The Road to Emmaus - When all Seems Lost

Scripture: Acts 2:14a, 36-41  • Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19  • 1 Peter 1:17-23  • Luke 24:13-35

As we read Luke's account of Cleopas and his friend on the Road to Emmaus, let us consider how we, like them, miss seeing the risen Christ. What blind spots do we have along the journeys of our lives which cause us to miss the fullness of the joy he brings, and the opportunity to welcome him into our lives. How often do we miss the opportunity to feed his sheep, and welcome the stranger.q

See "In Our Midst, " by The Rev. David F. Sellery and "Joy for the Journey: Reflections on the Walk to Emmaus," by Alyce M. McKenzie.

I believe the author of 1 Peter gives us the best way to avoid missing the presence of the Lord when he says "...love one another deeply from the heart."

What if we are disappointed when what we hoped for seems lost? Read Debie Thomas' "But We Had Hoped." 

Scars, Doubt, Belief, and Faith

Scripture: Acts 2:14a, 22-32  • Psalm 16  • 1 Peter 1:3-9  • John 20:19-31

This second Sunday of the Easter season we read about witnesses to the Resurrected Jesus - Peter, the disciples, and finally "doubting" Thomas. In fairness to Thomas, he, like us, wants to see the evidence in order to believe. He said he would not believe until he could put his fingers in the mark of the nails, and his hand in Jesus' side, which was pierced. When it came right down to it, Thomas did not have to do that when he experienced the presence of the Lord.

Two of our articles this week concern the scars of Christ. See Deacon Sil Galvan's "The Wounded Healer," and Katherine K. Whitley's "Jesus of the Scars" What is the significance of the scars Jesus bore?

 Three articles are about faith. The Rev. Katherine Walker's "Fairh: More than a five letter word," Debie Thomas' "Unless I See," which also considers the scars of Christ and what they can mean to us, and Kirk Kubicek's "Shalom: Faithful to the Dream of God."

We have spent a lot of time during Lent reading, listening and discussing the presence of Christ. In the context of this week's gospel, enjoy the delightful imagined story of the disciple Thomas answering his grandson's questions about his encounter with the resurrected Christ in The Rev. Dr. Laura Mendenhall's "Dealing with Mystery."

Jesus said "Blessed are those who have not seen, but yet have come to believe." What does it take for us to believe in the risen and present Christ?

He is risen, and is among us

Scripture: Acts 10:34-43 or Jeremiah 31:1-6  • Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24  • Colossians 3:1-4 or Acts 10:34-43  

• John 20:1-18 or Matthew 28:1-10

Because of Easter, we are able to ask "Where will Jesus meet us?" Just as Jesus told Mary to tell the disciples that he was going ahead to Galilee, and he would meet them there, we are also invited to meet Jesus. Where, and what are the Galilees of our lives? Think about what happened in Galilee during Jesus' ministry. Will we recognize him? See Sister Kym Harris' "This Sunday's Exposition ."

This is a time to reflect on how we are blessed. Consider Jesus' sermon on the mount (or plain, depending on which gospel account you read), and Sister Harris' "Reflection. Notice who carries Jesus' message to the disciples.

Barbara Brown Taylor has some thoughts on where Jesus turns up. See her " Escape from the Tomb." The living one's business is with the living. He is among the living. Taylor reminds us not to be so focused on the tomb that we forget to speak with the gardener.

May you have a blessed Easter, and a blessed life. He lives!

Debie Thomas gives us a profound article on the Risen Christ even, in these times when she , like us is bewildered, afraid, and struggling in her "Risen."

Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday - Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Scripture: Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  • Matthew 21:1-11   • Philippians 2:5-11

We are invited this week to see things as God sees them. Jesus' triumphant entry into David's City riding on a young colt with its mother over coats and cut palm branches contrast with the martial display of occupying Caesar's troops. A contrast in power.

In "Victory," The Rev. Bernie Pearson's gives us a wonderful account of tge significance of the use of Palms on Palm Sunday, and tells us, "We as Christians are called to live in the light of this victory. Not by sugar-coating life and pretending it’s all hunky-dory, but by looking death in the eye and not flinching. We as Christians are called to see the sufferings of the world, and not run from them, but towards them — not to escape suffering, but to see how we can comfort, serve, and help. Where in your family, in your neighborhood, or in the world is someone battling sickness? How can you as a Christian be a comfort to them? Be an agent of their healing? Where is someone isolated and alone? How can you as a disciple of Jesus bring them joy? Where is someone hungry, homeless, anxious? How can you proclaim the victory of Christ by feeding them, sheltering them, and bringing them peace? We are called to live here and now, in a world of death and corruption, but also to wave our palms. To show sin, evil, and death that they no longer have power, but have been defeated by the Lord Jesus Christ, and that, at any moment now, the eternal victory celebration will begin."

In "Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday," Sara Miles tells us that Jesus willingly faced and absorbed all the hard truths of human violence, pride and weakness, and to love and stay with us anyway so that sin and death will have no more power over us. With her, let us pray that we may see how much we have in common with all of Jesus' beloved people. May we face the beauty and sadness of humanity, and not turn away. And that we may love and forgive in face of every hurt, betrayal, pain, sickness, mistake and failure. May we be Christ, be his love, to the world.

Resurrection life

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14  • Psalm 130  • Romans 8:6-11  • John 11:1-45

From Ezekiel's valley of "dry bones," to St. Paul's testimony of the life giving Spirit which raised Christ, to this week's gospel account in John of the raising of Lazarus, and as Jesus makes his way to Jerusalem and the cross, we learn something of resurrected life. Jesus tells us that he, who is the bread of life and whose blood is the cup of salvation from which all who drink will never thirst again, is "the resurrection and the life, and that all who believe in [him], even though they die, will live."

What is the resurrected life? See "Resurrected Hopes," by Craig Barnes.  

Read James Liggett's powerful "Death." He says we are told first that death is stronger than we are and that we have neither knowledge about nor power over death. And then we are told that Jesus is Lord, Lord of all—Lord of life and of death. He says we have a choice as we face death. We must choose to despair or to trust; to give up or to go on; to abandon hope, or to let go in faith.

In Liggett's words, "For we see all that the world sees, and yet we see more. We see that the dry bones, even our dry bones, can live once more. And we see that the word of Jesus has power. “Come out,” the Lord calls. “Come out” into different life, into new life. “Come out” into life unknown and unexplained. “Come out” in trust and in hope."

When it doesn't make sense, or isn't fair

Scripture: 1 Samuel 16:1-13  • Psalm 23  • Ephesians 5:8-14  • John 9:1-41


Today's gospel is the account of Jesus healing the man born blind at birth. The religious tradition of the day stated the cause of his blindness was sin, this man's sin, or that of his parents. in "Who Sinned?" Jesus rejects that explanation, and says that he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. Maybe we're looking for answers as if we, ourselves, are blind. The Rev. James Liggett talks about tragedy and unfairness in "Who Sinned?" and says Jesus tells us two things to help us deal with life's tragedy's, inexplicable pain, disease, circumstances and the unfairness we see. What did Jesus tell us? 

In "Confusion," Jassy Bostock asks what enables one to see Jesus, to really see for that matter, and what makes one unable to see.


In "Now I See," Debi Thomas examines this Sunday's gospel in light of the current COVID-19 crisis, noting that no one, not even the man's parents, rejoices that the man is healed, and tells us what it takes "to see" in life's challenges. What does it take to see when things don't make sense, or aren't fair? Click the links to read the Scripture and these three articles.

The Woman at the Well

Scripture: Exodus 17:1-7  • Psalm 95  • Romans 5:1-11  • John 4:5-42

Want to know who Jesus is? What God is like? What truth and honesty look like? How about strength and hope in times of weakness and vulnerability? Human dignity? What real grace is? One of the best, if not the best, source for this is the story of Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. 

Samaritans were considered anathema by the Jews. The Samaritans were a blend of all kinds of people—made up of Israelites who were not exiled when the Northern Kingdom was destroyed in 722 BCE—of various different nationalities whom the Assyrians had resettled in the area. The Assyrians did this as an attempt to ensure that Israel’s national dream could not come true. And a Jew speaking with a Samaritan, and a woman, was taboo at the time.

Debie Thomas' account of "The Woman at the Well," leaves me with a sense of wonder and astonishment at her incites, and at the same time grounded in the realities of Jesus' time, and our time today.  She is well worth reading. Reading her, I experience something I can only describe as the wonder a child experiences, or a light bulb turning on. For me, it is the same feeling as discovering a nuanced meaning in parsing an original language.