After that day, everything was different. The first disciples witnessed a dead man walking. Their lives would be forever changed, defined by “life before Easter” and life “life after Easter.” On numerous occasions, Jesus showed up in resurrected form before he ascended. In the season of Easter we will examine six “after Easter” encounters with Jesus. What did he say and do? In what practical ways does resurrection change my daily life? Nothing will ever be the same.
Invocation
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation
O Lord, your scars are your trophies, proof of your unfailing love for me. I am haunted by the guilt of my past, the sins of my present, and my fear of the future. Lord, at the cross you said, “It is finished.” So I cease my work and my worry. I rest in you. You have done it all. Amen.
Confession
“Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Lord, forgive my fugitive ways. I turn and run from you. Forgive my criminal acts of hypocrisy and self-righteousness. Forgive my violations of arrogance and selfishness. Forgive me for denying you, ignoring you, and disregarding you. I am the one at fault. I have no other help but to turn my face to you and plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Word
“‘Have you anything here to eat?’” Luke 24:41
Meditation
Today’s meditation is by Megan Roegner.
One of the surprising disappointments of the pandemic is that I’ve missed cooking for and eating with people outside of my family. From the absence of the abundant Sunday morning snack table at Reliant to eating lunch by myself in my classroom at work, I certainly haven’t suffered from lack of food but rather the loss of a shared experience with others.
So often food means more than just the sustenance required to live. We use food to express creativity, to invoke memories, to care for others. That’s why I love that when Jesus appears to the disciples in Luke 24, he asks for something to eat.
The disciples are scared and confused. They think he’s a spirit. Jesus tells them to touch him, feel his human flesh. Even at this the disciples are disbelieving “for joy”—it’s too good to be true. And this is when Jesus asks for something to eat. In sharing their food, he is sharing an undeniably human experience with them.
In all of these post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, I love how Jesus’s followers aren’t convinced by the wondrous elements—angels outside the tomb, appearances in locked rooms—but by the mundane—a name spoken in love, a piece of broiled fish. Isn’t this what distinguishes the Christian faith? A God who knows our need for human connection to the divine?
In discussing Jesus’s incarnation, the artist Scott Erickson says, “His being human affirms our being human. …He affirms that we, in some mysterious way, are an amalgamation of something seen and unseen. That we came from somewhere and we are going somewhere, just like He did. And this physical world is the doorway to that somewhere. And God is not only present to us there; God is right alongside us…here.”
The greatest source of comfort and hope for me in Jesus’s story is the relationship he has with his followers. He knows them so intimately, and when they fail in faith or understanding (which they do constantly, which I do constantly), he meets them where they are and leads them forward. In this particular moment, he is seconds away from “open[ing] their minds to understanding the Scriptures” and telling them that they will soon be “clothed with power from on High.” But, first, the broiled fish, the shared human moment. The door opens, and as we cross the threshold, we walk both with him and toward him.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for understanding and meeting our human needs. In the nourishment of our bodies and our relationships with other people, please let us always see you and know you better. Amen.
Benediction
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Heb. 13:20-21)