Easter 04/05/2026

Welcome and Prayer: Jim Calhoun

Come Lord, join us here today
The not so well to do,
Have reason enough to smile today
So do the needy,
And the broken.
Those who are sick
And beat down
Those disappointed
Those left longing and disappointed
The resentful
The worried and
those filled with fury
All of us.
All of us knowing
The stone was rolled away
That death isn’t the final word
That the frailties in ourselves
And in all we know
And that long and painful tail
of consequences
And hurts
Are not the final word
That life begins its fullness
As we die a little
And you make us new.

So, Yes Lord
Yes. Yes.
A thousand times yes
Roll away the stone
Bring us into life with you
Make us whole
Make us new
and we will sing
And shout
And have reason enough to smile
Thank you Lord
Thank you
Amen

Morning Talk: chuck smith, jr.

That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” Luke 24:13-32

Intro: Every week I spend two days in Scotty’s home

I’ve been doing this for years–making meals for my grandchildren:
– one breakfast for Calum (and afternoon snacks), one lunch for Adrianna, and three dinners
• I’m still taking two of them to and from school
• in the lull, while they’re at school, I’ve been taking walks around the undeveloped land near their neighborhood
◦ it’s been a good time to practice focusing my awareness on the presence of God’s Spirit
◦ maybe three months ago, I began sharing moments of my walk on Facebook
– from the very first book of the Bible, walking is used as metaphor
• it usually refers to the way we live out our days with God in closeness to him
• however, in this Easter story, these two disciples (whom otherwise we do not know),
◦ find themselves actually walking with Jesus for real!
◦ what Jesus shares with them turns their lives around, literally
“And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem” (v. 33)

This story informs me of what God has in mind for us in our Reflexion community
– first, we are all on a spiritual journey
• we never stop and settle in – our lives are in constant flux
◦ we travel through verdant fields and pleasant streams
◦ but there are also desert wastelands and dark valleys
• all of it is for our instruction and training
◦ our faith is being toughened through hardship and trials
◦ the further we go, the more our trust and hope grow
– secondly, we are making this journey together
• I may be more aware of this than others, but it’s true for all
• we are sharing our lives in God with each other
– then third, Jesus is with us all the way
• sometimes we need to remind each other of that truth

This Easter morning, I want to focus on verses 15 and 16
“Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.”

I’m sure they thought they knew Jesus–they were disciples of his after all
– turns out, volumes could be written about what they did not know
• so this walk became like all the other walks with Jesus prior to the cross and tomb
◦ with the Lord instructing them regarding himself and his life’s purpose,
◦ he gave them a general survey of the Hebrew Scriptures from Moses through the Prophets
• not recognizing Jesus is a common theme in resurrection stories
◦ Mary Magdalene in the garden, the eleven disciples in a locked room, and so on
– I’m not sure what we’re supposed to think of that
• he was still Jesus–scars and all, but somehow different
• maybe he appeared in a truer form of himself
◦ or maybe simply the shock of seeing him alive made them doubt their vision

This past Friday held a special surprise for me

I’ve enjoyed a friendship that began fifty years ago
– it’s been a while since we spent time together,
• but his wife told me he had been hospitalized with a serious illness,
◦ and I knew I had to see him
• we had developed a bond from many deep conversations
◦ we also experienced the miraculous healing of young girl
◦ what I did not expect, was the warmth of love I still felt for him
– these bonds we’ve formed with each other are very important
• I hope you understand that
• I don’t mean here on Sundays
◦ but in all the ways we meet and communicate with each other
• I would say that includes our extended community,
◦ that joins us each Sunday by way of the Internet

Walking the Easter road, we get to enjoy Jesus together
– all of us long for the same things:
• to be grounded in integrity and faithful devotion
• to avoid making serious mistakes that darken the soul
• to assist each other when life is overwhelming
• and to have an ever-increasing awareness of Jesus’ presence
– we are here for you – what does that mean?
• we don’t have a paid staff–pastors, counselors, or prayer team
◦ you are the team, each other’s partners in prayer, comfort, and motivation
• we’re like the musketeers, “All for one and one for all”
◦ we inspire each other – and bind each others’ wounds

So we journey together, and Jesus is with us

But like those two disciples, we don’t always recognize Jesus
– I’ve been exposed to many Christians who don’t expect Jesus to show up for them in their grief
• it’s as if they believe Jesus only appears for celebration
◦ that we’re supposed to go from victory to victory
• those are typically the people who are always telling us to “smile”
– in heartache and loss, one of the most common prayers is, “God, where are You?”
• like both Martha and Mary, who when their brother Lazarus died, each in turn said to Jesus,
“Lord, if you had been here my brother would not have died” (Jn. 11:21 & 32)
• sometimes people assume suffering and grief are punishments
◦ we forget that Isaiah described the Messiah as
“a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3)
◦ let that sink in: “acquainted with grief”
Jesus spent a lot of time with sorrow

Grief creates a unique quality of–intensity
– the pain of our loss is especially keen
• but so are the moments of consolation
,• I remember well. passing through my deepest sadness
◦ every time I sat in worship, I choked up
It was like I felt the full meaning of every word in every line of every song
◦ as I began to heal, I regretted knowing that once my heart mended and was whole again,
I would no longer feel the full impact of worship to that same depth
– in those most intense moments of sorrow, Jesus is here

Jesus is here, but we may not know it

And that is what I hope this story can do for us, that it will show us
– even when we don’t recognize Jesus, he is here and that it’s our job to help each other remember
• there is a great deal about God that we don’t understand
◦ and what we think we know, we know imperfectly
• there are other truths we know, but don’t realize we know them
◦ Jesus has to be with us to show us what is already ours
◦ he has to open our eyes

This is the most wonderful truth in this story

Our eyes can be opened – and that changes everything
– I am in this ongoing development of awareness
• I find it very difficult, because there is absolutely no curriculum
◦ it is experiential – but not tangible
◦ insight is increased – but not information
◦ much is given – but it cannot be measured
• we cannot think our way into the eye-opening moment
◦ it is like we are walking backwards into it
◦ Bible studies prepare us for it, but does not produce that awareness
(scripture is necessary–in fact all of it; v. 44,
but it still requires a mind-opening gift from Jesus to see; v. 45)
– as for these two disciples, when were their eyes opened?
• not on the road, even though as Jesus taught them, their hearts burned within them
◦ their eyes were not yet opened
◦ later on, when they met up with the eleven apostles,
“they told what happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread” (v. 35)
• the Lord has given us rituals in which we pray with our bodies
◦ those are often the moments when our eyes are opened

Conclusion: Before Jesus began explaining to these two disciples,
the meaning of his death and resurrection, he said,
“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”
That was a spiritual diagnosis
Then he began to administer the cure
He does the same for me – for you – for all of his disciples
Keep in mind, the education Jesus gives is not theoretical
Everything is to be practical and experiential
What we learn in the Scriptures, we live in ritual, prayer, and contemplation

In one of the hospital visits I made early in my ministry, I met with and prayed for a young woman who had broken both legs in a hang-glider accident. Leaving, I got on an elevator on the fifth floor. Descending one floor the elevator stopped, the doors opened and a woman stepped in. She looked at the floor numbers on the panel and then asked me, “Do you know which floor the maternity ward is on?” I answered, “I’m sorry, this is my first time in this hospital, and I don’t know.” She said, “That’s okay. I have just now been with a friend who is close to death, and I wanted to look at new life before I left.”

She wasn’t interested in hearing a lecture or reading a pamphlet. What she wanted was to experience a fresh, new life. And we do not need another sermon on the nearby presence of Jesus; we need a living experience of his nearness. Are we ready to open our hearts in a daily pursuit of that?