For years, I have failed to get an Easter family picture. Then I scroll my social media feed seeing the evidence of all the more “with it” moms who captured beautiful pictures of their families together, cute clothes and smiling faces. I shake my head in disappointment, though I’m not surprised at how consistent I have grown at “failing” in this area. For a couple of years, the idea of taking a “family” picture without all of our kids home has been a point of sadness, but that’s not the only reason I miss the mark on Easter pictures. I just forget, and by the time I remember, someone has changed out of their church clothes, or someone has left, or…the list of excuses goes on. This year, I planned to do better. I was NOT going to forget. We wouldn’t have all of our family together, but 6 of us would be, and I wanted to get a picture. By the time I realized I failed again, one kid had changed clothes and my husband was in the driveway working on our daughter’s car. Nevertheless, I smiled as I reflected on the reason for this year’s forgetfulness: the stranger and the way the Lord used him to remind us of the resurrection power at work within us.

When the man entered our church auditorium Easter Sunday, the praise team had just finished practicing, and most of our members had not yet arrived. Our small groups were still 20 minutes from starting and the main service was over an hour away. My never-met-a-stranger husband spotted him first and immediately greeted him and began to visit. He had walked from where he was staying to find a place to worship and said he would come back later. It was clear he felt out of place.

Later on, as the music began and our worship service progressed, I spotted the visitor in the back row. He had returned, and I smiled to see him worshiping with our congregation. Glorious Day, Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery, beautiful reminders of the work of Christ on the cross: “Come, behold the wondrous mystery/ Christ, the Lord upon the tree/ In the stead of ruined sinners/ Hangs the lamb in victory/ See the price of our redemption/ See the Father’s plan unfold/ Bringing many sons to glory/ Grace unmeasured, love untold…”

At the conclusion of the service, as Pastor closed in prayer, my thoughts jumped to lunch. We had a ham in the oven and potatoes peeled and ready to fix, but I wasn’t thinking of how hungry I was. All of the sudden, I had the thought, We should invite him to join us. Now in that split second, I was fully aware that this man is a stranger we don’t know, and we would be inviting him into our home. There are inherent risks with that. Those were not lost on me, but I have no doubt the thoughts were the prompting of the Holy Spirit. As our praise team returned to the stage for the final song, I whispered to my husband that we should invite the visitor to lunch. There was a sense of urgency because every guest who sits at the back feeling uncomfortable leaves quickly. Once the service ended and my kind husband realized what I was suggesting, he immediately began scanning the crowd to spot the man. We parted ways as I headed to supervise our youngest kids partaking in the annual egg hunt and he set off to extend the invitation.

I didn’t know in that moment, but by the time my husband made it to the parking lot, the stranger had already set off on foot back to the place he had come from. Now, some people would decide at that point that the opportunity had been missed. Not my husband. That generous man hopped in our vehicle and drove down the road to find the man and invite him to lunch. After a brief hesitation, the man agreed, with much gratitude.

When the kids’ fun ended and we headed to the car, I saw the front passenger seat was occupied. I climbed in the back with our daughter and welcomed our guest with a handshake and quick introduction. We headed home without a single thought of a family photo.

As we drove and the man shared honestly of his struggle and determination to maintain his clean streak (5 months, 3 days clean), he said, “I just know I can’t do it without the help of Christ.” Thank you, Jesus. For over a decade, his parents have been deceased – no support system, no family, no hope. Our Resurrected Savior had given this man the courage to walk to and attend not one, but two churches that morning, full of unfamiliar faces. He had pressed him onward when the man hesitated to enter a second time at the door of our building. He used the concluding prayer to prompt me to invite a stranger to our home, and He used the stubborn persistence of my husband to chase the man down. How many times does Jesus chase us down, pursuing us, to bring us to Himself?

Our kids were beautifully hospitable as each of them took the unexpected visit in stride and joined us in making our guest feel at home. They introduced themselves with handshakes or smiles and the boys took the stranger to the backyard to play catch and help him feel more at ease while we finished prepping the meal. He offered to help many times, and I definitely heard “yes ma’am” more than I typically do in any given day. He apologized for his awkwardness and admitted that it’s been many years since he’s been in a home with a family. Thank you, Jesus. We shared food and fellowship, and then packed up some leftovers for our friend to have at supper time. My husband gave him a ride back to his hotel and showed him some additional resources along the way because hopefully he’ll get into a treatment program he’s pursuing in our town and have the chance to attend Celebrate Recovery, offered by another church in our community.

Before dropping him off, my husband shared with this visitor how awesome it is that the Power that raised Christ from the grave is still at work within us. He is more than capable of leading this man to Victory in Him. (Ephesians 3: ²⁰ Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.) I am so grateful to share life with a man who loves others so sincerely and beautifully, and practically and consistently. Thank you, Jesus.

I picked up my phone later that day to begin the annual social media scroll of shame. My kids were beautiful and dressed cute for church, like so many others. We attended together and nearly filled a pew, and I didn’t have a single picture to show for it. But this year, the Lord brought to mind something that matters more than a picture on social media: Hebrews 13: 1Let brotherly love continue. 2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

Thank you, Jesus, for letting us see more of You today. Thank you for ham, and green beans, and sweet children, and football, and smiles, and the chance to show Your love to someone who’s lonely. Thank you that Your resurrection power is still at work and that You won the victory “in the stead of ruined sinners” like us. Please bring this “son” we met to Glory through Your Grace, unmeasured, Love untold. Oh – and thank you for giving me a sweeter picture of your goodness than I ever could have captured with a camera. 💝