Just as Christ was walking with the men to Emmaus, Bishop Ward reminds us that no matter the situation, the risen Christ never leaves us.
Grace and peace to you in the name of the risen Christ.
We said all together, “Please don’t leave us.” It was simply a meeting but not all that simple because we were trying to meet online and we were afraid that if our person most skilled in technology left the room, that those of us remaining in the room would not be able to fix the technology if we were disconnected.
As we said those words, we laughed and said to one another, “That’s a sermon.”
The disciples, those who were closest to Jesus, did not want Jesus to leave them. They had been with Him in all kinds of settings. They had seen miracles. They had listened to His words. They had felt the strength, the comfort, the power of His gentle, wonderful presence, and now crucified, yet risen, He was no longer with them.
The texts for this season after Easter are wonderful experiences of the resurrected Christ, still with those followers long ago, and still with us. On the road to Emmaus, two talk together, joined by a third, unaware that the one who was accompanying them was Jesus Christ. It was only in the breaking of bread together that they recognized Him and knew that indeed, He was with them.
The risen Christ accompanies us in every moment of our lives, and because Christ accompanies us, we accompany one another, encouraging one another, helping one another, rejoicing with one another, living life together in beautiful, full, and abundant ways.
In this season after Easter, may we give thanks for the great love of God that surrounds us, that enfolds us, that binds us together, and that never leaves us alone. May the love of Christ be yours, this day and always.