News of the Day

Link to Video: https://www.facebook.com/138797592802860/videos/582892509247263

Gospel Presentation: Susan K. Bock, Liturgy for the Whole Church: Multigenerational Resources for Worship (New York: Church Publishing Inc., 2008), p. 122.

Thumbnail Image by Birgit Böllinger from Pixabay

Clare L. Hickman

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Ferndale

April 26, 2020—Easter 3A

1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35

The pattern of the story of Road to Emmaus: the news, the wish/hope, the promise[i]

News: fear, confusion, grief

Hope: hoped that Jesus was the messiah. But then he died.

Hoped that the women had told truth, but couldn’t really believe it.

Promise: This is all part of the arc of redemption.

They thought that all there was, was suffering and loss.

But that’s never all there is, in God’s world.

God’s promises still hold true, and redemption is at hand.

Redemption, in fact, is right here in front of you.

News: We too are blinded by news of fear, confusion and grief.

Can get so caught up in that, that it becomes the air we breathe,

the food we eat, and all that we can see or talk about.

Hope: We hoped that this would be short,

that we could fix it without too much sacrifice.

Couldn’t believe there would be so much death.

Or, frankly, so much fighting.

So we too, are in great need of Jesus to walk with us on this scary road

          And give us a vision of what God is up to, in the midst of all this!

Promise: as it turns out, is the same.

That no matter how grim things look,

we’re still living inside God’s promise of redemption.

Which invites us to look up, and see it happening all around us.

The bread, the body being broken for the salvation of the world,

is in the long shifts and constant risk

being taken by doctors, nurses and healthcare workers.

is in all that we are giving up, to keep each other safe

is in the tireless work being done by scientists and physicians across the world,

searching for effective treatments and a vaccine.

May the vision of that bread,

that presence of the crucified and risen Christ,

lift us out of the hopeless morass of the news of the day.

[i] Joy Moore, Sermon Brainwave podcast, “Brainwave 721: Third Sunday of Easter”