While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and walked with them. Jesus said, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” Luke 24:15-17

Where is your road to Emmaus?

At a small Christian college, as students walk across campus, there is a bench with the words, “What are you discussing as you walk along?”

“We had hoped. . .” the disciples said. [The two disciples knew only that Jesus had died and was buried and that the tomb was empty. They had not seen Jesus. ]

I talk with people as they walk along with their “We had hoped” disappointments and despair. Some live in different time zones; we talk by Zoom. There is the advocate for women in Australia, the peace and justice educator in the Netherlands, an abandoned wife in Norway. Each needs to see Jesus as we talk.

Congregational Outreach Minister Margaret walks and talks among people whose daily lives are like a tomb: homeless, hungry, jobless, parolees. She finds food for them, shelter, and new opportunities. They see Jesus. During Epiphany season nine received the sacrament of baptism. Five more were baptized the following Sunday.

Luke 24:35: “Jesus had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

Margaret said, “Each day Easter morning is recreated over and over and over.” She runs from the tomb shouting “He’s risen.”

Prayer: Risen Christ, come among us as we walk along. Turn our mere “hopes” into living realities. Fill us with the Spirit to really listen to the needs of people and serve them. We thank you for joining us together with you and each other in Holy Baptism. Thank you for being with us in the Eucharist — the breaking of bread. Stay with us, Jesus. In your name we pray. Amen.

Deaconess Norma Cook Everist, Mason City, IA