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
Risen Christ, by your death and resurrection you brought dawn to darkness. You have made a new way, from death to life, cross to crown, grave to glory. We are frail creatures in a world of change and decay. Rule over us in your resurrection power. Subdue sin and evil, disease and destruction. We have nothing apart from you, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever, Amen.
Confession
O Lord, I live a world of dead ends. There is always an end. An end to my energy. My time. My love. My patience. My money. My very life. I am trapped by limits. I am burdened by my frail, finite limits. I have exhausted all other options. Nothing else satisfies. You burst forth from the grave to give me life beyond the horizon. You are my singular hope, my only prayer. Risen Savior, have mercy on my dead ends.
Word
“‘But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.’” Luke 24:21
Meditation
Today’s meditation is by Julianna Shults.
Grief is a disorienting thing. The death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, the end of a career, or significant hope dashed can feel as though the world is turned upside down. The heartache of loss includes how it shifts dramatically the future we had anticipated. When my brother died, I found myself praying, “God, I don’t know how to do this,” over and over. Nothing was as it should be. It was a disorientation so extreme I thought I could never find my footing.
In our sorrow, we may wonder where God is. We look around, hurt, isolated and unsure, and cannot see evidence of God’s loving, peaceful presence. In our disorientation, we can believe God is hidden. We wonder what the future will hold and who is holding control of the future.
We see similar disorientation from the men in the passage from Luke. They share the events of the last few days, from Jesus’ death to the uncertainty of an empty tomb. In verse 21, they say, “But we had hoped that (Jesus) was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.”
These men, like many others, had hoped that Jesus would save all of Israel from Roman rule. The future they imagined with Jesus disappeared overnight. More than that, after three days, Jesus was quite literally gone as His tomb was empty. I imagine them walking slowly, disappointed and unsure, as they tried to make sense of what they had experienced.
Jesus doesn’t leave them to grieve. Instead he shows them how all of Scripture was fulfilled through His life and death. In Jesus God fulfills all his promises to save his people from their sin. Jesus orients them with the truth of Scripture, the cross and an empty tomb. No longer hidden from their eyes, Jesus reveals He had been with them all along. Filled with hope, they run back to share their experience and understanding.
In our grief, God is not hidden but revealed. Even when we cannot see him, Jesus is right there beside us. In our deepest pain, in the great disorientation of loss, Jesus hears our prayers as we cry out. He gives us hope that one day all be made right through His death on the cross. Through faith, we continually orient ourselves in our God who walks with us and always fulfills his promises.
Dear Jesus, just like you did for those men walking toward Emmaus, walk with us through loss in this life. Remind us of your faithfulness and renew our hope for the day when you will take away all fear and pain. Orient our lives to you that through your spirit we can share your eternal presence and love with others. In your name, Amen.
Benediction
The God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen. (I Pet. 5:10-11)