Where we are going is not as important as the friends we meet along the way.

The ones who are hardest to love are the ones who need it the most.

I had a revelation yesterday. It was one of those thoughts that just pop into mind, that come out of the blue. And once that thought came, a light went on inside.

I had gone to the Easter service at a church I had never been in and an unfamiliar denomination to me, but well known. Two young missionary girls had invited me, one from Texas and one from Colorado. They had helped me with a chore and afterwards, invited me to attend their church. I had planned to go to my regular church service. But why not accept their invitation? They said they were singing and hoped I would come hear them. I said, yes.

The church service was very different from what I am used to. I attend a Catholic church, so there is a lot of ceremony, a lot of scripture, a choir…a really good choir. I am always a little hesitant to attend a service at a denomination I am not familiar with, because I don’t know what to expect.

This Easter service was…plain. I don’t mean that in a negative way. When I arrived, I was greeted warmly. I recognized a lot of people. They made me feel welcome and it felt genuine. People smiled a lot. They looked happy. “These are really good people,” I thought as I waited for the service to begin. There were no frills. It was a simple and straightforward service. No visible cross anywhere. There was no choir, but several young people sang duets accompanied by a piano. The sermon was excellent…moving. It came from the heart. After the service several people came up to me and told me how glad they were that I came. I was glad I went.

As I started to drive home, I realized that I had not planned anything for Easter dinner. Stopping at the grocery store didn’t help. I perused the frozen dinners. Nothing looked good. The deli department was shut down, though there were some leftovers from the day before. I had lots of dinner invitations for Thanksgiving and Christmas, none for Easter. Not that I expected any. I knew Easter was coming, but had not thought about Easter dinner. Curious. I am used to eating alone, so it’s not a big deal.

Yet, this was one of my more memorable Easters, in a good way. I spent Holy week listening to prayers and Bible readings on Hallow. It’s a great resource with daily readings and good dialogue and explanations. I had signed up for the “Bible in a Year” reading program. I watched a new episode each day of “Holy Week in the Holy Land” that featured Jonathan Roumie, who portrays Jesus on The Chosen and Jeff Cavins, a Biblical scholar. I virtually walked the Via Dolorosa, stood at Golgotha, visited the empty tomb, stood on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. I learned a lot. It’s the first year I felt like I really experienced Easter.

This has been a kind of “coming home” for me. For many years I fell away from any and all churches. I won’t go into the reasons why, but it involved some bad experiences. And I am at peace with it.

But back to my “revelation.” I had been thinking a lot about good people. They are everywhere, not just in churches. Oh, there are also some real stinkers too. We’ve all met them along the way through life. It was then, when I was thinking about the “stinkers” that the revelation came. An inner voice said, “You failed to see their divinity.” I can honestly say, I have never looked at anyone and thought about their divinity. Jesus sees it in all of us, even on the days when we can be “stinkers.”