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
Lord Jesus, you once came to humanity in a rustic barn and a messy manger. Do not be distant from the rough places of our lives. We often find ourselves far from you. In mercy, come near to us, our Lord, Emmanuel; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession
Forgive my sins, O Lord – forgive me the sins of my present and the sins of my past, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body; the sins which I have done to please myself, and the sins which I have done to please others. Forgive me my wasted and idle sins, forgive me my serious and deliberate sins, forgive me those sins which I know and those sins which I know not, the sins which I have labored so to hide from others that I have hid them from my own memory. Forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all.
Word
“While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” Luke 24:15-16
Meditation
Today’s meditation is by Koleen Barnes.
I am familiar with feeling like Jesus is far away. I have felt like he didn’t know what was going on with me and left me to deal with my problems by myself, often in situations where I feel very incapable. Haven’t we all felt this way? In this passage, Jesus appears as a stranger, seeming to have no idea what these two travelers have been through. As they confide in him, it slowly starts to become apparent that he knew what happened all along and was someone completely different than they first believed him to be.
As humans it is in our nature to surround ourselves with friends and confidants. They help us feel protected and work through problems. I like to believe that this is the Jesus we find in daily prayer and Sunday service—the Jesus who is our friend. This little tribe we surround ourselves with are our sounding boards and our solution masters, but doesn’t it also feel good to unburden yourself to a stranger? Someone who has no idea what is going on. How often does it make things better to say, “You know what? I’m just having a bad day,” to your barista, your hair stylist, the checker at the grocery store. Sometimes we find relief in the strangest of places. Sometimes the solution is just to be seen where we least expect it.
The problem with feeling like Jesus is far away and uninvolved in our troubles is that it is overwhelming. It feels like things will never be good again. When I feel like this, it’s like I am at the bottom of a deep well that I am never going to be able to climb out of alone. I’ve never really thought that Jesus would talk to me like he did to those in the Bible: I never anticipated a message about an ark or my room to be filled with angels to wake me from a dream, but I often do wish I was more aware of his presence.
In my experience, when we are feeling lost and overwhelmed, Jesus shows up in the strangest of places. It seems when I need to see him the most, I don’t necessarily find him where I would expect. I will hear a song that gives me a particular feeling or a customer might use a phrase my late grandmother used to say to me all of the time. Suddenly the message I hear on Sunday morning relates to my situation exactly. When these things happen, I feel more relief than I ever expected. It is so easy to think that the world is full of coincidence, but I like to believe that is him whispering, “I am here. You are seen. You are found. We are in this together.”
Jesus, grant me the ability to see you in strangers. Allow my eyes to see and my ears to hear you in the places that I may not expect. Help me to remember that you are always with me, never hidden, always at my side. Amen.
Benediction
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:7)