The Worst Thing Is Never the Last Thing

Here's my message for the day. It's very simple. Easter means the worst thing is never the last thing. Can you say that with me? Easter means the worst thing is never the last thing. That is the message of Easter. It means death does not get the final word. It means despair does not bend. It means that love is stronger than the grave. And here's the really beautiful part. The resurrection didn't just happen for those disciples back then. It happened for us too. [00:55:49] (43 seconds)  #EasterMeansHope

what's what's really interesting is after walking seven miles, they have to be tired, particularly to the last few days, all they've done. They suddenly have this great news. They can't contain it to themselves. They turn right around and run back to Jerusalem, to tell them. And they say, didn't even our hearts burn within us while we talked, while I talked with us on the road? But here's the thing. When you encounter resurrection, you just can't keep it to yourself. [00:53:48] (32 seconds)  #SpreadTheGoodNews

That was not good news. Her mind didn't immediately go, hey. He's risen from the grave. No. It was someone's taken the body. And so what was already just a devastating traumatic thing for them was even compounded. And so, you know, as we've heard in the song, and many of you, most of you have referred the gospel readings from all the gospels at one time or another. You know, the resurrection appearances begin to happen, and this movement begins to rise up. It's been it's been turned upside down from what they thought the kingdom was going to be to the kingdom that Jesus was actually building and fulfilling and bringing in to being. [00:40:03] (46 seconds)  #KingdomReimagined

which means that one of the first resurrection appearances in the gospel of Luke, it it happens at the table. It happens at the table, a table like we are coming to this morning. Doesn't take place in the temple or a mountain or a throne room, but around a meal, around a table. And that's beautiful for us because that's exactly what we are about to do today. Today, as we come to receive holy communion. And my prayer for you is that your eyes would be open and you would see him as he is, the risen lord in this sacrament as we come to partake. In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Thanks be to god. [00:58:49] (56 seconds)  #EncounterAtTheTable

He simply walks with them. He walks with them right there in the middle of their confusion, right there in the middle of their questions, right there in the middle of their disappointment. And I think that's important for us to remember because sometimes people think faith means you just have to have everything already figured out. And sometimes we we don't. Sometimes we don't even realize until we've gotten down the road a little bit that Jesus has been there with us all along. [00:51:28] (36 seconds)  #HeWalksWithUs

And it it says that, the scripture says that their eyes were prevented from seeing him. And I I don't wanna even begin to think about what the mystery of that is, but I do like that detail because, apparently, even the resurrected Jesus can walk right beside people, and they still don't realize who he is. And I think that gives us some hope. That gives hopes from hope for me and you because sometimes, god is closer than we think, and we still miss it. Right? [00:48:53] (39 seconds)  #GodIsCloserThanYouThink

and it wasn't just a death. It was an execution. It was a horrific sight that it happened to this person that they loved, the one that they had hoped would redeem Israel and whatever that meant to them. You know, there were various within, you know, the different sects. They had different beliefs of what was gonna happen, who Jesus was. But that wasn't part of it that he would be arrested and tried and humiliated and scourged and put to death in such a public humiliating way, and they were traumatized. [00:38:27] (40 seconds)  #TraumaOfTheCross

And then suddenly, this really cool storytelling thing happens. A stranger walks up to them. Now we know as the readers that it's Jesus, but they don't know it's Jesus yet. Now you've been you've seen movies or read stories where that's happened before. The the people are unaware. So this this is going on. They're talking to Jesus. But it is amazing thing if you stop and think about it because he's in the center of their conversations. That's all they can think about. That's all they can talk about is Jesus, and there he is. And they don't recognize him. [00:48:13] (39 seconds)  #JesusInDisguise