Story for a Sunday Morning

I heard this little story a while back, and I thought I’s share it with you today…

Bobby had Down  syndrome.  His parents always took him to church on Sundays, and Bobby was in the third grade Sunday School class, but he had problems fitting in with the other boys and girls.  Third graders can be cruel when a child is different, and despite the best efforts of the teacher, Bobby was the butt of many unpleasant comments from the other children.

One day in early spring,  a day when the sun was shining and the birds were singing outside, the teacher took the class out doors.  She had a box of big eggs, the kind of big plastic eggs that nylons come in, and gave an egg to each child and told them to find something the symbolizes the new birth of spring and put it inside their egg.

As you can imagine, there were third graders running around all over the place, laughing, shouting and generally having a good time.  After a while, the teacher called the class together to see what they had collected in their eggs.  One had a butterfly in it, another a flower, another a ladybug.  There were leaves, and even a rock; the last egg was empty.

“Somebody didn’t do it right” cried one of the boys.

“What an idiot” cried another.

The teacher noticed a tug on her sleeve and looked down to see Bobby.  “That’s mine” he cried, “The tomb is empty!”

Quickly the laughing and catcalls stopped as the significance of what Bobby had said dawned on everyone.  Bobby gained a new respect from his classmates, and soon he was accepted by the others.  As the weeks progressed, Bobby became the most popular kid in the class, even though he was different, for he had an insight that was both gentle and deep.  Of course his loving nature didn’t hurt either…

The following summer, Bobby died; he had many health issues and finally lost his struggle for life.  When his funeral was held, the entire Sunday School class paraded into the church and placed empty eggs on Bobby’s casket, for he had shown his classmates the significance of that empty tomb, so very long ago.