Text: Luke 24:36-53

Today we read the final post-resurrection appearance of Jesus, and find there a summing up of all the answers we have seen so far to our question: Jesus is risen! Now What? Now at last, the disciples will be ready to share and be his presence in the world, because they will finally understand more fully the radical message Jesus is calling them to share.

Series: He is Risen! Now What?

Text: Luke 24:13-35

"But we had hoped..." These words from this Sunday’s gospel reading, from the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, express an aching and longing that all of us feel at some point in our lives. We had hoped that things would be different than this. We had hoped for a different sort of future than the one we’re getting. A sudden diagnosis. The loss of a loved one. In a moment, our outlook on the future can be radically changed. When these two disciples open themselves to community with a stranger, they unexpectedly find that the risen Jesus has been walking with them all along, gently guiding them to a new future.

Text: Matthew 28:16-20

When people think of the message of Christianity, they most often think of something like, "You are a sinner, and you need to believe Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins in order to be saved." That message talks about what we're saved from, but says nothing about what we're saved for. The message of Jesus is so much bigger.