For Sunday  Easter 3A Collect O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Reading Luke 24:13-35 Reflection To mention Emmaus in many circles is to speak of revelation and…

Supper at Emmaus Diego Velázquez, 1622-1623

Some thoughts on this week's bulletin art

Diego Velázquez is an important Spanish painter from King Phillip V's court.  He is mostly known for his extensive portraiture, being used by the royal family and the nobility for many works.  He was no slouch with religion paintings and on Sunday, our bulletin showed his interpretation of Sunday's Gospel, the Road to Emmaus. Velázquez chooses to focus on the moment in the story when Jesus, who the disciples had previously been unable to recognize, becomes known. To be honest, I first keyed into this painting because Jesus' very "Spanish" features made me laugh.  I can't say I have much experience with a Jesus who has a Don Quixote goatee.  But in further meditation on the photo, I was interested in the difference between Jesus' beatific pondering and the disciples action and argument with each other. This is the moment when his followers realize that Jesus has been with them all day!  They didn't realize it was him, a scandalous realization! How often do we join the disciples in missing Jesus in our presence?  He's always there, in our neighbors and loved ones. We are called to treat others the way we would treat our Lord, recognizing God's presence within them. May we join the disciples in their realization and focus, not on the argument that follows, but on the presence of Christ with us.

The road to Emmaus reveals the dream of God

This is among the most famous walks in history. Two followers of Jesus meet a stranger on the road and walk with him, only to find out the stranger is Jesus. It’s a great metaphor for the confusion and misunderstanding of the faithful. For the ones who came with Jesus to Jerusalem. Carried their proverbial crosses. Expecting the revolution to look like…

Luke 24:36b-48, The Risen Jesus: Manifesting, Fulfilling, and Sending

[April 19, 2015] This is the third Sunday of the 49 days of Easter. You recall that Jesus appeared to his disciples for forty days, ascending on the fortieth, and then sent the power of the Holy Spirit on the fiftieth day, the Day of Pentecost. On the first two Sundays we explored the discovery of the empty tomb and appearances of the risen Christ on the evening of his resurrection in the gospels…

Luke 24:13-35, On the Road to Emmaus

[May 4, 2014] This Sunday the Gospel text is from the resurrection account of Luke: of when Jesus caught up with two people walking on the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus and kept his identity veiled from them until, invited to their dwelling, he broke the bread at the meal and offered the prayer of thanksgiving. One can imagine his grin when they suddenly recognized him and he disappeared from…

Walk, Talk, Stop: the road to Emmaus and the Christian experience

a Homily for Easter 3A Text: Luke 24:13-35

Photo Credit: MarioMancuso via Compfight cc

  The Walk and Talk

When Aaron Sorkin’s show, The West Wing debuted in 1999, it pioneered a technique dubbed “The Walk and Talk”.

Shows before The West Wingfeatured plenty of walking and plenty of talking and even plenty of people walking while talking. But no show found so much of its energy and sense of…

By The Rev’d Curtis Farr

Easter 3A

It’s amazing how we can walk right by and even look directly at someone we know and not recognize them.

A video caught my eye this week—one in which friends and family members of unsuspected people were dressed up and posed as homeless people on a city street in an attempt to see if their loved ones would recognize them. Of the five test subjects recorded, not…

By The Rev’d Curtis Farr

Easter 3A

It’s amazing how we can walk right by and even look directly at someone we know and not recognize them.

A video caught my eye this week—one in which friends and family members of unsuspected people were dressed up and posed as homeless people on a city street in an attempt to see if their loved ones would recognize them. Of the five test subjects recorded, not…