Third Sunday of Easter
April 26, 2020
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
AMEN.
Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed!
THE EXSULTET
Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels,
and let your trumpets shout Salvation
for the victory of our mighty King.
Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth,
bright with a glorious splendor,
for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.
Rejoice and be glad now, Mother Church,
and let your holy courts, in radiant light,
resound with the praises of your people.
We pray to God the Almighty
for the grace to sing the worthy praise of his great glory;
through Jesus Christ His Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with Him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
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 forever. Amen.
The First Lesson
Acts 2:14a,36-41
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.
Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.
3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *
“O Lord, I pray you, save my life.”
10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?
11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
12 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.
13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *
is the death of his servants.
14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.
15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.
16 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people,
17 In the courts of the Lord’s house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
The Second Reading
1 Peter 1:17-23
If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia
Give thanks to the Lord, who is good.
The love of the Lord knows no ending.
All in Israel say,
“God’s love has no end.”
2. The right hand of God raised me up.
The hand of the Lord has triumphed.
I shall never die,
I shall live, telling God’s deeds.
3. The stone which the builders rejected,
becomes the cornerstone chosen.
Praise the work of God
for this marvel in our eyes.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia
By the way – music to these words should be familiar. It’s called “Celtic Alleluia.” So familiar – you might even want to sing it to yourself.
The Gospel
Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same day two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
THE SERMON Fr. Nelson Gaetz
Here we are at the third Sunday of Easter already. Hard to believe. I, for one, thought our Sunday separation would be over by now and that we would surely be back together to celebrate Christ’s presence with us in the Eucharist. During this Easter season we have been reading stories from the Gospels about Jesus amazing presence with his disciples after the Resurrection. Today we are confronted with a story that’s especially troubling to me this year.
Every week I get deluged with a wide variety of comments on the lessons. There have been some especially interesting ones this week. Most suggested that the message of the text is the need for us to be on the lookout for places where Jesus is engaging us in lots of ways. The need to really be looking so we don’t miss him. Like the wonderful story of a tourist riding on a streetcar in Basel, Switzerland. One of the most well-known theologians of the time was Karl Barth (We preachers still read his books.) Dr. Barth got on the streetcar and sat next to him and engaged him in conversation. Barth asked him what he really wanted to see while he was in Basel. Response – “I would like to meet the famous theologian Karl Barth. Do you know him?” Barth responded with his characteristic wit – “As a matter of fact I do. I give him a shave every morning.” Rejoining his tour group later in the day the tourist was asked if anything interesting happened to him that day. Response – “Why yes, I met Karl Barth’s barber.” How often do we miss Jesus by not really looking for him. He is busy all around us. How sad when we miss him.
Surely this is true but still, to me, way too superficial. We get that message in lots of Bible stories. Is this just another or is it special, potentially more powerful?
I grew up with a vivid image of this story in a painting that hung on the wall in my father’s funeral home. It was a long winding road with three figures in Bible times robes walking together quite far down the road. So close together that they almost blended into one image. No Social Separation there. No casual encounter. When I grew up, I found out why this picture hanging there in a funeral home was so appropriate and moving to me. I took a class on “The Great Hymns” and like the proverbial hit on the head with a board, it hit me what the power of the picture was.
In the King James Version of the Bible (OK, OK – I’m old!), the invitation of the two travelers reads, “Abide with me; for it is toward evening and the day is far spent,” words which were the inspiration for that wonderful old hymn, “Abide with me/Fast falls the eventide.” The hymn was written by Henry Francis Lyte, for 25 years the vicar of the parish at Devonshire, England. He was 54 years old, broken in health and saddened by dissensions in his congregation. On Sunday, September 4, 1847, he preached his farewell sermon and went home to rest. After tea in the afternoon, he retired to his study. In an hour or two, he rejoined his family, holding in his hand the manuscript of his immortal hymn.
Despite what most think, Lyte/s “eventide” has nothing to do with the end of the natural day but rather the end of life.
“Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away.”
The words are about the faith that face life and death fearlessly and triumphantly in the light of the cross and the empty tomb. Thus Lyte could conclude,
“Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.”
Rev. Lyte died three months later.
The Gospel Lesson today goes on to show us where/when/how we truly “see” Jesus. It’s in the breaking of the bread… what the early Christians called the Holy Communion, the Eucharist. That is why today’s lesson grabs hold of me so profoundly. It is in the Holy Communion, the Eucharist, that we get to walk so closely with Jesus that we blend with him so that from a distance we are almost one with him and we have courage to face each passing day. So, I long for that day when we will be together again for nowhere else do we “see” him so intimately. AMEN.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
You have heard our pleas, O Lord, and given up Your Son to be our Savior. Hear us now as we come to You on behalf of ourselves and all people according to their needs.
Brief silence
Through the breaking of the bread, O Lord, feed us upon the flesh of Christ and grant us to drink His blood in faith. Forgive our sins, strengthen our faith, build up our unity as a congregation and Synod, and equip us through this communion to love You and love one another as You have loved us. Preserve the faith of those who wish to receive this Sacrament in the presence of the congregation but cannot, and grant them their desire soon. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Our hearts have burned in us, O Lord, as Your Word has been read and preached. Keep our faith from growing cold and grant us grace, that we may not waver in faith or succumb to temptation. Give to us and to our children receptive hearts, that we may hear and, hearing, believe and, believing, be steadfast in this faith and hope all our days. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
You have cleansed us, O Lord, with water and the Word in Baptism, and You have marked us as Your own people. Give to us grace, that we may live out this faith in holy lives, lifting up Your name in word and works for as long as we live. Guide us, that with souls purified by obedience to the truth, we may love one another earnestly from a pure heart. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Bless Your Church, O Lord, that she may welcome the stranger in Christ’s name and manifest the unity of the faith in the bonds of love. Bless Michael and DeDe, our bishops, Nelson, our rector, and all who lead and direct your holy church. Bless each of us as we live out our baptismal vocation of worship, witness, prayer and service. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Guard our nation, O Lord, that we may enjoy peace and security in the face of threat and danger. Bless our president; the Congress of the United States; our governor; and all state and local officials, that they may fulfill their offices faithfully. Bless all emergency and medical workers and the members of the armed forces who protect us, and teach the nations the ways of peace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Deliver us from all our afflictions, and grant us strength to bear all our burdens, O Lord. Hear us in particular for those whom we name in our hearts. According to Your gracious will, heal the sick, relieve those who suffer, comfort the grieving and give peace to the dying. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Through the breaking of the bread, O Lord, feed us upon the body of Christ and His blood. Even though we cannot today receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into our hearts. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
These and whatever other things we need, O Lord, we pray You to grant us in the name of and for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, whose death has made atonement for our sin and whose resurrection has granted to us the promise of our own joyful resurrection to eternal life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
AN EASTER BLESSING
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, and remain with us always.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Amen.
The Road to Emmaus