“Indigo, Mauve, Iridescent, and Rose”
When I was growing up I had a special weekly job at my parent’s family business, Smitty’s Valet. We did many varied alterations on clothing so we had an extensive thread collection. My job was to sort into colors and ascending shades, the hundreds of
wooden spools. I loved to line them up on their proper nail racks and shelves, make a clean cut, tuck in the ends of threads, and wind loose ones back into the whole. At the end of the job, I always had bunch of left over single threads of various color tints and
hues, and I loved to ball them up into a massive rainbow of thread!
I love color, I always wanted a box of alternate shades of crayons, my favorite colors of markers and colored pencils are the ones with two descriptive words: Glistening Gold, Magenta Crimson. Torch Red, Ocean Seaglass or Toasted Coconut! I often have thought I would love to name new colors!!! It is a sad day when I hear someone tell me, “Black is
flattering, solid colors won’t bring out your curves, maybe that is too bright for you, stick with grays, mauves, and neutral tones.” No wonder as we age we often wear drab colors and feel not as valuable as those who are younger and quicker on the uptake and
brighter in look.
Each year for as long I can remember, I have colored Easter eggs, always wanting to change the bland white into something new and bright. The times when I didn’t have time to color eggs, it always felt as if something was missing, as if the day wasn’t
surrounded by change, hope, or a new outlook close enough that I could touch and hold it in my hands. I remember well the dye on my fingertips!! The Easter sanctuary, filled with tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, and lilies, don’t only have a perfume fragrance, they also
have the bright colors that shout hope, new possibilities, and change breaking through! Easter is about the essence of intricate color which has come to live among us and change us into new beings who aren’t scared to wear Sunshine Yellow, Passionate
Purple, Cerulean Sapphire, or Blood Red!
Kriah is a Hebrew word meaning “tearing.” It refers to the act of tearing one’s clothes or cutting a black ribbon worn on one’s clothes. It is a striking expression of grief and anger at the loss of a loved one. When the patriarch Jacob believed his son Joseph was dead, he tore his outer garment . Today, you may see a Jewish person wearing a small black
piece of cloth, on a lapel, noting they are grieving one who has died.
For Christians, Holy Friday is a time when all seems lost, Christ is dead, hanging lifeless on crucifix. And the grieving is so deep in our soul and spirit, we should wear a piece of black cloth. But on Easter Sunday, we should pin on a color cloth, and look out,
not with sorrow and grief, but Hope, and life, bright color and possibility.
From Matthew 28:5-7, the angel spoke to the women: “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said. Come and look at the place where he was placed. Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of
you to Galilee. You will see him there.’” That’s the message!
May you shine in the brightness of Christ!
Pastor Angelee
