The Road to Emmaus - Sunday 11th April

Sunday worship will be led by Mike Furborough, the service he prepared is reproduced here for those who are unable to attend.

We will be looking at some of the encounters with the risen Jesus this week but of course the joy and celebrations of Easter and the resurrection this week have been dampened by the news of the passing of Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh on Friday - a very sad day for our Queen and nation.

Our prayers and thoughts will be with the Queen and her family this week.

Call to Worship

Jesus Christ, we greet you!

Your hands still have holes in them.

Your feet are wet from the dew;

And with the memory of our names

Undimmed by three days of death

You meet us,

Risen from the grave.

We fail to understand how;

We puzzle at the reason why.

But you have come:

Not to answer our questions,

But to show us your face,

You are alive,

And the world can rejoice again.

Hallelujah!

Glory be to you.

God, our strength and our redeemer.

Hymn: MPC 30 Alleluia ,alleluia , give thanks to the risen lord

Prayer

Dear God, who sent your son Jesus to us,

We praise you for the power of your forgiving, life-giving love.

We thank you for raising Jesus from the dead.

We thank you for the wonderful gifts of forgiveness and salvation

that we can enjoy because of Jesus.

We thank you for the Bible, which has helped us see how God’s love transformed the lives of Jesus’ first followers.

We thank you for the way your love transforms

our own lives and communities.

We love you and want to follow Jesus.

We see your love at work all sound us

Thank you for continuing to live in and around us.

Thank you that your love leads through suffering to joy.

Thank you that your love is stronger than death. Amen.

— from Called and Shaped by Jesus: Lent-at-Home 2011 written by Elsie Rempel,

The Lord’s Prayer

Here’s an introduction, where the story of Jesus’ encounter with the disciples on the road to Emmaus is explored (Luke 24:13-35). It appears on Craig Mitchell’s Mountain Masala website.

Easter is not an event that has occurred

it's an adventure that has begun

not a place that we have visited

but a path on which we stand

a story not complete, but unfolding

characters still breathing

stations still teeming

with the promise of new life

not just for you and me

but for all people, in all places

a cosmic crux a turning point of time

Easter is the season

of wild hope

of dangerous intent

of potent promise

where the future flaps unfurled. in the spirit’s breeze

where hopes bubble. with uncorked effervescence

where toes tap. to free-form rhythms

where rainbow hues splash empty canvas

Today

we continue the journey

we re-enter the story

to explore our questions

to uncover our doubts

to face our nagging need

We walk the path

of two who traveled a dusty road

wrapped in confusion and despair

two who shared the company of a stranger

voicing their pain

airing their fears

and in the listening

heard words of hope and promise

and in the eating

received true bread of life

Today we re-enter the story

with expectation that Christ

will also reveal himself to us

in sights and sounds

in words and symbols

in bread and wine

Let us pray

Risen Christ walk with us this night. be our companion and guide. be our teacher and friend. be our host and servant. bringing your gifts of faith, peace and hope. and deep joy

as always. Amen

Hymn: MPC. 1350. Speak O Lord….

Reading. Luke 24:13-35 On the Road to Emmaus

Three bearded men — Meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org

Hymn: MPC 295. I serve a risen saviour ..He lives

Food for thought :

The walk to Emmaus started out in disbelief and sadness. It ended in joy, excitement, love, and true devotion. The same can happen to each one of us.

The intriguing part of "The Road to Emmaus" is that only one of the two men is named. His name was Cleopas. Who was the other? One theory is that it was Luke himself.

There is different way to see it……… The other one is you ! Why do I say that ?

1.You don't have all the answers.

The two men were followers of Jesus and believers in Him. And yet they had questions about His death and now possible resurrection. As a Christian, you still have questions, often about the more difficult things in life.

2.You don't walk alone.

The two men had each other to walk with. You have other Christians and your congregation. And Jesus. He came and walked with those two men. He comes and walks with us.

3. You don’t fully understand.

"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?'" (32). He simplifies the Bible by showing us that it's all about Him, and especially His death and resurrection for our salvation. Let, therefore, your heart burn with love for His Word! And amid life's questions, we have the most important Answer: God's love in Jesus!

4.You see Him in the Sacrament of Holy Communion)

The two men "recognize Him in the breaking of the bread" (31 and 35). This is a wonderfully mysterious part of the story. And I would say that it points to the faith, given to you by the Holy Spirit, to see (and receive!) the crucified-risen Jesus in the Sacrament.

5. You say, "Christ is risen!"

The two men return and say to the others, "The Lord has risen indeed!" (34). "Indeed" means really, actually, and truly. Christians believe that Jesus has really risen, and that our lives are different now because of it! "Christ is risen!" is a great confession, but learning to live the words is the important next step. But the resurrection is the very power to live differently than we did before, and differently than the world around us.

Take time to re read Luke 24:13-35, believing that you are indeed the unnamed disciple!

Music for Reflection:

See…What a Morning ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0aKC3KxTb0

Intercessory prayers

( Respond with words in dark Type )

Let us set out on the road to Emmaus.

Lord we pray that you will meet us on the way and keep us company as we journey through our world today.

Walk with us and help us see that your death was not a defeat but a victory over sin and death.Help us see that we don’t have all the answers to our problems or those of the world, but enable us to recognise you and your love available in every situation.