Luna and rocco in their easter best

                                                        Eastertide: Day 3

Here is our beautiful butterfly, Luna, looking colorful in her scarf and butterfly headband, while her big buddy, Rocco, sports his blue bunny ears. These two dogs love Easter.  Although they obviously don't understand the meaning of Easter, they are part of "creation that groans" (Romans 8:23) waiting for the entire universe to be reconciled back to God. Like all of creation, they will experience the passage of time, leading to old age and possibly, unfortunately, illness, until this world is swept away and the realm of God fully arrives.  

But these two lovely creatures aren't aware of any of that. On Easter, they are thrilled with the guests and friends who wave from afar. They delight in the extra company, the hidden Easter eggs they can sniff out, the warm sun signaling the end of winter and some extra tidbits of leftovers from our special Easter dinner. Even though they don't know what Easter is, they participate in it, in their own way. They do know that it is a special day, that things happen on this day that don't usually take place on other days. They know the humans they love are more relaxed and content. They know it's a day of celebration. And their joy only adds to our own, as we place our faith in the resurrection of Jesus and look forward to the coming of his kingdom.