Abide in Jesus Eastertide: The Road to Emmaus

The Road to Emmaus by Daniel Bonnell

The Road to Emmaus by Daniel Bonnell reveals how Jesus pursues us through any circumstance and storm of life. 

The unknown Christ came up beside the two disciples on the road. It is worth recalling that throughout the ensuing conversation He remains unrecognized. The moment of recognition, the epiphany, is still to come. Once that revelation has been given then the disciples recall how their hearts had burned within them during the conversation on the road. But this is remembered in retrospect; throughout the journey itself Christ remains hidden, unknown, incognito. 

Our experiences of being alone, abandoned and without Christ, may not actually correspond to reality. This is in no way to trivialize or diminish the pain or feelings of loss and loneliness, but the fact that Christ is not recognized does not mean that He is absent. Indeed, we might suggest that for the two walkers in our story, Christ was in fact more intimately and wonderfully present than He had ever been before; had they ever previously known such a conversation with Jesus as this one? So then, even in the darkest and most despairing moments of our pilgrimage we are not alone; Christ walks beside us even when we mistake Him for a stranger who comes, uninvited, out of nowhere. 

But there is also a great challenge here: the risen Christ not only accompanies the despairing walkers, but He is now the unpredictable Christ. He cannot be restricted and contained; He comes and goes and in the power of a risen life does His gracious work in human lives in mysterious ways that are often unseen and unrecognized. This suggests that to understand the resurrection merely as a doctrine to be believed is to strip it of its glory; Christ is alive and in the world, on the open roads where people travel and discuss their disappointments, doing His revealing, healing work in ways that are surprising and mysterious. We may not set limits on when, or where, or how He makes His presence known; rather, we can expect to be continually surprised by the sudden, unanticipated ways in which He comes alongside humble people who seek for the Kingdom while confessing their need of grace and fresh understanding.

+ David Smith, Moving Towards Emmaus: Hope in a Time of Uncertainty

Bible Passages | Luke 19:10; Luke 24:13-35

Eucharist | Thanking God for Communion with Christ and His Church

Jesus’ Prayer for His Disciples

Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father in heaven, 

May Your name be kept holy.

May Your Kingdom come.

May Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread
And forgive us our sins
As we have forgiven those
Who sin against us.
And don’t let us
Yield to temptation,
But rescue us
From the evil one.
(For Yours is the Kingdom,
The power and the glory forever. Amen.)

Come People of the Risen King
By Stuart Townend
2007 A.D.

Come, people of the Risen King,
Who delight to bring Him praise.
Come, all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace.
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him,
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in.

Rejoice! Rejoice!
Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice,
O Church of Christ, rejoice!

Come, those whose joy is morning sun
And those weeping through the night.
Come, those who tell of battles won,
And those struggling in the fight.
For His perfect love will never change,
And His mercies never cease,
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.
(Chorus)

Come, young and old from every land,
Men and women of the faith.
Come, those with full or empty hands,
Find the riches of His grace.
Over all the world, His people sing,
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age;
"Our God is all in all!"
(Chorus)

Look and See

By The Village Church

2012 A.D.

To Him be the glory

For all He has done!

Praise to the Father

Who gave us His Son!

A ransom for many,

He bled and died

Then rose in victory
Enthroned on high!

To Him be the glory
In heaven and earth,

All of creation
Is shouting His worth.

The saints and the angels,
All live to proclaim

The wonderful story,
The glorious name.

Oh look and see
Our God and celebrate

The power of the cross
And the empty grave!

And now we're free,
Let the redeemed 
Lift up your heads,

Oh look and see our God!

To Him be the glory,
He's coming again

And all of the sadness 

Will come to an end!

Oh what a reunion,
The Bride and her King!

Forever we'll praise Him,
Forever we'll sing!

(Chorus)

Glory, glory to our God!

In Tenderness He Sought Me

By W. Spencer Walton
1894 A.D.

In tenderness He sought me 

Weary and sick with sin.
And on His shoulders brought me

Back to His fold again.

While angels in His presence sang,

Until the courts of heaven rang!

Oh, the love that sought me!
Oh, the blood that bought me!
Oh the grace that brought me
To the fold of God!
Grace that brought me

To the fold of God!

He died for me while I was sinning, 

Needy and poor and blind.
He whispered to assure me,
"I've found thee; thou art Mine."
I never heard a sweeter voice,
It made my aching heart rejoice!
(Chorus)

Upon His grace I'll daily ponder
And sing anew His praise.
With all adoring wonder,
His blessings I retrace.
It seems as if eternal days,
Are far too short to sing His praise!
(Chorus)

Offering

By Ike Ndolo

2013 A.D.

My hands shake with guilt and shame,

Still You love me, love me.

Your eyes are bright

And shine so full of mercy, mercy.

Jesus, Bread of Life, Bread for all.

This is my offering, this is my everything,

The Son of God who bled and died

And rose again for me.

Your flesh You gave for all

So we could see You, see You.

Your blood poured for all

So we could know You, know You.

(Chorus)

The Rock Won't Move

By Vertical Church Band
2013 A.D.

When the ground beneath my feet gives way,

And I hear the sound of crashing waves,
All my world is washing out to sea.
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves,
Holding fast to the promise of the truth
That You are holding tighter still to me.

The Rock won't move and His word is strong,
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone!
The Rock won't move and His word is strong,
The Rock won't move and His love can't be undone,
The Rock of our Salvation!

My hope is in the promise of Your blood,
My support within the raging flood,
Even in the tempest, I can sing!
I'm hidden safe in the God who never moves,
Holding fast to the promise of Your truth
That You are holding tighter still to me!
(Chorus)

Woah, Woah, Woah, the Rock of our salvation!

On Christ the Solid Rock we stand,
All other ground is sinking sand,
The Rock won't move, the Rock won't move!
When darkness seems to hide His face,
We rest on His unchanging grace,
The Rock won't move, the Rock won't move!
(Chorus)

Trading My Sorrows

By Darrel Evans
1998 A.D.

I'm trading my sorrows,

I'm trading my shame,
I'm laying them down,
For the joy of the Lord!
I'm trading my sickness,
I'm trading my pain,
I'm laying them down
For the joy of the Lord!

And we sing "Yes, Lord,
Yes, Lord, Yes, yes, Lord!
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord,
Yes, yes, Lord!
Yes, Lord, yes, Lord,
Yes, yes, Lord, Amen!"

I'm pressed, but not crushed,
Persecuted, not abandoned,
Struck down, but not destroyed!
I am blessed beyond the curse
For His promise will endure
That His joy is going
To be my strength!

Though the sorrows
May last for the night,
His joy comes with the morning! 

Apostles' Creed 

390 A.D.

I believe in God, 

the Father almighty,

Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
,
born of the virgin Mary.

suffered under Pontius Pilate, 

was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended to hell.

The third day He rose again!

He ascended to heaven

and is seated at the right hand
of God the Father almighty.

From there He shall come
to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins, 

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

*Catholic stands for Jesus' Church
"according to the whole,"
across time, cultures, and nations,
that He establishedand continues to build by His
grace, truth, and resurrection power. 

Eastertide: 50 Days of Joy

In the Christian Calendar, Eastertide is a season that lasts 50 days (10 more than Lent)! These 50 days are celebrated as a single joyful feast from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. It’s a time to remember that Jesus wasn’t in a rush to ascend, but that He spent time appearing to His disciples and preparing them for Pentecost. This is an extended time, then, to joyfully celebrate the resurrection; here are a few suggestions on how to cultivate a feast of joy in this season:

Dwell in the resurrection. Take a few minutes throughout the day to remember: Jesus is alive. Ask God to help you live in the reality of the Risen One.

Be intentional with your praise to God. Every day, tell God about how awesome He is. He is faithful, good, wise, our Provider, merciful, just, etc.

Cultivate thanksgiving. Start a routine of thanking God for what He gave you in the day, and share what comes to mind with someone else.

Ask God to restore the joy of His salvation. If you’re more like me, where you see the cup as half empty, you can ask for God to "Restore to me the joy of Your salvation” (Psalm 51:12).

Ask God for the joy of seeing others receive His salvation. Jesus says “there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

Praise the good you see in others and thank them. Ask God to help you see others as He sees you.

Smile. There’s legitimate science proving that smiles increase joy, even if you’re not feeling it; ask God to make His face to shine upon you and through you.

Enjoy what you love. Whether that’s hiking, eating ice cream, or listening to your favorite tunes, thank God for the good gifts of His creation.

These are just some suggestions. The goal in Eastertide is not to generally become just happier people, but to become rooted and overflowing in the miraculous joy God offers us in the Good News that Jesus is alive, conquering sin and death for us. And we want that joy to flow out of us into others just like God's joy flows out of Him into us.

+ Alistair Sterne, St. Peter’s Fireside

Benediction

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. + 2 Corinthians 13:14

Next post: Abide in Jesus Eastertide: The Road Back from Emmaus to Jerusalem

+ Sully

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