Easter 7A/ Ascension Sunday

Well, you would think by my staying in town this week I would have more time to post. But no.

Here it is Wednesday, and I am just posting for Sunday. But here it is.

The passages for Sunday are;

Acts 1:6-14, John 17:1-11, and 1 Peter 4:12 - 5:11

From the Acts passage; ⁶So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” ⁷He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. ⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ⁹When he had said this , as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. ¹⁰While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. ¹¹They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” The disciples still did not understand the nature of the Kingdom of God. Their political aspirations were not Jesus' primary agenda.

Acts 1:8 is a retelling of the Great Commission found also in Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:47; and John 20:21.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, those who were present returned from Olivet and retreated to an upstairs room in Jerusalem (verses 12-14) to devote themselves to prayer.

¹⁴All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.

John 17: 1-11 Powerful, loving prayer of Jesus. The prayer is recorded only in the gospel of John. The John 17 prayer is presumed to be one of the prayers that Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night he was arrested. It is often referred to as the high priestly prayer by David Chytraeus, a Reformation-era theologian. . Jesus has just ended his instructions to his disciples; he has concluded with “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” Now he prays to the Father. He summarizes the significance of his life.

Jesus Prays for Himself 1-5

Jesus Prays for His Disciples 6-11

Knowing the difficulties that would come, Jesus prayed for the disciples' protection and for their unity (verse 11).

Vv. 7-8 expand on keeping the Father’s word: the disciples know that:

· the Father is the source of all that the Son has been given;

· Jesus is from (out of) the Father; and

· the Father sent him into the world.

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 ¹²Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.

In the conclusion, the author addresses fellow “elders” (5:1) as one who shares in the certain hope of Christ’s return. He exhorts the leaders to:

· care for the faithful,

· oversee them in doctrine and discipline,

· treat them as equals, and

· be examples to them.

Ascension by Dali at Olga's gallery

Runyararo - A Song for Zimbabwe On Easter 6A

Was thinking of writing a prayer but found this on You Tube.
Here are the words:

Runyararo (means "peace" in Shona*):

Hold your hand out, child,
hold your hand out and I'll fill it
I know it's not much, but will it do?

It's a big world and we're two small people in it
If I could change it, I would for you
But all I have is love

Lift your head up, friend,
lift your head and don't you worry
Somehow we'll find a way to make it through

Put your gun down, man, cause we're not here for fighting
We're simply surviving, much like you
And all we have is love
All we have is love

Ooo, Runyararo
Ooo, Runyararo

Let your pride go, sir, let your pride go and help fix this
There will be no claiming, you never knew

Are you watching, world, do you see the people dying?
And are you trying, to do all you can do?
Have you not love?
Have you not love?

Ooo, Runyararo
Ooo, Runyararo


© 2007 Leesha Harvey

She wrote this song after speaking with her Mom who lives in Zimbabwe. She told her many stories of things she has seen in the past few months, and while thinking about these stories this song was born. The photographs are all from Zimbabwe--most of them are ones my mother has taken.
Go listen to Leesha sing this one and some others. Most are original and recorded on her own.

If you Love Me...

Today I have been thinking about beginning of the Gospel lesson for this Sunday from John 14:15-21:

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments and I will ask the Father . . . ." and then the end of the passage; 21 Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

Jesus says the same things over and over in different ways in these farewell lectures. The central word is love.

" If you love me you will keep my commandments.
" A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.
" Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
" I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Loving Christ is the key to a vital relationship with God. The "great commandment" is to love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind." (Mk.12:30 Love of God is the vehicle by which God has access to our inner lives. Keeping the commandments of Christ is the outward manifestation of this inward love.

"If you love me...." Not a conditional clause in the rhetorical sense... "If you love me you will... but if you don't love me..." There is congruence between the believer's love of Christ and keeping of the commands / words of Christ. To love Christ is to keep his commandments -- to keep his commandments is to love him. (Gail R. O'Day in NIB)

The question seems to be, which commandments is Jesus referring to? Is it the 10 commandments?

When it comes to Jesus giving commandments in the Gospel of John, this is what he has to say:

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (13.34, 35)

Or was Jesus referring to his own simple summary of the Law:

He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40, NRSV)

Fifty-seven times Jesus uses love verbs (agapao, phileo). Add to that all of the occurrences of "friend" (which is the translation of philos) as well as the fact that the primary disciple in the Fourth Gospel is an unnamed character called "the beloved disciple," and we might accuse the author of touting a single issue. And why not, for is it not the case that "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life"? (3:16).

The passage begins and ends with love.

Bill Coffin's wrote this: "If we fail in love, we fail in all things else."

A Parakeet? no a Paraclete

Okay, many of you are wondering just what is a Paraclete and why would I want to write anything about it? John Dear in his little Gospel writes in our lectionary passage for this Sunday; John 14:15-21, that ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. The Greek here is παράκλητος or transliterated to paraklētos and pronounced then as pä-rä'-klā-tos.
It is often used in the Bible as follows:

1) summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid

a) one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate

b) one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor

1) of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins

c) in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant

1) of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom.

D. Moody Smith in his commentary on John notes that parakletos, the Greek word commonly translated as Advocate (the New Revised Standard Version offers “Helper” as an alternative), “means literally one called to the side of, an advocate or an attorney.” As Smith suggests, however, the context of this passage indicates that this parakletos—often called the Paraclete in English—”does not function so much to advocate the disciples’ cause before God as to mediate the presence of Jesus to the disciples.”

The word Paraclete has been translated as Comforter, Helper, Counselor, and Advocate. No single translation captures all the aspects of the Christian meaning of the word and so we will use the transliterated Greek form, paraclete. The word paraclete in Greek is composed of two roots that would mean "one called to your side." It was used to describe a person who stood up with another who was on trial or under pressure. It was not a lawyer in the sense that we now think of lawyers or advocates; the paraclete didn't speak to the judge, s/he spoke with the person on trial encouraging and helping them through it. Roger Hahn
This word occurs five times in the NT. It is used in 1J 2:1 to refer to Jesus; and four times in John's Farewell Discourse (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7).In our text (and in 15:26, see also 16:13), the Paraclete is called "The Spirit of truth."

Biblical names were not just a way to address someone; they pointed towards a person’s character, so Jesus is telling us not just the name but also the character of the Holy Spirit.

Another word that has been used for the Holy Spirit is Parakaleo [NT3870], which literally translates into “to call near and comfort.” Kaleo [NT2564] means to “bring forth” or “bring near.” Para [NT3844] means to “call out” or to “cry out for a friend.”

The Holy Spirit hears us when we cry out and calls in the cavalry in our most dire times. When you are weary and alone cry out and call him in.

-The Paraclete is not a little yellow bird. Paracletes are not those things on the bottom of football and baseball shoes.

-(true but funny) Celtic Christians chose the wild goose as a symbol representing the Holy Spirit. A wild goose is one noisy, bothersome bird. I like this image of the Holy Spirit as a wild goose because it jars us out of our complacency.

So who is this paraclete to you? Have you met the Paraclete? When has the Paraclete been there for you? When have you experienced the paraclete?

What would our churches look like if the paraclete was alive and well in them and through them? What would our families look like? What about the world?

Easter 6a: John 14:15-21

Here are some thoughts that are coming to me today about this scripture and especially the verse; "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you."

Just how many orphans are there in this world of ours? How many in our country? How many in our state? Our city or town? Our neighborhood? What is it like to be an orphan? Today in the 21st Century, the number of orphans worldwide are at about 150 million... and growing. At any time in America there are about 100,000 children available for adoption. In countries like Africa, the number children orphaned by AIDS is staggering. About every 13 seconds, a child in Africa is orphaned because of the AIDS virus.

Africa has the greatest proportion of children who are orphans. In 2001, 34 million children in sub-Saharan Africa were orphans, one-third of them due to AIDS. Because of AIDS, the number of orphans is increasing dramatically. By 2010, the number of orphans will reach 42 million. Twenty million of these children - or almost 6 percent of all children in Africa -will be orphaned due to AIDS.

Asia has the largest number of orphans. Due to Asia's large population, the number of orphans in Asia is much larger than in Africa. In 2001, there were 65 million orphans, with approximately 2 million of them orphaned due to AIDS. The populations in many Asian countries are so large, however, that even at a low prevalence, the number of people with HIV/AIDS threatens to surpass the numbers in some of the most severely affected African countries. Even a relatively small increase in prevalence could lead to even greater numbers of orphans due to AIDS. If you want to know more you can read the report; Children on the Brink by USAID

Top 20 Orphan Issuing Countries FY-2007 or Immigrant Visas Issued to Orphans Coming to U.S. from the state Department.

I have adopted three children who were once orphans, abandoned for whatever reason. One was abandoned on the steps of the orphanage. One was abandoned at the door of a medical facility. One was abandoned in a box on a street. All three abandoned. Two of them appeared to be abandoned where they would be found and taken care of and hopefully adopted. One was abandoned in a way that reflected her state of affairs, she was not wanted, and in there seems to be a hope that she would not be found an cared for. The two that were abandoned where they could be found, are doing well. They are able to accept love and give love. They were taken care of and made ready to be adopted. The third was found, taken to a hospital, given a minimal amount of care, touch and nurture. She really struggle with social skills, relationships, giving and receiving love. Don't know if she will ever overcome what happened to her little soul.

How can Jesus say, I will never leave you orphaned, and yet there are kids left orphaned everyday?

The word “orphan,” according to Richard Burridge, can also refer to the disciple of a departed teacher (The Lectionary Commentary). But Barbara Brown Taylor’s beautiful sermon, “Good News for Orphans,” uses the parent/child image to describe the feeling of security that children long for when they’re left alone. They want to be reassured that someone greater, stronger, smarter is not only present but in charge. And they want to be reassured that this someone loves them.

Taylor says, "from where we sit it has been so long that some of us wonder if we have not been orphaned after all" (Gospel Medicine).

Barbara Brown Taylor always brings a text like this one, no matter how difficult, right back to the heart of the message. She always brings it home: "'...and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them' (John 14:23). Not visit. Not pass through from time to time. Not send a postcard. 'We will come to them and make our home with them'…John only uses the word 'home' twice in his gospel, both times around the supper table..." Is it any wonder that our church home has a table at its center, not just architecturally but at the heart of our sacramental life together? This "home," Taylor writes, is not "a temporary place but a permanent one, an abode large enough to accommodate the love that binds him to God on one hand and binds him to us on the other, a giant heart of a place with room enough for everyone whom love unites. It is John's idea of heaven to move in with the God who has moved in with us.."

PS. That's my Kate in the purple on your left hand side.

Back to preaching after vacation

Hi all, back for a wonderful vacation.
Back to preaching, sermon prep, research, prayers and hope.

This Sunday is Easter 6A

Well here we go with this Sunday's sermon lectionary passages;

Acts 17:22-31 Verse 22Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, "Athenians, I see how extremely religious you are in every way. Paul engages a pluralistic culture preoccupied with novelty (the preceding verse defines their itching to hear “something new”). Perhaps there are some tings that cn be passed onto our church members who live in a pluralistic society or there are somethings here for even us as Pastors.

You may find the Christian Century's Blogging toward Sunday helpful on the Acts passage. Its written this time by Nanette Sawyer, founding pastor of Wicker Park Grace, a spiritual community on the west side of Chicago, and the author of Hospitality: The Sacred Art—Discovering the Hidden Spiritual Power of Invitation and Welcome (Skylight Paths).

Also take a look at The Journey with Jesus: Notes to Myself Reflections By Dan Clendenin Essay on The Areopagus then and now.

1 Peter 3:13-22 verse 15-16a but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;yet do it with gentleness and reverence

Our Bishop has two sermons posted at Duke Chapel on the 1 Peter passage, you might want to check out. Here is the first and the second.

But also check out what Sheryl Watkins has to say about the gentleness and reverence part also.

John 14:15-21

14:15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever.

In this brief but powerful passage that is part of Jesus' good bye thoughts to the disciples, Jesus reminds them about love. He also promises the Holy Spirit. Finally, Jesus emphasizes the intimate unity of Jesus, God, the Spirit, and the believer.

Barbara Lundblad has a sermon on this passage for Day One.

This will get a started even though its a late start. I'll be preaching on the John passage with a focus on "the Advocate."

clip art at at Cerezo Barredo's weekly gospel illustration.

Good Shepherd Sunday

I won't be posting next week, as we will be on Spring break.
So I am posting for you from You Tube

Songs of Praise Sunday 7 October 2007

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

Music:Howard Goodall
Words:Based on Psalm 23
Performed by:The Choir of King's College Taunton
conducted by Colin Albery and accompanied by organist Jim Campbell
This is the senior winners King's College Taunton as they perform the theme tune from the Vicar of Dibley "The Lord's My Shepherd".
Songs of Praise School Choirs Showcase 2007

I did find some good Vicar of Dibley You Tube videos,
but I thought the song was more appropriate for this Sunday.
The Vicar of Dibley videos may get posted on my other blog someday.

inklings on Good Shepherd Sunday

Over at revgalblogpals Tuesday lectionary Leanings- Baa Baa Sheep Edition, there is a discussion about being in cattle country and preaching this sermon. Apparently there has been hard feelings and bitter rivalry between the cattle ranchers and the sheep ranchers. How then do you preach to them about the "Good Shepherd'? I grew up in Orange Grove, cattle country, and a farming area also. Many of them were members of the church I grew up in. My hubby grew up on a farm in Texas which included cattle.

One of them, brought up a sermon by Barbara Brown Taylor, where she related the difference between cows and sheep: You herd a cow from behind, but sheep need to be led. So all of the talk about Jesus going before us... to the cross, to the grave, and to eternal and abundant life as well.

One of them shared that on Shepherd Sunday a couple of years ago, one of our town's and church's patriarchs, a retired cattle rancher, whispered to me as he was going out the door "I have no use for sheep and sheep-ranchers!"

Another one shared this; I have always had difficulty dealing with the sheep/shepherd imagry--especially in Jn. Partly it is because I grew up in TX where being a "Sheepherder" was a dirty word.

I asked Mr. Bob, my hubby how he would preach this and this what he shared. The shepherd could be viewed as the cowboy who tends the ranch herds. He goes out looking for the strays, and livestock that may be in trouble. He protects them from the predatory animals, and rustlers.
He does the round up for identifying, branding, shots, medical, whatever they may need. Cattle knows the voice of the Cowboy. The night herder keeps the stock calm, reassured, and secure by his presence and singing. Although we have romanticized them by tv and movies, it is a lowly position. There probably is more he would say but he has to go, and so do I. I hope this helps.

Picture from cowboyprof.com

Good Shepherd Sunday or Easter 4A

More thoughts on Good Shepherd Sunday;

Reading I: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Responsorial Psalm: 23: 1-3a, 3b4, 5, 6
Reading II: 1 Peter 2:20b-25
Gospel: John 10:1-10

I don't know much about sheep, really, except what I have read. I have seen them and petted them. I have been to England and Germany where I saw sheep, and sheep being herded. So it makes it hard for me to think in terms of sheep, and to relate to this passage. I live in Alabama where if we see anything it is cows and goats. A friend of mine told me her husband has started raising goats, and wants to be known as "Mr. Goat-man" of Ala. I asked her was there really that much interest in goats these days. And she said oh yes, well I sure didn't know that. And what about sheep is there really any interest in sheep these days?

Well, we know from these scriptures that God is interested in and takes care of his sheep. And that he wants all to be in his fold. Fr. John Foley at the center for Liturgy does a good job tying in the facts about sheep with the idea of us being the sheep. He ends with this; "Sometimes the phrase, 'people are sheep,' is deemed an insult. This Sunday it is the greatest compliment we could get." Go read what he writes and then think about what he says. Ask yourself and God is it the greatest compliment we can get?
Read Sarah Dylan's comments about sheep also.

Psalm 23 begins with that wonderful declaration; {1} The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
1 Peter 2 ends with this statement; {25} For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
John 10: {2} The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. {3} The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

What is it about being referred to as sheep bothers you?
What is it about being referred to as sheep comforts you?
What is it about God/Jesus as Shepherd draws you to him?
What is it about God/Jesus as Shepherd repels you?

Think of your own self, what characteristics in your personality is like sheep and what is not?
What about yourself needs the good shepherd?
How have you been listening to and following the thief? How have you been affected by this?

Where in your life has the Good Shepherd come into your life, protected you, healed you comforted you, fed you or anointed you? Are you needing the good shepherd now?

How are we as followers today like sheep?

Picture of Sheep in "Baie de Somme" in the north of France.

Easter 4A

Here are some beginning thoughts for this upcoming Sunday's sermon, although I am not going to be preaching.

This is considered Shepherd Sunday because the lectionary passages focus on the Shepherd.
Acts 2:42-47 This passage is what the early church looked like as it was beginning and growing and understanding what it was to be a community of faith? What if the churches looked this way now?

• Teaching/learning -- they devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching (Acts 2:42).
• Fellowship -- they found it important to spend a great deal of time with each other (Acts 2:42, 46).
• Prayers -- prayer was extremely important to this group (Acts 2:42).
• Breaking bread -- commentaries are unclear about whether the writer meant Eucharist or table fellowship or a combination of both (Acts 2:42, 46).
• Shared possessions and the equitable distribution of goods -- initially, this group pooled its resources and provided for the needs of all who were a part of the new community (Acts 2:45-47).

Psalm 23 (UMH 754 or 137) This is the Shepherd's Psalm, most often used at Funerals, but really has to do with living our lives on a daily basis before we die. I heard a modern day version of the Shepherd is the lifeguard.
1 Peter 2:19-25 This focuses on bearing pain like Jesus did, but then has the passage at the end; For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
John 10:1-10 Jesus is both the gate (verse 9) and the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). He provides the way for sheep to enter the sheepfold and he shepherds the sheep. And don't forget; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Just what does that mean for our lives today? Is this different than some of the abundant theology we see out there with the focus on financial wealth?

Since I am focusing on what it means to be Easter People. I would focus on What happens when we encounter the Shepherd in our lives?

Image is of Shepherds displaced from Haruba, near Ma'on

Easter 3A, The Walk to Emmaus

Some of the thoughts I have had this week about this passage are;


1. I love a good meal with family or friends.
2. We churches are good at dinners.
3. I grew up in a family that loved to get together and eat.
4. When someone dies, we bring food to the family, and the churches I have been in feed the families before or after the funeral.
5. When someone is sick we bring food to the family.
6. Food is such an important part of our culture, especially here in the South.
7. However we have become such a culture of fast food eaters.
8. We have also become a culture of eating outers or taking outers or calling and picking uppers.
9. We don't have people into our homes to eat with us as much as we used to.
10. Home cookouts now usually just involve our families, not necessarily the neighborhood or others.

This scripture tells us in Luke 24:28-31They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: "Stay and have supper with us. It's nearly evening; the day is done." So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared. 32Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?"

The other meal I want to talk about is; commuion
1. He took the bread, blessed it and broke it and gave it to them and gives it to us.
2. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him, and in that moment we recognize him.
3. Sunday is Holy Communion, will you recognize Jesus in the breaking of bread?
4. We as Methodist consider it a means of grace, will you receive the grace God has for you through the taking of communion?
5. Will your heart burn? Will you be on fire? Will you feel your heart gently warmed?
6. It isn't fast food. Its real food and spiritual food.
7. It doesn't matter who you are as we kneel together at the altar to receive communion?
8. It is something we do together.
9. Will you invite someone to come receive communion this Sunday?
10. Will you then help take communion to our homebound, members in nursing homes, so they too can receive God's grace, have their hearts warmed and be able to recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread?

Easter 3A, April 6

Preaching on Luke 24:13-35 NRSV

13Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But 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 took place. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

This passage is the basis for the Walk to Emmaus sponsored by the Upper Room of the United Methodist Church. Especially these verses; They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us, while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

What does this passage say to you?

What does it mean to you?

What was it meaning to the two who Jesus walked with? To the community of believers then? To the ones Luke was writing the gospel to? To the early Christians?

When has your heart burned lately? When, where, and how has Jesus made himself known to you recently? How have you missed him? When have you known him in the breaking of the bread? And when have you made him known to others? When have you gone when he has sent you?

picture from Wellspring.org.uk; a liturgy for Easter 3A