THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
April 23, 2023
AS WE GATHER
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Don’t confuse us with facts. Often that is the basis of our opinions and actions. We would rather hold our convictions and opinions rather than be informed by the truth that comes from the facts. If that is where life finds us, we are in good company—the company of Cleopas and his friend as they traveled to Emmaus. Their hopes and dreams had once been built on their Lord, Jesus the Christ; but now all that was crumbling because of the rumors and the lack of the facts. When the Stranger joined them, He brought their uncertainty to a halt. The Word of God still reveals the Christ to us. That Word—His Word—melts our hearts of stone and plastic and warms them with His forgiving love. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
BIBLE READINGS
FIRST READING: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
(Peter’s sermon is a bold proclamation regarding the Christ, who though risen and ascended, abides as a Guest in the midst of God’s people.)
EPISTLE READING: 1 Peter 1:17-25
(Christians may no longer feel “at home” in the non-Christian world, but the abiding presence of Christ is their constant companion and comfort.)
HOLY GOSPEL: Luke 24:13-35
(How is Jesus recognized among us. He is revealed through the Scriptures and in the breaking of the bread. He is truly an “Abiding Guest.”)