The Road to Emmaus Goes Through Ft. Collins

This is a communion Sunday, and a timely one at that.  Luke's story of the resurrection appearance of Jesus to two disciples as they walked along the road that led to the small village of Emmaus on the outskirts of Jerusalem on that first "Easter Sunday" will provide our worship focus.  The disciples are oddly aware of something special about the unrecognized "stranger" who comes along beside them on the road as they walk along talking of the highly disturbing events of the past three days.  John Wesley would say their "hearts were strangely warmed", but they couldn't put their finger on it (pardon the bad pun, Thomas - see John 20:25).  Then at the end of the story, they come to recognize the stranger as the resurrected Jesus when he broke bread with them as part of a welcome meal at the end of a long day's walk.

Read the whole passage before coming to worship to be better prepared: Luke 24:13-36.


We also happen to be hosting a women's Walk to Emmaus retreat this same weekend; hence the sermon title, the same as the blog title above.  I love it when themes come together to reinforce one another in worship!  We will be celebrating the early church's resurrection experience(s) of Jesus in many ways this Sunday by considering how this story intersects with our own lives and and offers us resurrection hope, through our breaking of the bread and sharing in the cup of the Eucharist (a word which means "thanksgiving"), to the offering of our facility to 14 women retreatants and 30-some team members/leaders who will be making their own spiritual journey to Emmaus right in our midst.

Indeed, the road to Emmaus does go through Ft. Collins!  Join us on that journey this Sunday.

In Easter Joy,

Steve
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