Walking with Jesus

April 19, 2026 Luke 24:13-35 Walking with Jesus 3rd Sunday of Easter Year A Prelude Greeting Call to Worship Easter people, we gather today as people who spent the week inundated with news reports, social media posts, and reels that inundated us with information, worry, and stress. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we carry the weight of being overwhelmed and anxious, wondering who we can believe. We gather as people who long for peace, for God to break through and bring us clarity and hope once again. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we don’t always recognize when the Risen One comes alongside us, showing us the way where there seems to be no way. We gather as people hoping to catch a glimmer of Resurrection, ready for our hearts to burn with the truth of the resurrected Christ. Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, we open our hearts to the possibility that God’s Resurrection life is closer than we think. Easter people, God knows the burdens we carry, and God is faithful to meet us where we are with good news. May the good news of the Resurrection astound us today as we come to worship God! Amen. Written by Dr. Lisa Hancock, Discipleship Ministries, September 2025. Invocation Living God, you are the fire that burns within us. You open our hearts to your presence, revealed in word and song, in hospitality and friendship, in sacrament and presence. Open our minds again so that we may recognize you when you meet us in unexpected moments. Let us encounter you in every phase and movement of worship that we might know you and love you more than before we gathered. And, may that love burn brightly like the sun cutting through the gloom of the storm to inspire us to go on with renewed hope and spirit. Amen. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Song A Sermon for all Ages Children’s Sermon: “Who Is Walking With You?” Good morning, friends! I want to ask you a question: Have you ever been walking somewhere and didn’t notice something right in front of you? Maybe your mom or dad said, “It’s right there!” And you said, “No it’s not!” And then suddenly—there it is! (Let them respond) I brought something with me today. (Hold up a pair of sunglasses or something that can “block” vision slightly) If I put these on… can I still see? Yes… but not as clearly, right? Sometimes things are right in front of us—but we don’t see them clearly. ________________________________________ In our Bible story today, two friends were walking down a road. They were very sad because Jesus had died. They were talking and walking, trying to figure things out. And guess what? Jesus started walking right next to them! But here’s the surprising part… They didn’t know it was Jesus. Isn’t that strange? Jesus was right there, and they didn’t recognize him! ________________________________________ Sometimes that happens to us too. Jesus is with us when: • we are sad • we are confused • we feel alone But we don’t always notice him. ________________________________________ Now here’s my favorite part of the story. The friends invited Jesus to eat with them. And when Jesus took the bread, blessed it, and broke it… Suddenly—they knew! “Wait… that’s Jesus!” Their eyes were opened! ________________________________________ So what does that mean for us? It means Jesus is with you—even when you don’t see him. Jesus is with you: • when you’re at school • when you’re at home • when you’re playing • even when you’re having a hard day ________________________________________ Let’s try something. Everyone put your hand over your heart. Can you feel your heartbeat? That’s a reminder that something important is happening inside you—even if you can’t see it. That’s kind of like Jesus. Even when you don’t see him, he is right there with you. ________________________________________ So this week, I want you to remember: You are never walking alone. Jesus is always walking right beside you. And maybe—just maybe—you’ll notice him in a new way. ________________________________________ Prayer: Dear Jesus, Thank you for walking with us every day. Help us to see you, even when we don’t notice you at first. Open our eyes and our hearts to your love. Amen. Affirmation of faith (The Confession of Belhar) We believe that Christ’s work of reconciliation is made manifest in the church as the community of believers who have been reconciled with God and with one another; that unity is, therefore, both a gift and an obligation for the church of Jesus Christ; that through the working of God’s Spirit it is a binding force, yet simultaneously a reality which must be earnestly pursued and sought: one which the people of God must continually be built up to attain. That this unity must become visible so that the world may believe that separation, enmity and hatred between people and groups is sin which Christ has already conquered, and accordingly that anything which threatens this unity may have no place in the church and must be resisted. (Presbyterian Outlook) Passing of the Peace Scripture Luke 24:13-35 Sermon Walking with Jesus The theme of our Lenten season has been about the journey—about walking a path and discovering Jesus along the way. Life itself is a journey. Every day we move forward—sometimes with purpose, sometimes just trying to get through—but always on a path. And the promise we hold onto is this: we are never walking alone. Our scripture today gives us a powerful model for that journey. It shows us what it means to walk, to struggle, to question—and ultimately, to encounter Christ in the midst of it all. ________________________________________ Two disciples are walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They had been there for everything. They saw the crowds. They heard the teaching. They witnessed the arrest. By the time everything unfolded, Jesus had already been crucified. They stayed in the city, grieving with others, trying to make sense of it all. And then, just when they thought it couldn’t get more confusing, they heard the news: the tomb was empty. It had been a long three days. So now, on Easter evening, they begin the journey home. Seven miles doesn’t sound like much—until you’ve been carrying heartbreak. Then every step feels heavier. As they walk, they talk. At first, it might be small talk—anything to avoid the pain. They talk about life: taxes too high, wages too low, the frustrations of everyday living. Maybe they mention the events of the weekend—the trial, the cross—but only in passing. Because sometimes it’s easier to talk about anything else than to face a broken heart. Deep down, they are carrying something heavier: disappointment. “We had hoped…” they say. They had hoped Jesus would change everything. They had hoped he would turn the world upside down. They had hoped for something better. But now, everything feels lost. ________________________________________ And it is in that moment—right there in their grief—that Jesus comes alongside them. But they don’t recognize him. Not because Jesus is absent—but because their pain has narrowed their vision. Their grief has become blinders. They are so focused on what they have lost that they cannot see who is standing right beside them. Isn’t that true for us as well? We can become so caught up in disappointment, discouragement, and confusion that we miss what is right in front of us. Christ may be walking with us—but we aren’t always looking for him. ________________________________________ Jesus asks them, “What are you discussing?” They are surprised. “Are you the only one who doesn’t know what has happened?” And then they tell their story. They speak their pain. They name their confusion. And Jesus listens. But he doesn’t stop there. As they continue walking, he begins to teach. He opens the scriptures to them. He reframes their story—not as failure, but as part of God’s greater plan. Step by step, their understanding begins to shift. ________________________________________ They reach their destination, and the stranger prepares to move on. But something inside them isn’t ready to let go. “Stay with us,” they say. So he does. They sit at the table together. He takes the bread. He blesses it. He breaks it. And in that moment—their eyes are opened. They recognize him. Christ has been with them the entire time. And just as suddenly, he is gone. ________________________________________ But something has changed. They turn to one another and say, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked to us on the road?” Their recognition didn’t begin at the table—it began on the road. It began in the conversation. It began when Christ met them in the middle of their journey. ________________________________________ I think we’ve all had moments like that—times when we suddenly realize we’ve been seeing things all wrong. It reminds me of a simple experience. For months, I drove with a windshield that constantly fogged up. I thought that was just the way it was. I called my dad to tell him something was wrong with my car. He suggested maybe it wasn’t the air—it was the glass. It needed to be cleaned. I just assumed he had no idea of who to fix my car, but I would follow his advice and clean the windshield anyway. And when it was cleaned, everything changed. I could see clearly. Things that had always been there suddenly came into focus. On my normal ride home, I started to see things through the windshield that I never even realized existed. Sometimes, that’s what happens in our spiritual lives. We get so used to the fog—so used to disappointment—that we assume that’s just how things are. And all along, Christ is right there, waiting to help us see clearly again. ________________________________________ The truth is, Jesus walks beside us every moment of every day. But he does not force himself upon us. He allows us to question. He allows us to struggle. He allows us even to misunderstand. Jesus respects our freedom to learn from our mistakes. And yet—he never leaves. Sometimes it takes an unexpected moment, an unexpected person, or an unexpected realization for us to finally see him. ________________________________________ History gives us examples of this kind of transformation. A man named Oswald Smith once dreamed of becoming a missionary. He prayed for it, worked for it—but was ultimately rejected. His dream seemed over. But instead of giving up, he followed where God led him next. He built a church that sent out more missionaries than he ever could have been on his own. What looked like disappointment became something far greater. That’s what resurrection does. It doesn’t just restore what we hoped for—it transforms it into something beyond what we could have imagined. The disciples thought Jesus would be a political king. Instead, he became the Savior of the world—and they became his witnesses. ________________________________________ So how do we know when we’ve encountered the risen Christ? Luke gives us a clue: “Were not our hearts burning within us…?” There is something that happens deep inside us—something we can’t always explain, but we know it’s real. A sense of truth. A sense of presence. A stirring in our spirit. Like in that moment in It’s a Wonderful Life, Burt the cop brings Harry home out of a snowstorm and everyone is in the room waiting and worrying and everyone starts to realize what is most important in life. We too realize what truly matters—not wealth, but relationships, love, and grace. Something inside us resonates. We feel it. That’s what it means for our hearts to be warmed. ________________________________________ And here’s the good news: There is no single way to recognize Christ. Mary recognized him when he called her name. Thomas recognized him through touch. Peter recognized him in the empty tomb. The Emmaus disciples recognized him in the breaking of bread. And for us? We may recognize Christ in scripture. In worship. In communion. In a conversation. In a quiet moment. Or even in a stranger walking beside us. ________________________________________ So the question becomes: What helps you recognize Christ in your life? And perhaps just as importantly: What keeps you from seeing him? Because the point of this story is not just that Jesus appeared—it’s that he appeared in a way they did not expect. And he still does. ________________________________________ There’s are some interesting details in this story. We don’t actually know where Emmaus is. No map can point to it. Its exact location has been lost to history. And maybe that’s the point. Because Emmaus isn’t just a place. Emmaus is any road where people walk in confusion… and encounter Christ. Emmaus is your road. Emmaus is my road. Emmaus is the journey we are on right now. In all of the stories of Jesus appearances, no one can explain what Jesus actually looked like, they didn’t recognize him. And there is still the mystery of the empty tomb – what actually happened that night? ________________________________________ The faith question for us is this: Are we just talking about Jesus… Or are we allowing ourselves to see him, to know him, and to follow him? Because the risen Christ is not just someone we talk about. Christ is someone we encounter. Christ is someone who walks with us. Christ is someone who transforms us. ________________________________________ And when our eyes are finally opened… We cannot stay the same. Like those disciples, we turn around. We go back. We tell the story. Because once you’ve seen Christ— once your heart has been set on fire— you want others to see him too. ________________________________________ Christ is risen. Christ is present. Christ is walking with us—even now. Amen. Song A Pastoral Prayer for the Road to Emmaus (Just print the title) Heavenly Stranger, our Companion on the Way, We come to you as the disciples did—downcast, confused, and sometimes blind to your presence in our everyday lives. Like them, we walk our own Emmaus roads, often carrying the heavy burdens of sorrow, disappointment, and shattered dreams. Sacred Space +4 Open our eyes, Light of the World, to your work of transformation in and around us. Strip away the shutters from our spiritual sight, that we may discern your true presence in the common gifts of life, in the reading of your Word, and in the breaking of bread. We bring to you our fears and doubts, our joys and sorrows. When we are overwhelmed by a world of fear, remind us that you walk beside us. When our hearts are heavy, set them ablaze with the fire of your love. Medium +4 Lord, teach us to welcome the stranger, for in doing so, we know we welcome you. Turn our focus outward from our own worries to recognize you in the faces of others. May our hearts burn within us not just to know you, but to serve you. Lynne Baab +3 Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening and the day is far spent. Make yourself known to us in our homes, our communities, and our worship, that we may be renewed to share the good news: The Lord is risen indeed! Facebook +4 We ask this in the name of the One who was raised that we might have eternal life. Amen. Lord’s Prayer Stewardship Moment In this season of so many concerns, sometimes with our mental anxieties sky-rocketing, how important it is for us to step back and take a deep breath! Step back with me in history. Peter, Jesus’ disciple, was preaching in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. The gathered crowds were astonished at his words: God made Jesus (whom the crowds had crucified) both Lord and Messiah (Christ)! The crowd then asked, “What should we do?” and Peter laid out a plan. 1800 years later, Walter Scott created a “five-finger exercise” from Peter’s response. – Have faith. – Repent. – Be baptized (immersed). – Accept that your sins are forgiven. – Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In grateful response to the ways we’ve learned, lived, and look forward, let’s share our offerings as faithful, repentant, baptized, forgiven, and Holy Spirit-infused disciples of the Risen Christ! Prayer of Thanksgiving God of Grace, thank you for the ways we’re able to use this time to offer our gifts and our very lives back to you. Thank you for standing with us, even in the midst of frightening and disconcerting times. Thank you for the ways your love continues to flow into the world, even when the world is caught in war, violence, and so many of your beloved children suffering. Please use these gifts and use each of us to share further the Good News of your resurrecting energy for us and all your creation. AMEN. (Disciples of Christ Center for Faith and Giving) Announcements Closing Prayer for Facebook May you be embraced by the relational nature of our faith. May you hear the truth of God’s love that binds us as one family. May you receive God’s word with awe, allowing it to shape how you live and love. And may you go with the grace and peace of the God who created you, the God who redeems you, and the God who sustains you now and forevermore! (Presbyterian Outlook, Ashley Mertz) Community Time – Joys and Concerns Benediction As you go, may your heart burn For the love of God to ignite throughout the world Through acts—great and minute— of compassion, kindness, and community Through sacrifices—great and minute—for justice, liberation, and restoration Through commitments—great and minute—to bring good news to every moment, decision, and interaction. Go on…enflamed with the hope of peace burning brightly from the heart. (United Church of Christ Worship Ways, Cheryl Lindsay) Additional Illustrations Second Sight - Luke 24:13-35 This past week alone, I noticed at least 20 things I never noticed before. I saw a momma squirrel protecting her baby in the tree outside my porch. I met neighbors I never saw before. I took walks and noticed new buds, types of trees, all manner of railroad ties, how trains are constructed, found countless new places driving about in the area outside of town. The list could go on. I also noticed new things about myself, my likes and dislikes, and about others around me, especially at places such as the grocery store. I noticed the way people are creating their own style of masks, some colorful, some plain. I noticed the way people I never met say hello just to connect with another human being. I notice how food tastes especially good when it’s scarcer to get hold of. We value things more when we pay closer attention to them. Right now, in our world, it’s as though COVID-19 has enabled us to take a closer look at everything and everyone differently. For some, it has meant, finding more to critique. For many however, it has meant, finding more to cherish about our communities and relationships. Paying more attention to the little things, realizing that little things matter. Often as human beings, we can get streamlined into seeing only one way, seeing only certain people, seeing only from one perspective, as though we all wear a certain prescription of glasses for the way we view the world and each other. We all view the world through our own unique “lens.” Like any lens, it is selective. It helps us to view things in the way we are used to seeing them. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, think of how the world looks different when you have them off. You feel, you can’t see things clearly. For some, you may notice things look fuzzier, or stranger. Put those glasses back on, and the world comes into focus. However, one day, you go to the optometrist and discover that you haven’t been seeing as well as you thought you were. The doctor changes the lens, and suddenly things come into a sharper view. You notice things you were missing. The world as you see it, changes.... Peace Is a Possibility Lucy of Peanuts cartoon fame, pictured with an air of discouragement, questions, “Do you think that life has any meaning when you have failed nine spelling tests in a row, and your teacher hates you?” While most likely for very different reasons, I rather suspect that most of us gathered this morning for worship have experienced our own times of despair, a time when it feels as if all of life is falling in upon us. Each of us has known times of anguish and despair, times when we have felt all alone, times of confusion and pain. 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 _______________________ Ernie Pyle was a WWII Correspondent. Pyle was known for writing about the average GI. He didn't write about the strategy and the campaigns. He wrote about the guy slogging through the mud and dodging bullets to get back home. He knew the GI's because he lived with them, and eventually died with them. In one of his books, he tells the story of a German soldier who had been taken prisoner. This German soldier had been told horrible stories about what the Americans would do to POW's, and so he was scared. The German was wounded and was taken to the medical station. The medics tried to give him a shot of morphine so they could tend to his wounds; but, the German objected furiously, afraid that he was going to be tortured. After some time, after observing the attention given to the other wounded, and the other POW's, this soldier finally started to figure out that he was being treated like everyone else and his amazement grew. Finally, the chaplain, making his morning rounds, gave the German soldier cigarettes, candy, tooth powder, and soap just like everyone else. The German soldier started to grin and sat up playing with his new possessions like a little boy with new toys. Humor: What's His Number One Sunday a vicar was doing a children's talk, using a telephone to illustrate the idea of prayer. "You talk to people on the telephone but you don't see them on the other end of the line, do you?" he began. The children shook their heads. "Well, talking to God is like talking on the telephone. He's on the other end, but you can't see him. He's listening though." Just then a little boy piped up and asked, "What's his number?" We don't need a telephone number to get through to God. We just need to know Jesus. He walks beside us by his Spirit. We can talk to him at any time. He wants us to keep talking. He always listens. He always understands. Jonathan Pryke Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend. Albert Camus Do You Know the Way to Emmaus? Do you know the way to Emmaus? It should be relatively easy to find because the text locates the town "seven miles from Jerusalem." But no one has ever been able to identify an "Emmaus" seven miles from Jerusalem. Perhaps there is confusion because two different numbers appear in ancient manuscripts at the point at which Luke gives us the location. Some texts say "60 stadia," and others say "160," which works out roughly to be either 7 miles or 18 miles. Although there are indeed many references to Emmaus in ancient sources, none of them give us any specific directions. Because of this, the unlikely village of Amwas (20 miles from Jerusalem) is currently a popularly recognized site for pilgrimage, even though other towns have stronger claims to be the historical town. Ironically, the seemingly superficial mystery regarding the actual location of Emmaus fits in nicely with the deepest meaning of this passage. Do you know the way to Emmaus? Emmaus may be here, or there, or anywhere. The site of the original episode is irrelevant. Christ will travel wherever his followers are going. Christ will appear wherever they break bread. Even here. Even now. David E. Leininger, Do You Know the Way to Emmaus? _______________________________________ Out of Context The last time I couldn't recognize a familiar face was because that person was out of context! I was at a ball game and there came a man who was searching for his seat about three rows ahead of me. When the man saw me, he immediately flashed a smile, waved at me, and said, "Hey, Donovan." Well, he obviously knew who I was, but who was he? I didn't recognize him. He looked familiar. He wasn't in my church. Maybe he was a member of the Rotary Club. Who was he? It was driving me crazy. Later in the game I had an opportunity to catch up to him, and I said, "I apologize, I know you. I know I know you, but I don't know you. Who are you?" He said, "Donovan, I'm Dr. First, your dentist." Of course! If he had come to the game wearing some scrubs and a mask with goggles, and if I had a numb lip, maybe I would have recognized him. Is that the trouble Cleopas and his friend were having on the road to Emmaus? They remembered a crucified Jesus. They remembered a dead Jesus. He was dead. Period. A risen Jesus is out of context. Is that why those two did not recognize him? It sounds good, but I don't know. What I do know is that I want Jesus to let these two in on his identity. "Come on Jesus, tell them who you are!" Donovan Drake, Gaining Recognition _____________________________________ Lunch in the Park with God There was once a little boy who decided he wanted to find God. He knew it would probably be a long trip, so he decided to pack a lunch—four packs of Twinkies and two cans of root beer. He set out on his journey and went a few blocks until he came to a park. On one of the park benches sat an old woman looking at the pigeons. The little boy sat down beside her and watched the pigeons too. When he grew hungry, he pulled out some Twinkies. As he ate, he noticed the woman watching him, so he offered her one. She accepted it gratefully and smiled at him. He thought she had the most beautiful smile in the world. Wanting to see it again, he opened a can of root beer and offered her the other one. Once again she smiled that beautiful smile. For a long time the two sat on that park bench eating Twinkies, drinking root beer, smiling at each other, and watching the pigeons. Neither said a word. Finally, the little boy realized that it was getting late and he needed to go home. He started to leave, took a few steps, turned back and gave the woman a big hug. Her smile was brighter than ever before. When he arrived home, his mother noticed that he was happy, but strangely quiet. ‘What did you do today?’ she asked. ‘Oh, I had lunch in the park with God,’ he said. Before his mother could reply, he added, ‘You know, she has the most beautiful smile in the world.’ Meanwhile, the old woman left the park and returned to her home. Her son noticed something different about her. ‘What did you do today, Mom?’ he asked. ‘Oh, I ate Twinkies and drank root beer in the park with God.” And before her son could say anything at all, she added, ‘You know, God’s a lot younger than I imagined.’” Jef Olson, Hearts Burning Within ______________________________ Superman In Superman: The Movie, Superman first reveals his powers to the world with a dramatic rescue of Lois Lane. Lois is dangling from a cable high above the Daily Planet building. She is screaming at the top of her lungs. Just as she begins her long fall toward earth, Superman changes into his power suit and swoops up to catch her in midair. "Don't worry, Miss," he says. I've got you." "Thanks," says Lois. "But who's got you?" Just then a helicopter that has been parked on the edge of the building starts to fall straight toward them and the crowd below. But Superman simply grabs it with his one free arm and gently sets both it and Lois safely back on the landing pad. When he turns to leave, Lois stammers out the words, "Who are you?" Superman says, "A friend" and flies off just before Lois faints into a heap. That's how we would like Christ to come to us. And that's why we often aren't paying attention when he comes in less spectacular ways. M. Switzer, Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us? Why Didn't They Recognize Jesus? I was reaching for the handle of the lobby door when I saw the back of his head through the glass. I gasped for breath and my heart started beating faster. I was elated and scared all at the same time. The split-second sight of Phil touched an emotional response deep within me, and it took a couple more seconds for my intellect to catch up. My mind collided with my gut when Phil turned around. It wasn't him. It was someone else entirely. That made sense, and I felt better, even though the exhilaration drained from me. I had been "seeing" Phil everywhere. Even though he had been dead for a month, I didn't want to believe it. He committed suicide when he was so vital and strong. Phil was at the beating heart of every party, so I couldn't quite imagine him, still and lifeless, in the bottom of that Jeep. When his life was cut short like that, it was so tragic that my head kept playing games on me. I would recognize him in a crowd moving onto the elevated train, or he would be standing at the back of the bus during rush hour, or he would be waiting in the lobby of our apartment building. Just as quickly as I would recognize him, his face would vanish and morph into another man's visage. This time in my life always comes up when I read this passage of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus. I imagine Jesus' friends with that same trauma, the disorienting grief, not quite believing the reports of the women who bravely watched Jesus die. Then the men weren't sure if they could believe the women when they said the tomb was empty either. The disciples seemed to be confused, afraid for their lives, missing their friend, and realizing that his life was cut short, along with their hopes for the Messiah. Carol Howard Merritt, Why Didn't They Recognize Jesus? ____________________ God is Watching You “My great-grandfather, who was a Hassidic Rabbi, was once driving along a country road. The coachman saw an apple orchard, jumped out, and began to take some apples. The Rabbi cried out, ‘You are being watched! You are being watched!’ The coachman did not linger a second----he jumped back in the carriage and drove the horses as fast as he could. After a while, when they were a considerable distance away, he stopped and said, ‘But I did not see anybody watching!’ The Rabbi replied, ‘God is watching you.’” Adin Steinsaltz, Simple Words: Thinking About What Really Matters in Life (NY: Touchstone, 1999), 46. Leonard Sweet, Collected Sermons ____________________ "On Sunday morning in con I Smell Bread In one of the episodes of M*A*S*H, the sophisticated shell, inside which Major Winchester protects himself from the horror of the suffering and death with which he constantly deals, breaks; and he is left defenseless. He goes into a type of depression in which he struggles to find some answers to life’s most perplexing problem — death. Finally, in utter desperation, he leaves the base hospital and goes up to the battalion aid station where the wounded are first taken. Colonel Potter discovers where he is and calls him, ordering him to return to the M*A*S*H hospital. A medical corpsman interrupts the conversation and calls the surgeon over to a man who is dying. Winchester confirms the impending death with a glance. The soldier says, “I can’t see anything. Hold my hand.” The major replies, “I am.” “I’m dying,” the soldier moans, and this causes the surgeon’s unarticulated questions to surface: “Can you see anything? Can you feel anything? I have to know.” But the dying soldier doesn’t answer. Instead, he says, “I smell bread.” You cannot miss the significance of the symbol. Bread is the symbol for Christ. It is a symbol for going home. It is at the table that we are brought face to face with the person and mission of Jesus Christ. In that meal, we celebrate our death and our life in Christ. But Christ doesn’t allow us, any more than he allowed the disciples, to relax and enjoy the fellowship of his table, simply talking about the Lord and what the resurrection experience means to us as though that’s all there is to the Easter appearances of the Lord. If we dare to say, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!” We are enjoined to listen and respond to what else he has to say: “You are my witness (Luke 24:48).” Just as the disciples witnessed in the first century of the Christian era, it is our business to show the world by what we do and say that the Lord is really alive and that he is, indeed, the Lord of all. That’s a significant part of the continuing story about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Those who hear it and believe that it is true are charged with the responsibility of passing it on to the rest of the world so that all people will have the opportunity to hear and believe. Adapted from George Bass, The Tree, The Tomb, and the Trumpet: Sermons for Lent and Easter, CSS Publishing Company ___________________________ 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 _____________________________ Anticipation: What Is Going to Happen Today? In Winnie the Pooh, Pooh and Piglet take an evening walk. For a long time they walk in silence. Silence like only best friends can share. Finally Piglet breaks the silence and asks, "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, what's the first thing you say to yourself?" "What's for breakfast?" answers Pooh and then asks. "And what do you say, Piglet?" Piglet says, "I say, I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" You and I can't really plan to meet the Risen Christ because we never really know when or where He's going to show up. But you can be sure of this, He will show up. If you believe, He will show up. And the attitude you need to meet him is the attitude of Piglet, "I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today?" Billy D. Strayhorn, Easter Heart Burn

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