Easter in the time of COVID

April 18,2021 Third Sunday of Lent COVID Memorial Service 1 John 3:1-7 Opening Song Welcome Opening prayer Stepping into the turmoil of life, God, you still offer peace to all who seek to follow Jesus as the Christ. Today, those words of peace still our hurry. We’re grateful the Easter story is able to be savored, filling our imaginations, encouraging each of us to dream of what is possible. So continue to make us whole in our identity as disciples. Challenge us to be truth-telling witnesses of your love made known in Christ. AMEN Prayer over putting on a mask Creator, as I prepare to go into the world, help me to see the sacrament in the wearing of this cloth – let it be “an outward sign of an inward grace” – a tangible and visible way of living love for my neighbours, as I love myself. Christ, since my lips will be covered, uncover my heart, that people would see my smile in the crinkles around my eyes. Since my voice may be muffled, help me to speak clearly, not only with my words, but with my actions. Holy Spirit, as the elastic touches my ears, remind me to listen carefully – and full of care – to all those I meet. May this simple piece of cloth be shield and banner, and each breath that it holds, be filled with your love. In your Name and in that love, I pray. May it be so. May it be so. Rev. Richard Bott Stewardship Moment Moment for Stewardship This week marks the 51st anniversary of Earth Day (April 22). We recognize our calling as “stewards” means we are care-takers of the creation God has provided. From Genesis right through the rest of the Bible and on to today, people of faith recognize God’s good gifts include earth’s land, air and water on which our lives depend. In this Easter-tide, we continue to rejoice in the new life of the resurrected Jesus. Yet our own lives so often ignore the actions we can take to be stewards. So, today, we pray for our own lives to be raised up/inspired to the point that we might willingly become witnesses to God’s love made known in Jesus. Prayer of Thanksgiving Creating God, We thank you for the creation which you freely give to us. In gratitude for your gifts, we respond with our desire to be faith-filled stewards, caring for creation. Please receive and help us use these gifts for the on-going life of this congregation and for ways we will engage as witnesses to your desire for full and abundant life on Earth. AMEN Scripture 1 John 3:1-7 Common English Bible 3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us in that we should be called God’s children, and that is what we are! Because the world didn’t recognize him, it doesn’t recognize us. 2 Dear friends, now we are God’s children, and it hasn’t yet appeared what we will be. We know that when he appears we will be like him because we’ll see him as he is. 3 And all who have this hope in him purify themselves even as he is pure. 4 Every person who practices sin commits an act of rebellion, and sin is rebellion. 5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and there is no sin in him. 6 Every person who remains in relationship to him does not sin. Any person who sins has not seen him or known him 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you. The person who practices righteousness is righteous, in the same way that Jesus is righteous. Sermon 1+1=1 - the math of love Twenty six years of ministry and two full years of clinical pastoral education has trained me to be professional about death and grief. It is my job to visit people in the hospital, to walk with them from illness to death, and to pray for them at their funeral. – and to go home and eat dinner as if it was all a part of a normal day. Then there are weeks like this one, where my humanity seeps through, and I cant help but to be overwhelmed with grief. Death can take its toll on even the strongest of pastors. And of course it doesn’t help that I really have not been feeling well. That is how I know that I am really sick – when its gets harder to deal with those negative emotions of life. This has been a very hard year for each of us. All of us have been affected in some way, in several ways by the COVID pandemic. That is why I thought that it was important that as we come to the season of resurrection and rebirth, as we return to church and get reacclimated to our mission – it is critical that we acknowledge the collective grief of the congregation. It order to move on – we have to name it, touch it acknowledge it, acknowledge the affect it has had on us. We are back to gathering in person, but we are not really back and things are not really the same. When we were meeting a year ago – attendance was dwindling down to 60-65 people. Now we are consistently 25-30 – with more people joining us online. There are a number of people who have faithfully attended the church for years – who are not here with us to come to church. There are a number of people who we saw at church regularly, who don’t show up anymore. There are a number of programs that we will not have this year, and may not ever have again. The service is different, the service is at a different time, the way in which we interact is different. I think that it is important to name those losses, and acknowledge our grief. Easter is intended to be bittersweet – a celebration o fthe resurrection is not a celebration of a return to the way things used to be. Easter is an acknowledgement of a new normal. It is an acknowledgement that we seek the light, because we know what it means to walk in darkness. We Are Made for God Jesus knew that if his resurrection was going to do the world any good — if the disciples were really going to be able to proclaim a message of Good News that the world could hear and accept — then the resurrection had to be seen as something more than just the world’s greatest divine parlor trick, more than just the ultimate surprise ending that would startle and jolt everyone who heard about it. No, the truth of Easter and the reality of Jesus’ return from the dead had to be the capstone on a much larger story that went all the way back to the beginning. It must be seen as something toward which God has been working all along because then and only then can we understand that this has something to do with the core purpose for which we all were created in the first place. This service is dedicated to the grief present with us this morning. I felt that the litany that we will say at the end of the service is long, but it is also inclusive of our experience. I may or may not read the entire litany in service, but I would encourage you to read it, reflect and pray with it. The Jesuits have a spiritual practice called the examen. Every night you reflect on the good, the bad the ugly in your day. As you look at the day – you should reflect on where you saw God at work in your life. God is not just present in the positive. God is present in our angers, fears, jealousies, and pain. It is the negative things in life that often give us the clearest picture of God. While putting this service together, I found several pandemic examen, where we can reflect on what this year has been like, what feelings have come up? What have you learned about life, and humanity? Where did you see God within the last year? What is going with you right now? What have you lost, what have you gained? The threat of COVID is not over yet – life has not returned to normal yet. I think that the most important question of the day is what hope do you have? For yourself, for your life, for this church. What is our future. Many were worried about our future before the pandemic, this year has certainly heightened those fears. Do we give up? Or do we put our faith in God, our mission, one another? Just yesterday, I recited the words of the United Methodist funeral service. It is in the hymnal, along with the wedding service. The first paragraph – the gathering says in dying christ destroyed our death, rising christ restored our life. Christ will come again in glory. As in baptism we put on Christ, so in christ may we be clothed in glory. Here and now dear friends, we are God’s children. What we shall be has not yet been revealed, but we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, Those who have this hope purify themselves as christ is pure. We don’t know what we shall be, we don’t know what this congregation will look like in 1 year, 2 years or 5 years – that has not yet been revealed to us. But we do know that God will be present in the midst of it. Those are the words of 1 John 3:1-7. I love 1 John it has a powerful message – God loves us, God showed his love by bringing Christ into our lives, and that we should love others. The scripture says that we are all children of God because God loves us. We are also sinners, but God grace is stronger than our sin. When we have hope – we purify our mind, body and spirit of negativity and choose to live in grace. Somehow Easter does more than just offer the kind of generic “new beginning” and “fresh start” that some churches seem to reduce it to each year. Easter does not mean that a better day is coming by and by, that with a little bit of luck we can turn things around in our lives, or that there is no situation so difficult that God cannot cause a bright new day to dawn upon us. No, Easter means we were made for God. Easter means we were made for flourishing before the face of our God. And Easter means that the sin and evil that put up obstacles and caused a gaping chasm between us and God will not stand. God will bring all things back to their created intent. God will restore all things to himself. Easter is not only about the end of the cosmic story but is also a vindication ofthe beginning. Scott Hoezee, Comments and Observations The Only Easter Some Will Know Jesus returns from the dead and meets his disciples in different places: the garden, the Emmaus Road, the seashore, the Upper Room. He witnesses to them that he is alive, this guy back from the dead with a body. He isn't content to send them a postcard from heaven: HAVING A GREAT TIME. WISH YOU WERE HERE. No. He shows up among them as his own witness. And he recruits as witnesses those other people with bodies. He wants them to move out and tell everyone who will listen and everyone who won't that bodies count, that he's back from the dead with a body, threatening them with life. Those who recognize his witness become witnesses themselves. They put their bodies on the line. They become contagious with the forgiveness they've caught, carriers of resurrection. That's what this back-to-life Jesus wants of us: not names on a list, or what someone has called "pew potatoes." Jesus wants us as witnesses. Not airy spirits or pious ghosts, but bodies like his own with wounds to show, bodies that witness to resurrection, threatening the world with life. For the only Easter some people may ever see is the Easter they see in you and me. Charles Hoffacker, A Guy With a Body The health team will be meeting after church today – all are welcome to be a part of that conversation. One of the resources that we will look at is from the church leadership institute – which encourages church to not only look at their church mission statement, but to also look at developing a post pandemic mission statement. Who are we going to be in the midst of this difficult circumstance, and how do we intend to be the children of God and show love to others? A Sunday School teacher once asked her students to talk about how they felt about their church. The students responded in the usual ways: some said something silly to get the rest of the class to laugh, while others tried to be more serious. One of the girls was new to the class, and she felt uncomfortable about entering into class discussions, so she never raised her hand, or volunteered an answer. That Sunday, however, she did have an answer for her Sunday School teacher, and it was unforgettable. She said that going to church was, "like walking into the heart of God." (1) That is something to think about. Let us pray…… Litany of Solidarity and Hope During a Pandemic For those who are sick. For those with chronic illnesses and underlying health concerns. For all those who are suffering. For those who are lonely. For those who have no one to check on them. For families that are separated. For those who are unemployed. For those suffering financial hardships. For those who face an uncertain future. For those who are suffering from physical or emotional abuse. For those who are disproportionately suffering because of societal structures and unjust policies. For those who are struggling with physical or mental disabilities. For those who are overwhelmed by anxiety and stress. For those who are dying. For those who have died while saving the lives of others. For all who have lost their lives. For those who have survived. For those who have lost their spouses. For children who have been orphaned. For all those who mourn and those who comfort them. For firefighters, police, and emergency medical workers. For doctors, nurses, and all health care professionals. For those who serve in the armed forces. For public officials. For business leaders. For educators. For innovators and inventors who provide new solutions. For peace in our city and in our world. For renewed friendships among neighbors. For solidarity and unity among all peoples. For a greater appreciation and love of all humanity. For patience and perseverance. For calm in the midst of fear. For the grace to overcome adversity. For the generosity of spirit. For hope in times of despair. For light in the darkness. Gracious and Loving God, You are our comforter and our hope. Hear our prayers as we come before you. Strengthen us in this time of need. Inspire us to acts of solidarity and generosity and give us hope of a brighter future. - By Joseph P. Shadle Song for Reflection God of Grace, God of Glory UMH 577 Announcements Benediction Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Children’s Sermon Remember learning about the love commandment? Sunday school may introduce the lesson this way: 1+1=1. (This is maybe not the best approach for parents trying to become homeschool math teachers.) Whether reading from Mark’s or Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus pulls out a few tricks when he gives his answer to the test question: What's the greatest commandment? Jesus could have picked one of the Ten Commandments, but that would have been walking right into a trap. Instead, Jesus refers back to long-held Jewish beliefs and practices. In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus says, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” The first part is a reminder of the Shema, an ancient Jewish prayer practice his questioners would have said twice a day. The second portion connects love of God to loving our neighbor and ourselves reflecting Jewish practices described in Leviticus 19. The 1+1=1 nature of this commandment can make it difficult to both understand and follow. I like to think of it as a balancing act. Thankfully, this is easier than juggling. For example, the act of washing hands is an example of doing all three at once. When we wash our hands, we are taking care of our body, honoring God’s creation, and keeping others safe from germs. Asking kids to wash hands is necessary, but connecting it to our faith values and social good gives it meaning. That’s the simple trick of turning something from a chore into moral formation. READ: Coronavirus Resources: A Guide for Sojourners Readers How do we invite our children to live the love commandment as we make sense of the COVID-19 pandemic? In practicing love of God, we could use time away from school and friends to build strong faith practices. • Make time to pray and eat as a family with no extracurriculars to rush to every night. • Sing a children’s hymn while washing hands. (My favorite is “This Little Light of Mine.”) • Add a Bible story or scripture passage to the daily homeschool reading assignment. • Dig into some theological questions about God’s presence in our life. Additional Illustrations Go to the World Jesus did not command the whole world to go to church. Jesus commanded his church to go to the whole world. Traditional A Time of Transition Years ago the Standard Oil Company changed its name from ESSO to EXXON. Perhaps you remember the public campaign. For months, the famous “put a tiger in your tank” tiger was pictured on a large sign climbing a stepladder to the top of the local gas station’s ESSO sign. With a big smile on his face, the tiger held in his arms the new EXXON sign. Then one day, Standard Oil stations across America no longer had their old ESSO signs, but new EXXON signs. It was a clever campaign. If the new EXXON signs just showed up one day without any warning everyone would have been confused. “What happened to the ESSO station?,” people would have wondered. It took a time of transition. In the early church it took time for Jesus’ followers to realize that the post-Easter Jesus, the Risen Jesus, was the Jesus they knew in Galilee, but also different in important ways. That’s what the resurrection appearances in Matthew, Luke and John are for. They helped those first disciples recognize the post-Easter Jesus. Before Easter they knew him by the sound of his voice, the muscle of his arm, the stride of his gait. After Easter they would learn to recognize Jesus in new ways. Thomas H. Yorty, Recognizing Jesus In John Steinbeck's great novel, THE GRAPES OF WRATH, a migrating "Okie" family is told not to waste vital packing space on photographs and other items of family history and memories. One of the family members objects and asks, "How will we know it's us without our past?" Dr. Tony Campolo likes to tell how God is like a grandparent who visits with friends and relatives, and then begins to pull out all the pictures of their children and grandchildren. And the grandparents will say, "This is my Tony, this is my Suzy, this is my Eric, this is my Mary, this is my Jennifer, this is my Johnny." Dr. Campolo asks if it has ever crossed your mind that God does the same thing, because we are his children?" Don't worry if the picture you are looking at is not as beautiful as you think it should be. God sees you and loves you and that is where our real beauty comes from. Remember, there is always more grace in God than sin in us. Remember, God sees us and knows us and has promised to love us in spite of ourselves. "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God's children now..." The main difference between a Saint and a Sinner is really quite simple. It really doesn't have anything to do with whether or not someone has accepted Christ or not. The main difference is an affair of the heart and the soul and the focus of the heart and soul which of course makes it a Stewardship issue, which is why I bring it up. Now, I know there are more attributes to both, but one of the main differences between a saint and a sinner is: "a saint loves people and uses things, while a sinner loves things and uses people." In antiquity, a rabbi would address his congregation gathered in the synagogue as "my children." Age was not a consideration. You could be eight or 88 or any age in between. This was because all people are God's children. The rabbi was shepherd of his flock and felt a real responsibility for those in his care, responding as a loving parent would. Ben Hooper was a boy who grew up in the mountains of Tennessee.4 Ben was maltreated because he was born out of wedlock, certainly no fault of his. People were always examining his facial features and trying to guess who his father was. He was drawn to a local church and would slip in just to hear the sermon. Afterward, he would hurry out, knowing that a boy such as himself was not welcome in a holy place. One Sunday, Ben was unable to make a quick exit. He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and fearfully turned to see the preacher staring right at him. Ben assumed that the preacher was about to make a guess as to who his father was. Then the preacher said, "Boy, I see a striking resemblance. I know who you are. You are a child of God. Now, go claim your inheritance." Ben left church that day a different person because someone recognized him as a child of God. Later in life, Ben Hooper was twice-elected governor of Tennessee. We are God's children, not because of anything we do, but simply because God loves us. As children of God, what we will be when Christ returns is yet to be revealed. As children of God, we live as Christ lived, walking in the light of God's amazing grace. We will see God face-to-face in the last hour. And in between times, God abides in the community of faith, in fellowship with Christ, and with us. God is light. Walking in that light, we will live forever. Amen. There is something here which we may well note. It is by the gift of God that a man becomes a child of God. By nature a man is the creature of God, but it is by grace that he becomes the child of God There is somewhere the story of a poor and simple man who would often go into a cathedral to pray; and he would always pray kneeling before the crucifix. Someone noticed that, though he knelt in the attitude of prayer, his lips never moved and he never seemed to say anything. He asked what he was doing kneeling like that and the man answered: “I look at him; and he looks at me.” That is the vision of God in Christ that the simplest soul can have; and he who looks long enough at Jesus Christ must become like him. A novelist draws the picture of a young man who always refused to share in the lower pleasures to which his comrades often invited and even urged him. His explanation was that some day something fine was going to come to him, and he must keep himself ready for it. The man who knows that God is at the end of the road will make all life a preparation to meet him.

The Day Everything Changed

April 26, 2020 Luke 24:13-35 Every thing has changed Year A Third Sunday of Easter Children’s Sermon Exegetical Aim: To teach that we need God's assistance to see. Props: Prescription eye glasses and an eye chart (the chart can be hand drawn). The ideal situation is to use the glasses that one of the children may be wearing. If you have an optometrist in your congregation ask them to participate and bring an actual eye chart. Lesson: Good Morning! (response) I want to ask child's name with glasses--we shall call her Gladys to come and sit beside me and I am going to need one other volunteer. Choose one of the children who does not wear glasses--we shall call him Mike. I have asked Gladys to come sit beside me because she wears glasses and I have asked Mike to sit on my other side because he does not wear glasses. I also have another volunteer who is going to help this morning. Introduce the optometrist or person who will hold the eye chart. They should sit up front and be ready to stand with the chart at this time. (Eye chart holder's name) has brought an eye chart. Does anyone know what an optometrist is? (response) And what is an eye chart? (response) Very Good. In just a minute (eye chart holder's name) is going to hold up the eye chart and I am going to have Gladys and Mike to read the chart but before we do that I am going to ask Gladys to give me her glasses. May I have your glasses for just a minute? (child should hand the glasses to you) Now I am going to ask Mike to put the glasses on. If either of your eyes hurt you can close them until I am ready for you. Make sure that the children's head sizes match so the glasses are not stretched. Eye chart should be held up at this time and the holder point to the appropriate lines. Now I only want Gladys and Mike to read the lines on the chart. No one else call out the letters. Gladys can you read the first line? (response) How about you Mike, can you read the first line? (response) Gladys can you read the second line? (No) How about you Mike? Can you read the second line? (No) OK, Mike you can take the glasses off and let's give them back to Gladys. Is there anybody here like Gladys and Mike who cannot read the second line? (response) Is there any body here that can't read the third line? (response) Use this as an opportunity to spot an eyesight problem but don't call too much attention to it during the children's sermon. What would happen if we couldn't see clearly? (response) That's right. We wouldn't be able to read, or watch TV and we wouldn't even know where we are going. Sometimes we can't even see God when he's standing right in front of us. That's when we need to come up to the altar--where we are sitting right now--and we need to pray, break bread with one another, and ask for insight. When we do these things God opens our eyes and helps us to see. ChristianGlobe, , by Brett Blair Prelude Opening Prayer Dear Lord, you have so much to show us and to tell us— things that no human eyes have seen, things that no human ears have heard, things that you have prepared for those you love. Mighty God, your promises are like shelter in a storm— to us and to our children, to all those far and near, to everyone who hears your call. O, that we might have the mind of Christ, that we may know and understand your truth. We wait as empty vessels, ready to be filled to overflowing with your living water, as you reveal your love for us through Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Stewardship Moment Your offering last week empowered ministry within our congregation and in response to the needs of our community. It also supports the work done at our general church agencies, who in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, have continually mobilized staff, working from their homes, to resource local churches. Staff are providing relevant worship resources, training in how to stream worship services, webinars on ways to continue funding mission and ministry and manage budgets during the crisis, and offering support for families on ways to include faith formation for children, youth, and adults—all while practicing social distancing. Ministries like these happen, thanks to the way the people of The United Methodist Church live and give connectionally. I invite you to give generously, as we worship God through sharing our gifts, tithes, and offerings. God of righteousness, God of mercy: We have been called through the apostles to live in reverent fear – not a fear that immobilizes, but a fear that empowers us because we know how much is at stake. We know there are implication for what we do and what we don’t do. Dedicate the gifts we give this morning to do the things your heart longs for your church to do; help our eyes to be opened to where you would use us. We pray in the name of our risen savior, Christ our Lord. Amen. (I Peter 1:17-23) Scripture Luke 24:13-35 Common English Bible (CEB) Encounter on the Emmaus road 13 On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. 15 While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. 16 They were prevented from recognizing him. 17 He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” They stopped, their faces downcast. 18 The one named Cleopas replied, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place there over the last few days?” 19 He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth. Because of his powerful deeds and words, he was recognized by God and all the people as a prophet. 20 But our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him. 21 We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel. All these things happened three days ago. 22 But there’s more: Some women from our group have left us stunned. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 and didn’t find his body. They came to us saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who told them he is alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women said. They didn’t see him.” 25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about. 26 Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets. 28 When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead. 29 But they urged him, saying, “Stay with us. It’s nearly evening, and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?” 33 They got up right then and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying to each other, “The Lord really has risen! He appeared to Simon!” 35 Then the two disciples described what had happened along the road and how Jesus was made known to them as he broke the bread. Common English Bible (CEB) Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible Sermon Child - "How old are you, Grandpa?" Grandpa - "I'm 81, dear." Child - "So does that mean you were alive during the Coronavirus?" Grandpa - "Yes, I was." Child - "Wow. That must have been horrible, Grandpa. We were learning about that at school this week. They told us about how all the schools had closed. And moms and dads couldn't go to work so didn't have as much money to do nice things. They said that you weren't allowed to go and visit your friends and family and couldn't go out anywhere. They told us that the shops and stores ran out of lots of things so you didn't have much bread, and flour, and toilet rolls. They said that summer holidays were cancelled. And they told us about all those thousands of people that got very sick and who died. They explained how hard all the doctors and nurses and all essential workers worked, and that lots of them died, too. That must have been so horrible, grandpa!" Grandpa - "Well, that is all correct. And I know that because I read about it when I was older. But to tell you the truth I remember it differently... I remember playing in the garden for hours with mom and dad and having picnics outside and lots of bbqs. I remember making things and fishing with my Dad and baking with my Mom. I remember making forts and learning how to do hand stands and back flips. I remember having quality time with my family. I remember Mom's favorite words becoming 'Hey, I've got an idea...' Rather than 'Maybe later or tomorrow I'm a bit busy'. I remember making our own bread and pastry. I remember having movie night three or four times a week instead of just one. It was a horrible time for lots of people you are right. But I remember it differently." Remember how our children will remember these times. Be in control of the memories they are creating right now, so that through all the awful headlines and emotional stories for so many that they will come to read in future years, they can remember the happy times. Author unknown These are tough times indeed. But perhaps we should all focus on what these times will mean for our children. How did they experience this time? What lessons will they take on in their lives from this experience. We have to keep in mind that they will take their cues from us, they will define these times based not on what we say, but how we treat them. We may not have a lot of control of a lot of things, but we do have complete control over how our young people will remember these times. As a learned about the history of the world, I remember making my grandmother a hero for all of the historical events that she loved through. I treasure those conversations of asking what those times were like. Even though I must say, my own lifetime is turning out to be quite a historical event. Easter 2020 – having to create community over the computer will be one of those memorable events. The Easter season is always my favorite time in worship. 8 weeks of worship is about celebrating the resurrection of Christ. Easter season is my favorite time to preach – the scriptures are different, all of them have a special message just for this season. One major theme of easter scriptures is recording the disciples encounters with a risen Christ. There are twelve encounter stories throughout the new testament. In each encounter, Christ comes to the person in real life, they don’t recognize that it is Christ until later. And each person is changed permanently from the encounter. They become a lifelong follower of Christ. The most popular encounter story is the walk to Emmaus story, only found in the book of Luke. This story takes place on Easter evening, when word gets out that Jesus has risen and appeared to his grieving disciples. Two of his disciples are walking home, when they encounter a stranger. We don’t even know where Emmaus actually is, even though the scripture says it is 7 miles away from Jerusalem. But that does not matter, because Emmaus is not so much a story about a physical place, but a spiritual place. Emmaus is the place in our own spirits where we come in contact with our Risen Savior. We all have a lot going on in this time. We all have questions, we are all anxious about the future, we are all discouraged about some things, we are all in danger of losing our faith. But I want to challenge you to look for where you have encountered the risen Christ in our life. What special messages has God given that would only speak to your own spirit? The travelers in the Emmaus story – express sentiments that we all have had – as they are talking to the stranger and telling the story of Jesus – they say – and we had such high hopes for him. We had hoped that he would make a difference for us all – and now he is dead. Remember back in January, when we had such high hopes for 2020 – this was going to be our year. And look at where we are in April – everything gone, no hope for anything happening this year, everything cancelled for who knows when. I have been amazed at how many conversations that I have start with – Life as we knew it is gone forever. One lady said – we are never going home, because home does not exist anymore. And if it seems that things are tough now, as a pastor I worry more about the grief that so many of us will feel after this is over with. How do we deal with so many broken dreams and unexpected changes? No one is going to come out of this situation untouched – we have all been affected, we all have to heal. Where is the risen Christ in the midst of all of this? That is why this story in Luke is so important and why it speaks to so many of us. As the travelers were walking along and talking to the stranger he asks – what happened. And they ask him are the only person living under a rock that has not heard the story. And Ironically it was them who really didn’t know – that they were talking to Christ. Slow to Recognize Greatness Karl Barth, one of the twentieth century’s most famous theologians, was on a streetcar one day in Basel, Switzerland, where he lived and lectured. A tourist to the city climbed on the streetcar and sat down next to Barth. The two men started chatting with each other. “Are you new to the city?” Barth inquired. “Yes,” said the tourist. “Is there anything you would particularly like to see in this city?” asked Barth. “Yes,” he said, “I’d love to meet the famous theologian Karl Barth. Do you know him?” Barth replied, “Well as a matter of fact, I do. I give him a shave every morning.” The tourist got off the streetcar quite delighted. He went back to his hotel saying to himself, “I met Karl Barth’s barber today.” That amuses me. That tourist was in the presence of the very person he most wanted to meet, but even with the most obvious clue, he never realized that the man with whom he was talking was the great man himself. It reminds me of Mary’s reaction on Easter morning. In her grief, she thinks the man she is speaking to is the gardener. It is not, of course. Until he called her name she did not realize that she was speaking with the risen Christ. And, of course, it reminds me of that scene on the road to Emmaus, when later that same Easter day, two of the disciples walk for a while with the resurrected Jesus, and they, too, had no idea with whom they were conversing. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.Sermons.com How many times in our life, do we wait for Christ to show up in our lives, totally oblivious to the fact that he has been there all along? He is probably here right now, we just don’t see it. We are totally blinded by our circumstances. Grief has a way of shaping our view, we miss a lot of encounters with love. Blinded by sadness They just want to go home and climb into bed and feel sorry for themselves. They didn’t notice anything or anybody. Jesus could have been walking right along with them, and they would not have noticed. As a matter of fact, Jesus was walking along with them. They just did not recognize him as the Christ. There are people in the world today, who do not know that Easter has come and gone. They are still living the same life. Sadness, depression, pessimism, disbelief, an unwillingness to see change, all shade our thinking and our seeing. When we are caught up in our feelings, we are not open to Christ’s presence in our lives. We just want to crawl into a dark hole and stay there. In this case, possums are actually smarter then people. Possums and graves Possums like to crawl into holes too. But before they crawl- they look at the foot prints of those who may have crawled in that same hole. If there are only one set of foot prints going into that hole, they don’t go into that hole. If there are only one set of prints in the hole, then that means that whomever crawled into that hole – for some reason is still there. Either they crawled in and did not make it out alive, or they are still in there alive and well and just waiting for someone else to crawl in. You don’t want to crawl into somewhere that you cant crawl out of. If there are two sets of tracks into and out of the hole – them it is safe to go in. there comes a time in our lives when you have to crawl out of the hole and see the light. And live in the light. Jesus is our second set of tracks. Jesus is the source that can give us the power to crawl out of our hole. The resurrection gives us the power to crawl out and live in the light. Our travelers are nice enough to at least invite the stranger home with them, they talk with him, but it is not until they eat with him that it becomes clear – that they are talking with the risen Christ, and he disappears. Scripture says that they recognized him in the breaking of the bread. We break the bread during communion – to help us to look for and see Christ in the midst of our present circumstances. Communion is the place where you recognize for yourself that Christ has been there all the time. Sometimes it takes tough times like this for us to look for Christ. Christine Burgos says that Christ has a way of coming to us in the times that we need him. He stays with us in our time of need. And when that need is over, he leaves. He doesn’t stay as long we want, but just as long as we need. He does not stay forever. And he has a funny way of telling us, I am here, but not in the way you expected. And that is the gospel lesson for us today – Christ has come to each of us in our Emmaus to lead us to the other side – from despair to resurrection. And in return, we can be witnesses to the risen Christ in order to help someone else make it to the other side also. Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread – in Jesus Christ. Luke tells this story because he is trying to help us understand that each of us lives in a moment in history. There is a moment in all of our lives when everything changes. Without Christ, we may struggle with how to carry on. But when we encounter Christ – we are given the strength to face the future and go on. We may not know what the future holds, but we can be clear about who holds the future. Why does Christ come to us in times like this. I want to share this old poem. Fay Inchfawn wrote, “Sometimes, when everything goes wrong; When days are short and nights are long; When wash-day brings so dull a sky That not a single thing will dry. And when the kitchen chimney smokes, And when there’s naught so ‘queer’ as folks! When friends deplore my faded youth, And when the baby cuts a tooth. While John, the baby last but one, Clings round my skirts till day is done; And fat, good-tempered Jane is glum, And butcher’s man forgets to come. Sometimes I say on days like these, I get a sudden gleam of bliss. Not on some sunny day of ease, He’ll come … but on a day like this!” We look for Christ in our best days, when he really comes to us in our worst days. We want to be ready, we want to be in control – and nothing happens. We look for God in the sunset, but he comes in the sunrise. We were put here for such a time as this. This is our moment in history – to encounter Christ and to understand the true meaning of resurrection. May we look for the Risen Christ in every moment! Let us pray….. Pastoral Prayer Time of reflection Benediction Additional Illustrations Three Table Fellowships "The Scriptures speak of three kinds of table fellowship that Jesus keeps with his own: daily fellowship at table, the table fellowship of the Lord's Supper, and the final table fellowship in the kingdom of God. But in all three, the one thing that counts is that 'their eyes were opened, and they knew him.' "The fellowship of the table teaches Christians that here they still eat the perishable bread of the earthly pilgrimage. But if they share this bread with one another, they shall also one day receive the imperishable bread together in the Father's house." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1954), 66. he Resurrection Changes Everything There’s a story about a young boy named Walter Elias. Born in the city, his parents one day moved out to the country to become farmers. Walter had a vivid imagination and the farm was the perfect place for a young boy and a wondering mind. One day in the apple orchard he was amazed when he saw sitting on a branch of one of the apple trees an owl. He just stood there and stared at the owl. He thought about what his father had told him about owls: owls always rested during the day because they hunted throughout the night. This owl was asleep. He also thought that this owl might make a great pet. Being careful not to make any noises he stepped over sticks and leaves. The owl was in a deep sleep because it never heard Walter Elias walking toward it. Finally, standing under the owl, he reached up and grabbed the owl by the legs. Now, the events that followed are difficult to explain. Suddenly everything was utter chaos. The owl came to life. Walter’s thoughts about keeping the bird as a pet were quickly forgotten. The air filled with wings, and feathers, and screaming. In the excitement Walter held the legs tighter. And in his panic, Walter Elias, still holding on to the owl, threw it to the ground and stomped it to death. After things calmed down, Walter looked at the now dead and bloody bird and began to cry. He ran back to the farm, obtained a shovel, and buried the owl in the orchard. At night he would dream of that owl. As the years passed he never got over what had happened that summer day. Deep down it affected him for the rest of his life. As an older man he said he never, ever killed anything again. Do you see it? Something significant happened after that event. Something that Walter didn’t miss. Something which transformed Walter Elias, something that redeemed him from the pit of despair, something that resurrected him, something that made Walter Elias Disney give life to thousands of animals on the big screen. The resurrection changes everything. It transforms us. It moves us from despair to new possibilities of life. It takes us in our blindness and opens our eyes. It transforms ordinary bread into a holy meal. It takes two sad and lost brothers on the road to Emmaus who had lost the only the world they knew and gives it back to them. Jesus comes to them and says see I am not dead. I am alive. Now tell the world. Brett Blair,www.Sermons.com Sermon Opener - The Gospel According to Winnie the Pooh Transition times. Life is full of them . . . times of transition. As Eve allegedly said to Adam as they were leaving the Garden of Eden, “We are living in a time of great transition.” Transition times. No times are more filled with possibility and promise. No times are more filled with peril and despair. In transition times, everything is possible, and everything could fall flat and fail. Think about every time you started a new school. Think about the first time you moved out of your parent’s home. Think about the SECOND time you moved out of your parent’s home. (Maybe DON”T think about the third time you moved out of your parent’s home!) Think about when you graduated from high school or college. Think about when you got married. Think about when your first child was born. Think about when your first child got married. Think about the first day you were officially “retired.” Think about the first day that is tomorrow. But let’s not get too flowery too soon. The rabbi and novelist Chaim Potok (1929-2002) summed it up in his autobiographical novel In the Beginning (1975): “All beginnings are hard.” It is hard to be a new baby. It is hard to start a new school. It is hard to move to a new home. It is hard to be a new teenager. It is hard to be a new husband or wife. It is hard to be a new parent. It is hard to be a new widow or widower. It is even hard to be a new convert, a new disciple, even of Jesus the Christ. The truth of our text this morning is this: these two disciples traveling to the village of Emmaus were basically rats fleeing a sinking ship. The tumult and tragedy of that transition week in Jerusalem had deeply traumatized them. Talk about “difficult.” Jesus had been arrested, convicted, condemned, tortured, crucified, and entombed. Adding insult to injury was the disturbing report they had received from some women in their group, a report that Jesus’ body was no longer in its tomb. Here was a transition had left the disciples in the throes of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Shock Disorder). It was then they admitted their own faithlessness. ‘Some women of our company have astounded us: they went early to the tomb this morning and failed to find his body . . .’ They were neither cheered nor bewildered by this account. Nor had they gone to the tomb themselves to find out if it was true, They had simply and sadly tramped home. What, we might ask, had they been doing in Jerusalem all day? The women had gone to the tomb at break of day and now it was late evening. It was about seven miles from the city to their village, about a two-hour walk. Probably they had lain low until it began to get dark, scared of being picked up by the police (Ronald Blythe, The Circling Year [Norwich: The Canterbury Press, 2001], 75) But as darkness began to fall in earnest, these two slithering disciples invite a stranger to stay with them, a companion who had been offering them surprising solace on their journey. In their honesty about their confusion and depression, their “slow hearts” (v.25) began to beat faster with a cadence of hope. They began to hear a song of divine possibilities and dreams. As they walked and talked with the unrecognized resurrected Jesus, they received their own personal (remedial?) instruction. They began a new way of understanding scripture, a new way of understanding the Messiah, a new way of understanding suffering love, a new way of understanding true redemption. The Emmaus Walk is the journey that walked the disciple-community into its new identity as the body of Christ. It is hard to be a “new” anything. Including being a new, or I should say, an “always new” disciple of Jesus. Yet as we go along in life, even new beginnings take on a rich patina from our past. After two years we do understand gravity. After five or six years we do know how to read. After a few more years we do figure out a few things about interacting with other human beings. The most basic skills for dealing with these new beginnings are part of our childhoods. In the nineteen-twenties a wannabe poet/writer decided to put down a few stories and verses about his young son, a four year old named Christopher Robin. Like all four-year-olds, Christopher Robin doted on a large collection of stuffed animals. You now know the rest of the story. A.A. Milne’s remarkable collection of novels known as “Winnie the Pooh,” “The House at Pooh Corner,” “When We Were Very Young,” and “Now We Are Six.” Unlike today’s “series stories,” where writers stretch out their characters to fill three, or seven, or even ten volumes, Milne only devoted two books to the special relationship between the little boy, Christopher Robin, and his beloved stuffed bear, Winnie the Pooh. The “Winnie the Pooh” volume introduced readers to the world of childhood. “The House at Pooh Corner” was the opposite of an “introduction,” or what the wise Owl informed Pooh was a “contradiction”, the end of the story. In the final chapter of “The House at Pooh Corner,” Christopher Robin is preparing for a transition: he is being sent away to school. It will be an ending, and it will be a whole new beginning. Christopher Robin understands this; his simple stuffed animal friends, not so much. But as the one who knows, and the ones who don’t know walk forward towards this new future, they find their feet guided by four simple steps: Participate, Anticipate, Relate, and Liberate. These four steps of transition — to emigrate you must first participate, anticipate, relate and liberate---are the same four stages outlined in the Emmaus Road encounter of Jesus and his disciples. ell Others the Good Word A 9-year-old girl named Erica was so filled with joy when she came to know Jesus that she insisted that all her friends know him too. One day she took me to her neighborhood to invite the children to a vacation bible school our church was having. We went with colorful flyers in hand. I expected that we would tell the children and their parents about the dates and time and place of the vacation bible school, leave them a flyer as a reminder, and be on our way. Erica saw our job differently. When we got to the first home and the door was opened she stepped right up and said, "We've got great news about Jesus and my pastor will tell you all about it." I stood there flabbergasted, but she was right. Our job was first and foremost to spread the Word, proclaim the Good News, tell others about our Risen Lord. Erica and I worked hard that day because she did not want any child in her neighborhood to miss out in hearing about Jesus and the vacation bible school. Erica knew in her own way, Jesus' claim on our lives and the magnitude of that claim. We are Jesus' witnesses and those who need to receive our witness is the entire human family. Minerva Carcano, The Good News is for Everyone When the Circus Comes I am reminded of the story of the little boy whose grandmother regularly took him to her weekly prayer meeting. He was bored silly, but being a good lad he endured it. One day he was invited to attend the circus. He had never been to a circus before. He came away from this experience anxious to share with his dear grandmother what he was feeling. "Grandma," he said, "I went to the circus today, and let me tell you, once you have been to the circus you'll never want to go to another prayer meeting." And so it will be when God opens our minds to understand and experience God's marvelous, incredible risen presence. Something happens that sets us free, which renews and refreshes our sense of God's love, grace, and forgiveness that simply cannot be contained. Greg McDonell, Out of the Ashes Jesus' Post Resurrection Appearances To Mary Magdalene Jn 20:14-18; Mk 16:9 To the women returning from the tomb Mt 28:8-10 To Peter later in the day Lk 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5 To the disciples going to Emmaus in the evening Lk 24:13-31 To the apostles (except Thomas) Lk 24:36-45; Jn 20-19-24 To the apostles a week later (Thomas present) Jn 20:24-29 In Galilee to the seven by the Lake of Tiberias Jn 21:1-23 In Galilee on a mountain to the apostles and 500 believers 1 Cor 15:6 At Jerusalem and Bethany again to James 1 Cor 15:7 At Olivet and the ascension Acts 1:3-12 To Paul near Damascus Acts 9:3-6; 1 Cor 15:8 To Stephen outside Jerusalem Acts 7:55 To Paul in the temple Acts 22:17-21; 23:11 To John on Patmos Rev 1:10-19 The New Unger's Bible Handbook, Merrill F. Unger, Revised by Gary N. Larson, Moody Press, Chicago, 1984, Page 397-398 Christ Never Gives Up There is a story of a British soldier in the First World War who lost heart for the battle and deserted. Trying to reach the coast for a boat to England that night, he ended up wandering in the pitch black night, hopelessly lost. In the darkness, he came across what he thought was a signpost. It was so dark that he began to climb the post so that he could read it. As he reached the top of the pole, he struck a match to see and found himself looking squarely into the face of Jesus Christ. He realized that, rather than running into a signpost, he had climbed a roadside crucifix. Then he remembered the One who had died for him . . . who had endured . . . who had never turned back. The next morning the soldier was back in the trenches. Maybe that's what you and I need to do in the moments of our distress and darkness - strike a match in the darkness and look on the face of Jesus Christ. For Christ is here. He comes to us just as he came to those two disciples on the road to Emmaus even though we may not recognize him. He takes the initiative. He knocks on the door. King Duncan, Collected Sermons,www.Sermons.com