{"id":29733,"date":"2022-04-24T15:25:24","date_gmt":"2022-04-24T19:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=29733"},"modified":"2022-06-25T16:27:48","modified_gmt":"2022-06-25T20:27:48","slug":"easter-egg-hunt-rolls-out-once-again-4-16-22","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pitmanumc.org\/wp\/?p=29733","title":{"rendered":"Easter Egg Hunt Reveals God’s Love! (4\/16\/22)"},"content":{"rendered":"

After two years of cancelled or curtailed (“drive Thru”) Easter Egg Hunts, the pandemic loosened its grip and allowed us to invite the community and throw a full-out Easter Egg Hunt!\u00a0 On April 16, the day before Easter, the parking lot was filled with cars and the sanctuary was filled with joyful families.\u00a0 The Easter Egg Hunt had returned!<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

It is always great to spend some time with our neighbors, but if you search closely enough, there are also some spiritual lessons hidden along with the eggs…<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Egg Hunt Returns!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Over 300 of our neighbors came to PUMC to hunt eggs, and many of them gathered in the sanctuary as we kicked off Egg Hunt 2022.\u00a0 Each Egg hunter was given a bag that would be used to hold their treasures.\u00a0 Stef Kier, our Christian Education leader, got things started with some songs, and then she \"\"<\/a>introduced our upcoming Vacation Bible School.\u00a0 The theme of\u00a0 year’s Vacation Bible School is “Monumental: Celebrating God’s Greatness<\/a>” and it will be held during the week of June 27 to July 1 (6-8 PM).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves:\u00a0 It’s time to hunt some eggs!!!<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

After the brief presentation indoors, we grabbed our specially decorated Egg Hunt bags and headed outdoors.\u00a0 Thousands of plastic eggs had been scattered across the lawn, and it was our mission to gather them up (end to enjoy the chocolate goodies that were inside each egg).\u00a0 Age grouped areas were marked off so that the big kids wouldn’t trip over the little kids.\u00a0 Each group was called one by one, and the Hunt was on!<\/p>\n

Here’s a taste of the excitement:<\/p>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div> \n\t\t
\"\" <\/span><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div> \n\t\t\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Looking for Jesus<\/span><\/h3>\n

As mentioned in the introduction to this post, there is a spiritual connection to the Easter Egg Hunt.\u00a0 As we watch the kids (and adults!) scramble across the lawn to gather the plastic eggs, we can catch glimpses of how God wants to have a relationship with us, and how He looks for us as hidden treasure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Go to Where the Broken Eggs Are…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In the morning, the lawn was green, open, and clear.\u00a0 And the parking lot was empty.\u00a0 But a few hours later, the lawn was littered with plastic eggs which had been scattered over the grass.\u00a0 Some of the eggs broke open during the process, and their contents spilled into the dirt.\u00a0 And, the parking lot was nearly full.<\/p>\n

Perhaps this is a lesson more for the church than for the overall community.\u00a0 But the cluttered lawn and full parking lot is a reminder that the church should be outside where the “eggs” are.\u00a0 The church is part of the community.\u00a0 Yes, there are “broken eggs” inside the church, but broken and needful people are to be found outside of the church’s “walls” too. \u00a0 Jesus preached on mountainsides, along the roads, and He healed the sick wherever He encountered them.\u00a0 He didn’t stay inside the synagogue. God is calling His church to be outside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Broken Eggs….<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

These plastic eggs are used year after year, and the seal that holds them together wears out.\u00a0 When the eggs are dumped on the ground, they frequently break open, spilling their sweet treasure on to the ground.\u00a0 The wrapped candy doesn’t look so hot when it’s on the grass, but they still have value and it’s worth picking them up (if they’re wrapped).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Likewise, our bodies wear out and we may not look so hot after the years have taken their toll.\u00a0 Even the younger among us have gone through some difficult times and may have done some bad things.\u00a0 And yet- God still wants to “pick us up.”\u00a0 The story of Easter is that God loves us enough that He wants to put us back together and gather us up- if we’re willing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

All Are Important…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Jesus told a parable about a shepherd who left 99 of his sheep behind in the sheepfold to go out and look for the 1 sheep who was missing.\u00a0 Take a look at Luke 15:1-7<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 The shepherd had 99 out of 100; that’s a pretty good average.\u00a0 Imagine if the Phillies’ Bryce Harper had a bating average of .999.\u00a0 Would any of the Philly fans boo him for not hitting 1.000???\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But God isn’t satisfied with 99 out of 100.\u00a0 If there’s any chance of bringing that person “home,” of changing that person’s priorities so that he\/she puts God above all else, then God is going to look for that person.\u00a0 He loves each of us that much.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Gather and Protect…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes there are so many eggs that you just reach out your arms and scoop up as many as your arms can hold.\u00a0 Then you carefully let them flow into your bag; you don’t want any of them to fall back on to the ground.<\/p>\n

Watching egg hunters scoop up piles of eggs reminds us of how God wants to bring us back into the safety of His arms.\u00a0 Jesus compared the children of Jerusalem to chicks that God wanted to gather together and shelter under His wings (Luke13:34-35<\/a>).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Seeking takes Effort…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

To pick up an egg, you’ve got to get on your hands and knees and scoop the egg out of the dirt.\u00a0 If the egg is broken, you need to pick up the two halves of the egg and then gather up its contents before dropping them into your bag.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To bring each of us into His fold, Jesus had to get on His knees in Gethesemane<\/a> and then climb the hill<\/a> to the cross. Salvation is free to us, but it cost God a lot.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keep Seeking…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

There are a lot of eggs scattered across the lawn.\u00a0 At first it’s easy to find them; some of them are dumped together in large piles.\u00a0 But after a while, the green space between each egg widens, and it gets harder and harder to find them. At first it’s easy, but later it takes more effort.\u00a0 To be a successful egg hunter, you need to be persistent.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The egg hunt reminds us of another parable that Jesus told (in Luke 15:8-10<\/a>).\u00a0 In this story, a woman had lost a gold coin which was part of a wedding gift.\u00a0 This coin was like a diamond in her wedding ring. It was really important to her and its loss left a painful gap in her “ring.”\u00a0\u00a0 If you’ve ever lost your keys, you don’t give up easily.\u00a0 The woman in this story didn’t give up either.\u00a0 She turned on all of the lights, swept the house and kept looking and looking until she found it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joy in Heaven…<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

When you pick up an egg and drop it in your bag, there’s an instant of joy; you found an egg, bent down, scooped it up and dropped it safely into your bag.\u00a0 Success.\u00a0 You quickly move on to find another egg, but you’re happy about the egg you just retrieved.<\/p>\n

The smiles, laughter, and excitement of the kids scrambling across the lawn remind us of the joy that Jesus spoke about in these Luke 15 stories.\u00a0 There was rejoicing in heaven when the lost sheep was returned to the fold (Luke\u00a015:7<\/a>).\u00a0 The angels threw a party when the woman found her lost coin (Luke\u00a015:10<\/a>). At the end of this chapter, a father had a big feast when his “prodigal son” came home (Luke\u00a015:23<\/a>).\u00a0 As we watch the joy of the Easter egg hunt, we’re reminded that God values each of us and wants nothing more than for each of us to love Him back.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Party Continues!<\/span><\/h3>\n

On the morning after the Easter Egg hunt, the church held another celebration: Easter!\u00a0 The resurrection is proof that we can hold on to the hope of eternal life.\u00a0 And this hope makes us want to celebrate throughout the year and to blur the line between the “church” and the “community.”\u00a0 The church is part of the community, so let’s continue to celebrate together.\u00a0 During the rest of the year, we will have many chances to see God together:\u00a0 Vacation Bible School, Preschool, Trunk or Treat, food pantry, CROP Walk, Blood Drives, and on and on.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The eggs are all gathered, the lawn is cleared.\u00a0 But thank God that we can continue to seek for Him and to enjoy His presence whenever and wherever we can.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

\u00a0<\/p>\n

2022 Vacation Bible School<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

WHEN<\/span><\/strong>: June 27 through July 1<\/span><\/p>\n

TIMES<\/span><\/strong>: 6:00PM – 8:00 PM<\/span><\/p>\n

WHERE<\/span><\/strong>: Barring any upticks in the virus, we’re planning to hold the VBS in person, inside our building.<\/span><\/p>\n

WHO<\/span><\/strong>: Nursery through 6th Grade<\/span><\/p>\n

COST<\/span><\/strong>: Absolutely Free!!!<\/span><\/p>\n

Further details will be announced in a separate post…<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

To learn more about our Easter Egg Hunt, here’s the announcement post:<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Egg Hunt Announcement Post<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

Anything of value is worth putting a lot of time and effort into.\u00a0 Sometimes the good things aren’t easy to recognize right off the bat; you have to look for them.\u00a0 Jesus told a lot of parables about how important it was to have a relationship with Him and on how you had to search for that relationship in order for it to grow.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

And so, we’re going to have a little exercise in “searching” as we celebrate Easter Sunday. The kids may not understand any theological message behind an Easter Egg Hunt; it’s just a fun thing to do and a great way to spend time with your friends and family.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt is Back!!!<\/span><\/h3>\n

Over the past two years we’ve been severely limited on how we spent our time together.\u00a0 Masks, social distancing, and avoiding indoor meetings have been the “norm” since the Coronavirus struck. \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We’ve had an Easter Egg Hunt for 12 years now!\u00a0 Before the virus, we kicked things off with some food and fun in our Fellowship Hall, and then moved into the sanctuary to enjoy a performance by a magician.\u00a0 But in 2020, COVID caused us to cancel the Hunt.\u00a0 In 2021, we closed our building and resorted to a “drive through” Hunt.<\/p>\n

But this year, we’re almost totally back to normal!\u00a0 There’s no magic show and we’re not going to spend as much time indoors, but we will be able to enjoy some time together that goes deeper than the Hunt itself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Virus Precautions<\/span><\/h4>\n

Our current policy is that masks are optional.\u00a0 We do ask that we protect each other either by getting vaccinated or by wearing a mask indoors.\u00a0 But nobody will be “carded” for vaccination status or judged if they wear a mask.\u00a0 Masking and virus protection is an individual choice.<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Easter Egg Hunt- 2022 Style…<\/span><\/h3>\n

No more cancellations or “socially distanced” drive-thrus!\u00a0 Here’s what we’re going to do this year:<\/p>\n