Now that Easter has passed and school holidays are coming to an end, many of us are thinking about getting back to life as usual with all its daily challenges. It was similar for the first followers of Jesus – but with one major difference. They were dealing with disappointment and despair, as all their hopes of a new movement centred around Jesus had been dashed.
This is the situation facing two dejected disciples as they head back home after the devastating events of Good Friday. Jesus joins them on the road and they get into conversation but somehow don’t recognise Jesus. They talk about what has happened, explore the Scriptures and later share a meal with their new friend. Suddenly their eyes are opened and they recognise that they have spent the day with Jesus. Their hearts are stirred and they want to share their insight with others.
I wonder if we ever experience something similar? We are going about our business and a stranger joins us and asks how we are doing. We pour out our heart to this person and they then leave and we don’t see them again. Yet in the encounter we have received a precious gift and perhaps encountered the presence of the risen Jesus with us. The heart of this story is that Jesus meets us where we are – on the road, in our homes, in our struggles and in our joys. Jesus meets us in all the messiness of our lives, but also as we open the Scriptures and share a meal with others, especially Communion. Easter is not an event that has occurred once in history but rather it’s an adventure with the risen Jesus that has begun. It’s a path on which we walk, teeming with the promise of surprising new life.
Download the message here:
The continuing story of Jesus - 2021 April 18