Most of us don’t get surprised easily anymore. We live with calendars, notifications, and constant news, and even when something big happens, we often shrug and say, “I’m shocked, but I’m not surprised.” But the resurrection isn’t that kind of news. In Luke 24, two disciples are so overwhelmed by everything that happened “that same day” that they walk away from Jerusalem, away from the center of the story, trying to make sense of grief, rumors, and shattered hopes.
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus comes close, not with scolding, but with presence. He listens to their heartbreak, lets them tell the story as they understand it, and then patiently opens the Scriptures, re-framing what they thought they knew. Resurrection, it turns out, is not just comfort; it is disruption, the kind of holy surprise that “throws us out of position” and rearranges what we thought was possible.
Then, at the table, in the ordinary act of blessing and breaking bread, their eyes are opened. They recognize him, and in the same moment, he vanishes, leaving them with burning hearts, awakened faith, and a decision to make. They don’t stay put. They turn around and go back, back to the community, back to the work, back to hope, carrying news they can’t keep to themselves.
This Eastertide, we’re invited to live in that same tension, joy, and astonishment together. If Christ is risen, then Jesus is still walking alongside us in the places we feel disappointed, displaced, or unsure. And when we recognize him through Scripture, worship, and the people God places in our path. We are called to turn back toward love and become people who carry astounding good news into a weary world.
Grace and Peace because grace always goes before peace,
Pastor Sharon