3 Easter: Celebrating God’s Creation - April 23, 2023
Isaiah 42:5-8a, 10-12; Psalm 96:1-11; Luke 24:13-35
Hymn/Prayer: Open our Eyes (#229 – Purple Praise Chorus Book)
Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus, to reach out and touch Him, and say that we love Him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus. Amen.
The account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is still unfolding for us in today’s gospel reading…We continue to hear the stories about the disciples’ encounters with Jesus in the early hours and days after it was discovered that the tomb was empty…and the news is spreading that Jesus was not there in the tomb where they laid him three days earlier…There’s been reports of seeing him in the garden, on the run to tell others what the angel of the Lord told them, in the house where the disciples were huddled together in fear, and in the house where Thomas would come to believe…
Today’s encounter takes place on the road to Emmaus…Cleopas and another companion were talking about all the things that had happened in the past few days…trying to make sense of what happened to Jesus…processing out loud with one another the grief, the confusion, the sorrow, the shock and disbelief…the emptiness of not knowing where Jesus was…but maybe…maybe their conversation was sprinkled with a spark of joy, too…maybe, they might have hoped and believed, even for a brief moment, in the midst of their sorrow…that Jesus really did rise from the dead three days later…just as he said he would!
And imagine their bewilderment when this stranger appears to them, while walking along the road…listens to them as they pour out all of their sorrows about what had happened in the last few days…and then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, Jesus interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
And imagine their gratitude, when Jesus accepted their invitation to come stay with them, because it was almost evening, and the day was almost over…
Imagine their wonderment, when Jesus was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Imagine their joy, at that moment, when their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Remembering…that feeling of their hearts burning within while Jesus was talking to them on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to them…
Imagine the indescribable joy, that came alive in them, when thinking back for a moment and remembering, all that Jesus had said to them…and being witness to the truth of the hope and the joy and the love proclaimed to them in the resurrection of Jesus, right there…having seen him themselves…having heard him with their own ears…
Imagine the joy and the hope that was ignited in them, once again…a hope and joy too wonderful not to go and share with the others! “The Lord has risen indeed!” Alleluia!
There is no better season in the year than the season of spring and the season of Easter…to remind us of this resurrection good news and to proclaim the hope and joy that can be sparked to life again in us, in such small and beautiful moments, when our eyes and ears and hearts and minds are open to the sacred life among us…
I love coming to the See House every day to see what new flowers are popping up…I love the walk into town every day, to see what’s popping up in the gardens around town…I love walking through totem park or looking out at Crescent harbor to hear and see the eagles perched up high…I love looking out my office window to search for the whales and the sea lions passing through…I love listening for the birdsongs that come to life this time of year…I see and hear signs of resurrection joy and hope all around me…on my daily walks…
And I want my grandchildren, your grandchildren, all children, and all generations to come…to be able to be enjoy this beautiful world that God has created out of love…I want them to be able to look all around them, on their daily walks, and see and hear signs of resurrection joy and hope in their surroundings…
And to ensure that…it’s up to each one of us today, to consider our daily actions that impact the created world we are called to treasure and respect and use its resources rightly in the service of others, and to God’s honor and glory…
And I want my grandchildren, your grandchildren, children of all ages, living among us now, and all generations to come, to experience the indescribable joy of being witness to the truth of the hope and the joy and the love that is proclaimed and revealed to us, in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ…
I’m sure you know that there are many among us these days who are longing to hear some resurrection good news, longing to hear and see signs of resurrection hope and joy and love….
So, don’t wait…the time is now to share the good news!
“The Lord has risen indeed!” Alleluia!
Hymn after sermon: Go out with Joy (#229 – Purple Praise Chorus Book)
Go out with joy and be led forth in peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth singing. Go out with joy and be led forth in peace, the mountains and the hills shall break forth singing. And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, the Lord our God shall be praised. And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands, the Word of the Lord shall be forever. (Amen)
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK