They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon (Peter)!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 36 While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” – Luke 24:34-36
Happy Easter, Christ is risen! I sometimes wonder if we really fathom what that means for us? That Christ is alive! We hear the words but do the words resonate in our lives? Are they reflected in how we live each and every day? We know these words mean that Christ has overcome death! This means that you and I, even though we will die, do not need to ‘worry’ about our deaths, because death will have no power over us. It means that we will see our loved ones again someday! That is incredible and wonderful news, isn’t it? It is news that gives us hope on our journeys each day. And yet, even with this good news, many of us have experienced the recent death of a loved one and we are left behind here in a world that can be difficult at times. The daily grind seems to dampen this good news. How quickly we are back on the path of life and we seem to forget that EACH day for us as Christians should be lived as an EASTER day!
Sylvia Dunstan wrote a hymn that is in our hymn book (ELW 326) that talks about this… here are the words:
Bless now, O God, the journey that all your people make,
The path through noise and silence the way of give and take.
The trail found in the desert and winds the mountain round,
Then leads besides still waters, the road where faith is found.
Bless sojourners and pilgrims who share this way,
Your hope burns through the terrors your love sustains the day.
We yearn for your holy freedom, while often we are bound;
Together we are seeking the road where faith is found.
Divine eternal lover, you meet us on the road,
We wait for lands of promise where milk and honey flow,
But waiting not for places you meet us all around.
Our covenant is written on roads, as faith is found.
Hallelujah, God finds us in all the places in our lives, the times of grief and loss, the times of joy and celebration, and all the places in between. Because of what Christ has done, God gives us hope to get through each day. My brothers and sisters of House of Prayer, it is my personal prayer and wish for us this year that we find a way to daily celebrate Easter and the newness and life that this ‘spring’ brings. May we walk with one another with greater caring, during those difficult times! And as we come together to worship, learn, share fellowship and turn to GOD, may we find new and better ways to share with people outside our walls the Joy and Wonder of Easter and Christ’s gift of new life! Thanks be to GOD – Christ is alive! And so are we!
Peace, love and joy, and may every day be an Easter day, – Pastor Dan