladies revealed the plot in the foyer and hallways.
“The Yellow Shirt Caper” has an interesting parallel with a
profound spiritual truth: the life of Christ lived through us can be manifested
in different ways according to our different personalities and circumstances,
yet the undeniably recognizable trait of “Christ in you, the hope of glory” shines
forth (Col. 1:27). The men at Grace Baptist Church wore all different combinations
of yellow, but there was a common point on the color spectrum at which they
coincided. Likewise, I think of many people in my life through whom I have seen
a glimpse of Jesus. Far from being cookie-cutter Christians, they are unique
individuals of varying ages, interests, skills, and stations in life. In each
of them, I have seen His flash of glory shine forth. All of them have
encouraged me in one way or another, sometimes without their even realizing it.
True Christians are part of the same plan with the same goal: loving our Lord
with all that we are, and being transformed into His image so as to reflect His
glory that others may know Him / know Him better. To quote Twila Paris, “How
beautiful is the body of Christ!”
So, as “The Yellow Shirt Caper” goes down in the books, how
shall I remember it? It has definitely been a time of enjoyable camaraderie making a good Easter memory (two Easters ago, our church was hit by a tornado
on Easter night, and we are still in the rebuilding process). Doubtless,
anytime today is recalled, there will be smiles. And when I think of this
Resurrection Sunday’s events, may I also grow in my desire to let Him shine
through me. My husband Bill wrote today, “The resurrection is the exclamation
point of history.” If that be true, and it is, then surely that vibrant exclamation
point should make a difference in my thoughts, words, actions, and reactions (see
Psalm 96:2).
No comments:
Post a Comment