The Supper at Emmaus by Roy de Maistre
Late on Easter evening two disciples have returned to Jerusalem with exciting news after their walk to Emmaus. The unexpected appearance of Jesus and their conversation with him has been a joy and has brought comfort but also raised questions.
A Call to Worship
In the mysteries of life,
Jesus meets us.
In the trying to make sense of what we don’t understand,
Jesus meets us.
In the sadness of our grief,
Jesus meets us.
In the listening to his words,
Jesus meets us.
In the sharing of bread and wine,
Jesus meets us.
In the joy and the laughter,
Jesus meets us.
Come, let us worship God, who meets us where we are.
Come, let us worship Jesus, who knows and understands us.
Come, let us worship the Spirit, who helps us in our need. Amen.
Jesus is king and I will extol him
give Him the glory, and honour his name;
he reigns on high, enthroned in the heavens,
Word of the Father, exalted for us.
We have a hope that is steadfast and certain,
gone through the curtain and touching the throne;
we have a priest who is there interceding
pouring his grace on our lives day by day.
We come to him, our Priest and Apostle
clothed in his glory and bearing His name
laying our lives with gladness before him –
filled with his Spirit we worship the King.
O Holy One, our hearts do adore you;
thrilled with your goodness we give you our praise!
Angels in light with worship surround him,
Jesus, our Saviour, for ever the same.
(Wendy Churchill)
Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving …
To the God who is revealed in the stories of the Israelites and the writings of the Scriptures, who cleared the way for the coming of the Messiah in the person Jesus Christ: to you be all praise.
To the God who is revealed in the manger and upon the cross in the form of a man, who spoke of your love and lived his life according to the precepts of your kingdom: to you be all praise.
To the God who is revealed in people of faith through the ages, who witnessed to your glory and passed on what they believed to each and every generation: to you be all praise.
… and Confession
Forgive us, Lord, when our disbelief outweighs our joy and our wondering is clouded by fear and by apathy.
Open our hearts to receive all you would bless us with and equip us to witness to your extraordinary love
in everyday life and in everyday ways.
We pray for your name’s sake. Amen.
Psalm 4
1 Answer me when I call, O God of my right!
You gave me room when I was in distress.
Be gracious to me, and hear my prayer.
2 How long, you people, shall my honour suffer shame?
How long will you love vain words, and seek after lies?
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the faithful for himself;
the Lord hears when I call to him.
4 When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the Lord.
6 There are many who say, “O that we might see some good!
Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!”
7 You have put gladness in my heart
more than when their grain and wine abound.
8 I will both lie down and sleep in peace;
for you alone, O Lord, make me lie down in safety.
Luke 24: 36b-48
Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate in their presence.
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things.
SoF 10 All Heaven Declares
All Heaven declares
The glory of the risen Lord
Who can compare
With the beauty of the Lord
Forever He will be
The lamb upon the throne
I gladly bow to Thee
And worship Him alone
I will proclaim
The glory of the risen Lord
Who once was slain
To reconcile man to God
Forever You will be
The lamb upon the throne
I gladly bow Thee
And worship Him alone.
Noel Richards
Reflection
Today’s passage of scripture continues the story of the disciples gathering late on Easter Day.
The news of Jesus’ resurrection is beginning to break in different parts of the region…
The women who visited the tomb and found it empty are the first to know, then Jesus appears to the disciples meeting in a locked room in Jerusalem, then (but at the same time!) the two who invite a stranger into their home realise that the stranger is Jesus! Gradually, the full story unfolds.
I’m writing this a couple of days after the announcement of the death of Prince Philip. It seems that the piecing together of a story and making sense of what has happened is really important. At times like this we seek clarity. The first disciples were no different.
Jesus himself helps the disciples to understand even though his appearance has unsettled them. (Look at today’s passage again, picking out the range of emotions!)
In each resurrection appearance there is a revelation of Jesus’ physical self until the disciples are sure it is indeed Jesus. Then Jesus explains again that this is what had been prophesied. Finally, the disciples understand the implication of this and they are commissioned to share this good news.
The connection is made between seeing, understanding and believing.
I wonder whether we are as thorough as we could be in examining the evidence for ourselves and as articulate as we might be in proclaiming Jesus the risen Lord.
Perhaps an extra Easter blessing awaits us.
Jesus, stand among us
at the meeting of our lives,
be our sweet agreement
at the meeting of our eyes.
O Jesus, we love you, so we gather here,
join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
So to You we’re gathering
out of each and every land,
Christ the love between us
at the joining of our hands.
O Jesus, we love you, so we gather here,
join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
Jesus, stand among us
at the breaking of the bread;
join us as one body
as we worship you, our Head.
O Jesus, we love you, so we gather here,
join our hearts in unity and take away our fear.
Graham Kendrick (b1950)
Prayer of Intercession
Throughout the Church, across the world, may the joyful message of resurrection break through barriers of complacency, that human spirits may be enriched and strengthened.
Risen Lord, come, make all things new.
We pray for leaders and thinkers; that they may focus on the greatest good for those for whom they carry responsibility.
Risen Lord, come, make all things new.
We pray for those broken in mind or body:
for victims of war and attrition;
for grieving families and communities displaced;
for those without the essentials of life,
where there is no hope, and daily struggles bring despair.
Risen Lord, come, make all things new.
We pray for the people closest to us:
those of our church family who are unwell, in hospital or at home;
for those in our wider community;
for those we have promised to pray for.
Lord, come among us with your grace that shows its perfection in human weakness.
Risen Lord, come, make all things new.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
The power, and the glory
For ever and ever. Amen.
StF 319 Christ Triumphant, Ever Reigning
Christ triumphant, ever reigning,
Saviour, Master, King!
Lord of heaven, our lives sustaining,
hear us as we sing:
Yours the glory and the crown,
the high renown, the eternal name.
Word incarnate, truth revealing,
Son of Man on earth!
power and majesty concealing
by your humble birth:
Yours the glory…
Suffering servant, scorned, ill – treated,
victim crucified!
death is through the cross defeated,
sinners justified:
Yours the glory…
Priestly king, enthroned for ever
high in heaven above!
sin and death and hell shall never
stifle hymns of love:
Yours the glory…
So, our hearts and voices raising
through the ages long,
ceaselessly upon you gazing,
this shall be our song:
Yours the glory…
Michael Saward (1932-2015)
© Michael Saward/Jubilate Hymns
Blessing:
Abide with us Lord, throughout this day.
Abide with us in our journeying, and in our homes.
Abide with us in our seeking and in our longings.
Abide with us now and to eternity,
Jesus, risen Lord, who lives and reigns in glory for ever.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon us and remain with us always. Amen.
(prayers adapted from rootsontheweb.com)
