Peter said to them,
"Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ so
that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit..." [Acts 2:38]
I love the LORD, because he has heard the voice of my
supplication, because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon
him...Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his servants...O LORD I
am your servant...I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call upon
the Name of the LORD. [Psalm
116: 1, 13, 14a]
Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the
truth...You have been born anew...of imperishable seed, through the living and
enduring word of God. [1
Peter 1:22a, 23]
Now on that same day two of them were
going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem and talking
with each other about all these things that had happened....When he was at
table with them he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then
their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their
sight...Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made
known to them in the breaking of the bread. [Luke
24:13-14, 30-31, 35]
"If only..." is a
frequent refrain for all of us who wish we had done things differently, or the
pandemic had not happened, or the weather was ___ [fill in the
blank].
Mostly, though, I think most of us have yearned, with some desperation at
times, for that if only I could see, talk to, or touch him, her, or them
one more time moment. As for the death of one loved deeply, I can say
from my own acute experiences that yes, much time does soften the punch and
shock of loss, and it is then the memories become ever more important with the
hope and desire to believe that they are still present with us. To
remember the significant, the difficult, and the quiet moments that echo within
forever. It is with that understanding that we enter this segment of Luke’s
Gospel about two little-known disciples of Jesus.
We read about two regular guys walking down the
road talking about the strange events of the prior few days. This other guy
shows up and seems unaware of these events and their importance. They,
surprised he didn’t know, explain it and then invite him home to dinner.
Suddenly the stranger is hosting the meal and even more suddenly, as he blesses
and breaks the bread, he vanishes. In an instant their eyes were opened as
never before and when they realized who He was, they rushed to
tell the others what they experienced.
The
Disciples had that one-more moment ~ never enough, to be sure ~
and they certainly made the most of it as here we are, more than two thousand
years later, still hearing their experiences with Jesus, still hearing the
words He spoke. And then, we move into our “today” mode. This account of Jesus,
as so many others, fades quickly and becomes too distant, other-worldly, merely
familiar, and then gone from memory, until it comes around again in the cycle
of readings in Eastertide.
This day and time is perfect to hear the story of the
Road to Emmaus again, in our hearts, through our own memory of loss. Feel their
confusion, their shock, their sadness. And then, hear and remember the words
Jesus tells them and us.
Let this story stay with us so that each
time receive the sacred Bread at the celebration of the Eucharist, and any time
you break a piece of bread that is blessed at a meal, whether you are alone or
with another, remember and know Christ in the breaking of the bread and feel more blessed inside because of it. More
than a memory, Christ is living within us. As we travel the road
of this life, wherever it takes us, when we call upon His name we know we are encircled by His love. When we are as His love in our actions, purified by obedience to His
Truth, this Road will lead us Home.
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Living
Jesus, guide us out of the blindness of the “normal” and routine to discover
the everyday newness of Creation around us. Open our hearts to Your
Constant Presence, open our eyes to see Your Way to Eternal Life, and open our
souls to accept and live into Your gift of Salvation.
O Christ Risen
RESPONSE:
We call Your Name in
Faith and Hope
~
Living Jesus, grant us the determination, the voice, and the words to redirect
the energy of those in Global, National, and Local political power, to actions
that benefit all humanity and the planet above unreasonable profit. We
pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Christ Risen
We
call Your Name in Faith and Hope
~
Living Jesus, incline Your ear to us all and especially those who are lost in
serious illness, emotional upheaval, and hopelessness, and all who give them healing
care. We now pray for those in need… add your own petitions
O Christ Risen
We
call Your Name in Faith and Hope
~
Living Jesus, we give You thanksgiving for the lives of all who have departed
this life, as precious in Your sight and now raised into the splendor of Your
eternal courts. We pray especially for…add your own petitions
O Christ Risen
We
call Your Name in Faith and Hope
~
Living Jesus, we pause in this moment to offer You our
personal heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions, petitions, and memorials…add your own
petitions
O Christ Risen
We
call Your Name in Faith and Hope
~
Living Jesus, pour Your special grace and vitality upon those anointed to lead
us in Your Church as they enrich our souls, so to hold fast in faith, now and
always. We pray especially for… add your own petitions.
O Christ Risen
We
call Your Name in Faith and Hope
The
Celebrant adds: Risen Lord
Jesus, our constant Companion on the Road, You ransomed us from the futile ways
of sin, and we are born anew through Your Resurrection. Enliven our dedication
to purify ourselves by obedience to Your Truth, to live in and act through
genuine love for others and ourselves, and to set our faith and hope on God. We
ask through You, the Living Enduring Word; and the Holy Spirit, Sanctifier of
our Souls; who together with our Impartial Creator, reign as One God, always,
forever, eternally. Amen.
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