Easter Service | Sunday, April 12, 2020

So it was that while they conversed and reasoned with each other, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him... Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24)

When our world is thrown into chaos, the risen Christ is nearer than we think and longs to walk the road with us.

He Is Risen

He is risen. We say that because today is Resurrection Sunday—Easter—and in reality it is the most important day of the entire Christian calendar. This is the day we remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If it were not for His resurrection, the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that if Christ be not raised from the dead, we are of all people most miserable. There would be no Christianity without the resurrection. So welcome, and happy Resurrection Sunday.

A Pandemic That Ruined Everything

As we come together this morning, we continue to find ourselves right in the middle of this pandemic. Some people don't even like the word "pandemic" because it stirs fear and anxiety, and I understand that. But that is what we are in the midst of, and it has effectively turned everything in our lives and culture upside down.

A week or so ago, one of my daughters came to us in tears and told her mother and me that this virus has ruined everything. She's one of those people who likes a routine, and it really has upended things for her. I think you can probably relate to that sentiment.

As I look at some of what has happened, I'm not entirely convinced our leaders have always chosen the best path—though I think it is wise to try to save as much life as possible. When the models predicted as many as two million deaths in the United States, it made sense to take extreme steps to flatten the curve. But many of those models are no longer supporting those numbers, winding down to 60,000 or even 40,000. Let's be candid—40,000 would be terrible, and far too many people have already died.

Now what do we do? Seventeen million people have lost work in the last three weeks—an average of nearly six million a week. Some of you listening right now are part of those statistics, and this is weighing on you in a huge way. Beyond the job and revenue losses, we have now spent more than 2.2 trillion dollars—roughly one tenth of the annual GDP. These are the realities as we find ourselves here on Sunday, April 12th, 2020.

Not How We Pictured Easter

Here at Cross Connection Church we've adapted. We've turned our sanctuary into something of a recording studio, we're working from home, and we've created new programs and processes to handle ministry. We've done about all we could under the circumstances, with more to come.

But I have to say, this is not at all how I thought we would be celebrating this holiday in 2020. I was hopeful we would gather in the sanctuary to worship together. Some of you have lost work or jobs; some of you are worried about upcoming bills; some are concerned about health, or about people in your family who are immune-compromised; some are concerned about the politics of all this and what it means for our economy and civil liberties going forward. There is just so much that feels uncertain.

The Road to Emmaus

As I thought about this last week, I was reminded of a story in the Gospel of Luke, after Jesus had been crucified. It concerns two of His followers. They had followed Jesus because they believed in Him—that He was worthy of their time and devotion, that He had power. They had probably seen Him raise the dead, heal the sick, feed the multitudes, calm the storm, walk on water. They believed He was the Messiah, a word that meant far more to first-century Jews than we can fully comprehend today.

Everything they had believed and hoped for was thrown into total disarray on Good Friday. After hiding for a couple of days with the other followers, these two disciples decided to leave Jerusalem and head west to a town called Emmaus, about seven miles away. The road would eventually have taken them to the coastal city of Joppa. It seems—and I may be speculating—that they were going back to their old life after their hopes were crushed by the crucifixion.

I imagine these two were brokenhearted. They were grieving the loss of Jesus, whom they had loved and followed for perhaps three and a half years, and they were also grieving the loss of everything they had expected the Messiah to bring. The coronavirus pandemic has done something similar in our lives. Hopes, dreams, beliefs, and expectations have been pushed into chaos. This is not what you envisioned for 2020. You couldn't have planned for it, and right now there are simply a lot of unknowns. We can't see six months or a year out, and that can be frightening, especially for those who like to plan. This is unexplored territory, and it can cause real psychological angst.

Jesus Is Nearer Than You Think

One of these two disciples, the text tells us in Luke 24, was named Cleopas. As they walked, something about their appearance and conversation revealed that they were sad and grieving. Luke 24:15 says:

So it was that while they conversed and reasoned with each other, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

They conversed and reasoned, trying to figure all of this out. I've found myself doing the same thing these past weeks—talking with friends, other pastors, staff, and family, trying to reason it out. I tend to be very analytical, and this is hard to reason out.

And yet the text says that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. This reminded me of an important truth: Jesus is nearer than you think. In the midst of everything we're going through, our eyes may be restrained so that we don't fully recognize His presence, but He is closer to you than you realize. And I'm certain Jesus wants to draw near to you in this time.

Some of you watching this message would never, four weeks ago, have thought you would be listening to a pastor teach the Bible. A friend or family member sent you a text or you saw it posted on social media, and here you are. I want you to know you are listening because the Lord is drawing you to Himself.

"What Things?"

Jesus asked these two depressed followers what they were discussing so intently. As the New International Version renders it, they stood still, their faces downcast, and Cleopas asked, "Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" Jesus answered simply, "What things?"

Jesus was obviously not unaware. The irony is that He was probably the only one who truly understood what was going on. Cleopas, this other disciple, and all the followers thought they understood, but only Jesus truly did. His question reveals an important truth: Jesus is not unaware of the burdens we carry; rather, He is interested in bearing them with us. Sometimes we think God doesn't know what's going on, but He does, and He is very interested in drawing near to bear our burdens.

In another place Jesus said:

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

If ever there were a passage the Lord wants to drive home today, it is that His yoke is easy and His burden is light—even in the midst of a tumultuous situation like the coronavirus.

The Lord of the Impossible

The disciples described "the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word," and how the chief priests delivered Him to be crucified. "But we were hoping," they said, "that it was He who was going to redeem Israel." In other words, our hopes are dead—it's been three days.

Then they added that certain women of their company had gone to the tomb that morning, found it empty, and seen a vision of angels who said Jesus was alive. These reports seemed unbelievable to them. They had watched Jesus crucified and laid in the tomb, and now a group was saying He is risen. This reminds us that Jesus works outside the realm of what we think is possible. Our Lord is the Lord of the impossible.

Jesus answered, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

A Higher Perspective

We don't always understand the workings of God, but we can be sure He is working even in the situation we're going through right now. Sometimes we accuse God of not knowing what's going on, or of not working things out the way we think they should, but the reality is that His ways are higher than ours. Isaiah discovered this and speaks of it in Isaiah 55. It's not that Jesus doesn't know what's going on; it's that He doesn't see the way I see.

Walking with Jesus gives us greater perspective on the way things truly are—and that's exactly what we need right now. Our world can be turned upside down in an instant: the loss of a job, a house, a loved one, our own health, a savings account or 401(k), the diagnosis of cancer or coronavirus. All of these are brought into a different perspective in light of the fact that the tomb is empty and Jesus rose from the dead.

Abide With Us

The text says they drew near to Emmaus, and Jesus indicated He would have gone further, but they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He vanished from their sight. And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

One of the great realities of Jesus after the resurrection is that He will spend as much time with you as you will spend with Him, and in that time He will open your eyes to greater depths of His grace, mercy, and truth.

This is a challenging time. You may feel your entire world has been turned upside down and is in disarray. These are not the way things ought to be, nor how we would have planned them. But I know this in the midst of it: the Lord desires to draw near to you to a greater degree than ever before. He wants to open your eyes and give you a new perspective. He wants to spend more time with you and reveal greater depths of His grace, mercy, peace, and truth. He wants you and me to cast our cares upon Him and to find a greater measure of His rest as we take His yoke upon us and learn from Him.

All of that begins as we simply say to the Lord what these two disciples said: "Lord, abide with us." I would encourage you to say the very same thing today—"Lord, abide with me." As you draw near to Him and He draws near to you, you will experience a greater level of His peace, joy, and hope in the midst of trying circumstances.

An Invitation

There are individuals watching this live stream right now who saw a link on Facebook and clicked on it—maybe you have never been to church, or haven't been in a long time, and you are far from God, but He is drawing you to Himself. If you realize at this moment that you are lacking peace, joy, and hope, and you recognize your need for Jesus, He is the one who gives forgiveness, grace, and hope.

If you would like to receive that hope today, I invite you to put your trust in Jesus by calling out to Him in prayer. Just pray with me this simple prayer of confession and faith: Dear Jesus, I pray that You would come into my life. I recognize that I am a sinner. I pray that You would forgive me of my sin and help me to follow You. By faith, in Jesus' name, Amen.

If you prayed that prayer this morning, we would love to hear about it. Send us an email at prayer@lifeinconnection.com so we can be in touch with you and even send you a Bible if you don't have one. We're so grateful you tuned in, and we believe God wants to speak to you through His Word.

Closing Prayer

Father, I pray right now that You would minister Your truth to Your church, that You would draw us near to You and remind us that You are nearer to us than we might even realize at this moment. You desire that we would experience Your presence and know that peace that surpasses understanding, and that we would grow more and more in Your likeness during this time.

Lord, I also know that at this very moment there are individuals watching who clicked a link on Facebook—maybe they have never been to church or haven't been in a long time and are far from You—but You are drawing them to Yourself. I pray, God, that by Your Spirit You would draw them. And now may the Lord bless and keep you; may He make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His peace. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.