this is all i’ve been thinking about today as i set tables

…as i drove family members to where they needed to be

…as i ran in and out of stores purchasing the last-minute necessities to make Easter day that much more wonderful

…as i tried on cardigan #1 then cardigan #2 then cardigan #1 again just to make sure it was the one i wanted

…as i chatted with a friend from my year in Germany

…as i delivered cheese braid to some lovely neighbors and Easter gifts to three older babies in the little yellow house from Nana and Papa

…and as i blew my nose every few moments (nobody is supposed to be sick for Easter!).

yes, in all the runnings around and amidst all the bustling business that always goes into any holiday in this house, this is what i was thinking about:

“I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!

All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.” (Ephesians 1:15-23, The Message)