Easter Uh-Oh, Part II

       A few weeks ago I wrote about leading a prayer at the annual gathering of the Alliance of Baptists in Greenville, SC, just six days after Easter Sunday. During the confessional part, I said that when Jesus' tombstone rolled away on Easter morning...it had kept on rolling. And as it rolls it breaks down walls that divide us from one another, and from God.

       But I also said, "It has rolled over our toes; and we have complained."

       That is when a kid spoke-up. "UH-OH!"

       Almost on cue, a wave of "prayerful" laughter washed over the congregation bathing us in grace.

       That is not all. There is a P.S.

       Someone passed along my article to Matthew Alexander. Turns out, Matthew is the father of Jake; and Jake is the boy who offered-up the well-timed, "UH-OH!"

       I'll let Jake's dad tell the rest....

       James, I recently was forwarded a reflection you wrote called "Easter Uh-Oh's." I must come clean and confess that it was my son that caused the disruption. Jake, who was given that name because it was a derivative of the name James, his late grandfather's first name and my middle name, and is quickly becoming known for disrupting the lives of adults.

       I have been grabbed by the chin and had my head turned many times so that he can see my face. I have heard him scream "Apa!" (that is Korean for dad; Jake is half Korean).

       ...when he sees something or hears something wrong, out come the uh-oh's. If I walk out of my room without socks on, uh-oh. When he breaks something, uh-oh.... When he spills his milk, when he can't find his favorite toy, or when he is missing something from his dinner plate, uh-oh. When he hears his sister crying, uh-oh.

       I found myself doing things I would never imagine myself doing because of his uh-oh's. I have helped him move many bugs to safety when he is concerned about their location whether that be in the house or in the garage or on the sidewalk. I have had to stand and wait as he observes a stone turtle in the neighbor's yard. These situations are preceded by an uh-oh. And now during a prayer when he heard that a stone had been rolled over someone's feet, uh-oh.

       Jake is two years old and I don't know if it was a matter of timing or it was something moving through him. As his dad, I choose to believe the spirit was moving through him. Thank you for your reflection and your willingness to pause and pay attention to his uh-oh.

       I attached a photo of Jake.

 Sunday, May 5, 2013

 Monday, May 20, 2013, at 7 PM