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 it was him... Then beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself... 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 hopes lie in ruins, the risen Christ walks the road beside us—nearer than we ever realize.

He Is Risen

On a day like this we like to begin by saying, "He is risen." We say it 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 writes 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 Holiday in the Midst of a Pandemic

As we come together this morning, we find ourselves right in the middle of this pandemic. Some people don't even like that word, because it stirs emotions—fear, anxiety. I understand that. But this is the reality we are in, and it has effectively turned everything in our culture and our lives upside down. A week or so ago one of my daughters came to us, broke down crying, and told us through her tears that this virus has ruined everything. She likes a routine, and it really has disrupted everything for her. I think you can relate to that sentiment.

This may be somewhat controversial, but as I look at some of what has happened around this virus, I'm not entirely convinced our leaders have chosen the best path. It is important and wise to save as much life as possible. When the models predicted that COVID-19 might bring the death of as many as two million people in the United States, it made sense to pick a path that would mitigate that as much as possible and "flatten the curve." But many of those models aren't supporting those numbers now—they've come down to 60,000, even 40,000. Let's be candid: 40,000 would be terrible. Too many people have already died.

You might say we're seeing this trend down because of all the social distancing, and maybe that's the case—though it's not entirely obvious to me. But what now? Seventeen million people in the last three weeks are out of work—nearly six million a week. You can't even fully wrap your mind around that number. Some of you listening right now are part of those statistics, and it weighs upon you in a huge way. Beyond the job and revenue losses, we have now spent more than 2.2 trillion dollars—a tenth of the annual GDP. These are the realities as we find ourselves here on Sunday, April 12th, 2020.

Not the Easter We Imagined

Coronavirus has ruined a lot in a lot of ways. Here at Cross Connection Church we've adapted as well as we could—turning our sanctuary into a recording studio, working from home, communicating through Zoom and FaceTime, creating new programs and processes for ministry. We've done about all that we could under the circumstances, and we've got more to do in the coming days and weeks. But this is not at all how I thought we would be celebrating this holiday in 2020. I was very hopeful we'd be gathering in the sanctuary to worship together. This is not how I envisioned it, and probably not how you did either.

Some of you have lost work from a company you own; some of you have lost jobs. Some of you are worried about upcoming bills. Some are worried about health concerns for yourselves or immune-compromised family members. Some are concerned about the politics of all of this—what it means for our economy and for civil liberties going forward. I've had many conversations with people in the church and pastors around the country asking that very question. There is just so much that feels uncertain.

Two Disciples on the Emmaus Road

As I thought about this last week, I was reminded of a story in the Gospel of Luke, after Jesus had been crucified. It's about a couple of Jesus's followers who believed in Him. They believed He was worthy of their time and devotion. They had probably seen His power—maybe seen Him raise the dead, heal the sick, feed the multitude, calm a storm, or walk on water. They believed Jesus was the Messiah, and that word meant far more to first-century Jewish people than we can fully comprehend today. Everything they had believed and hoped for was thrown into total chaos on Good Friday.

After a couple of days hiding with the other followers in Jerusalem, these two disciples decided to leave. Luke 24 tells the story. They headed west to a town called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. The road, if followed, would have taken them to the ancient coastal city of Joppa. We don't know exactly why they were going—but it seems they were going back to their old life after their hopes were destroyed, after their expectation of what Jesus would bring was crushed by the crucifixion.

I imagine they were brokenhearted, grieving the loss of Jesus whom they loved and had followed for three or three and a half years. But they were also grieving the loss of everything they had anticipated Jesus would ultimately bring and do. The coronavirus pandemic has done something similar in our lives. For a lot of people, their hopes, dreams, beliefs, and expectations have been pushed into chaos. This is not what you envisioned for 2020. I'm not sure you could have planned for it. There are a lot of unknowns. We can't see six months out; we can't see a year from now. That can be frightening, especially if you're a planner. This is unexplored territory, and that causes a kind of psychological angst.

Jesus Is Nearer Than You Think

So we can relate to these two followers. One of them was named Cleopas. They were walking on the third day after Jesus was crucified, and something about their appearance and conversation revealed that they were sad and grieving. Luke tells us, beginning at verse 15, that while they conversed and reasoned with each other, Jesus Himself drew near and went with them—the risen Lord—but their eyes were restrained so that they did not know it was Him.

The text says they conversed and reasoned. I think they were trying to figure all of this out. I've found myself doing the very same thing over these last weeks—talking with friends, pastors, staff, and family, trying to reason it out. I tend to be very analytical, and this is one of those things that is very hard to reason out. While they did this, Jesus drew near and went with them.

This week I was reminded of an important truth: Jesus is nearer than you think. Our eyes may be restrained so we don't fully recognize His presence, but He is closer to you than you might realize. And not only is He closer than you realize—I am certain that Jesus wants to draw near to you in this time. Some of you watching this from a pastor and a Bible would never four weeks ago have imagined listening to such a message. A family member or friend sent you a text or you saw it on social media, and here you are. You're listening because the Lord is drawing you to Himself.

He Is Not Unaware of Your Burdens

Jesus asked the two depressed followers what they were discussing so intently. One of them, Cleopas, stood still, his face downcast, and 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 and bearing the burdens as we go through these things.

Elsewhere 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 was an important 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 coronavirus 2020.

The Lord of the Impossible

The disciples told Jesus about "Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people," and how the chief priests and rulers delivered Him to be condemned and crucified. "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel," they said. In other words, "We don't have any hope anymore. Our hopes are dead."

They went on: certain women of their company had gone to the tomb early that morning and astonished them, finding His body gone and seeing a vision of angels who said Jesus is alive. Some of their company went and found it just as the women said, but they did not see Him. These reports seemed unbelievable—and in many ways they were. They had seen Jesus crucified and laid in the tomb three days before. Now people were 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.

Walking with Jesus Gives Perspective

Jesus said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe 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.

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. We don't always fully comprehend His ways, but we can know for certain that He is at work. Though we sometimes accuse God of not knowing what's going on, the reality is that His ways are higher than ours. The prophet Isaiah discovered this in Isaiah 55. It's not that Jesus doesn't know what's going on; it's that He doesn't see the way we see.

Walking with Jesus gives us greater perspective on the way things truly are—and that is exactly what we need right now. When we walk close to Him, we begin to gain that perspective. Our world can be turned upside down in an instant: the loss of a job, a house, a loved one, our health, our savings or 401k, a diagnosis of cancer or coronavirus. But all of these things are brought into a different perspective in light of the fact that the tomb is empty and Jesus rose from the dead. When we realize Jesus is alive, all that can turn our world upside down is brought into perspective.

"Abide with Us"

As they drew near to Emmaus, Jesus indicated He would have gone further, but they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is almost evening and the day is far spent." He went in to stay with them. As He sat at the table, He took bread, blessed it, and broke it—just as we did last week in communion—and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him, and He vanished from their sight. 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. These are not the way things ought to be, not the way we would have planned. But 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 on the way things really are. 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 and burdens upon Him, to find a greater measure of His rest as we take His yoke upon us and learn from Him. And all of that begins as we simply say, like these two disciples, "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 to Trust Christ

There are individuals watching this right now who saw a link on Facebook and clicked on it—maybe they've never been to church, or haven't been in a long time. They're far from the Lord, but He is drawing them to Himself. If that's you this morning, if you realize you are lacking peace, joy, and hope and you recognize your need for Jesus, draw near to Him. He is the one who gives forgiveness, grace, and hope.

When we pray, we are simply talking to God. If you would like to receive His grace right now, I invite you to pray this simple prayer of confession and faith with me: 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 and perhaps send you a Bible if you don't have one. We're so grateful that you tuned in, and we believe God wants to speak to you through His Word.

Closing Prayer

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

Lord, I know that even now there are individuals watching who are far from You, but You are drawing them to Yourself. I pray that by Your Spirit You would draw them. Pour out Your blessing upon Your church wherever they may be, and continue to use Your body to be a light shining in a dark place. Pour out Your Spirit upon Your church, we pray. We thank You, Jesus.

And now may the Lord bless you 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.