Zombies and other scary dudes

 Are we sending him to the right school next year? How do I teach him to stand up to bullies? What summer camps should I sign him up for? These are the things I obsess over these days. It's the stuff that I know doesn't matter in the long run, but nevertheless, is the stuff that I keeps me up at night.
Sometimes, though, Jack reminds us that he's listening -- ready for more of the really important stuff. And then the pressure's really on to get it right.

This past Palm Sunday, on the way to church, Jack and I started talking about Easter. Last year, he got the basic "Jesus died and woke up" story. But I figured he needed a little more this time around. Lots of questions, and I could just hear that little mind working through it all.

Our conversation was one of those great theological moments (deep sarcasm) where I say a little prayer that something is sinking in.

Jack: Mom, tell me a little more about Easter.

Me: The bad guys hurt Jesus and then he died.

Jack: What did they do to him?

Me: They hung him on a cross. They put nails in his hands and feet and then his belly.

Jack: Like Zombies? Zombies are bad guys. I think Zombies did it.

Me: Um. Yeah.  ... (this is when I think God chuckles a little.) That was on Friday. Three days later --
Friday, Saturday, Sunday -- Jesus woke up. He wasn't really dead.

Jack: Kinda like Optimus? (translation: Transformers Optimus Prime is a good guy, an Autobot who  died in Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. His friend Sam, a human, helped bring him back to life in the movie.)

Me: Um, not really, but yes, Jesus woke up. He took all the bad stuff we do, our sin. And because he died, we all get to go to heaven if we love Jesus.

Jack: I love Jesus, Mom.

Thanks be to God.