The Gospel According to Lauren

Easter is here, and with it comes the annual recitation of The Gospel According to Lauren.

A few years ago now, when Lauren was about three, we were headed up to my in-laws' for Easter dinner. It was a bright sunny day, and we had just begun to settle into on the 90-minute trip up there. And at that point Lauren asked a question about what Easter was all about.

Now, we don't got to church nearly as often as we probably should. There are a number of reasons for this - reasons which should probably get their own blog post rather than cluttering up this story - but the bottom line is that if there is an attendance requirement for getting into Heaven, we're pretty much sunk.

But this does not mean that we take our faith any less seriously than those who dutifully show up every week, particularly those who show up to nap or gather talking points for their political debates. I have always considered myself to be more devout than religious, and I do take it as an important part of who I am. So when I am asked religious questions, I try to answer them as accurately and respectfully as I can.

Have you ever tried to explain the concept of Resurrection to a three-year-old?

It isn't easy.

But Kim and I gave it our best shot, running through an abbreviated (but basically accurate) account of the Crucifixion of Jesus, from Good Friday through Easter Sunday, and what that meant for the general run of Christianity. Resurrection was the sticking point, and we had to go over that a couple of times before we felt Lauren had a handle on it.

Died. Risen from the dead. Reigns. Okay, there you go.

There was short pause from the back seat of the car after we had finished, while Lauren digested all this information.

And then a soft voice said in tones of clear wonderment, "Jesus is a zombie?"

Well, not quite, my child. But we'll work on that when you're older.