“Alleluia! Christ is Risen!”
“Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!”
Yep! It’s still Easter! Three weeks in and four weeks left to celebrate the resurrection! This week Luke tells us how Jesus appeared among the disciples and opens their minds to understand him as the Messiah. Jesus also shares food with the disciples which calls to mind our own celebrations of communion and it so happens that this week we are able to share communion during our drive-in service at St. Peter’s at 9:15. In a way this week we have the opportunity to view the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus through the lenses of Word (Jesus reveals himself to the disciples through the prophecies as we proclaim who Jesus is in our words) and Sacrament (Jesus shares food and we share a meal that points to Jesus).
Readings
Acts 3:12-19
Health and forgiveness through the risen Jesus
Psalm 4
The Lord does wonders for the faithful
1 John 3:1-7
The revealing of the children of God
Luke 24:36b-48
Eating with the risen Christ
Worship Music
We celebrate Christ revealed to the disciples with our music today. In our gathering hymn we sing that we walk by faith and not by sight. While the disciples may have had first-hand experience with Jesus’ resurrection, our own faith is built on the stories we’ve heard from generations past, from our own experiences of God’s revelation, and through our community of faith which supports us. We also sing the joyous hymn Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen! We might know this tune better from the hymn Earth and All Stars, but it works well with this Easter text. Sing it out and sing it loud! “Jesus is risen and we shall arise. Give God the glory! Alleluia!”
Reflection Questions
Today Jesus appears to the disciples and reveals himself to be the Messiah. How has Jesus revealed his presence in your life?
We mark our Sunday worship with Word and Sacrament; we use words to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and the sacraments remind us of God’s real presence in our world. Jesus also says, “Peace be with you.” as he appears to the disciples, words we say during worship. How important is this peace? With whom should we share it? How do we share peace outside of the context of worship?
