“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)
Here is the Worship Link for Sunday, April 12, 2026: https://youtu.be/nCnZsziqmas
Worship Sunday, April 19, 2026; 10:45 a.m.
Scripture to Ponder & Prayer
Third Week after Easter
Texts this week: Acts 2:14a, 36–41; Psalm 116:1–4, 12–19
1 Peter 1:17–23; Luke 24:13–35
Let us turn our attention to the Gospel reading from Luke 24:13–35.
Two disciples walk the road to Emmaus—speaking, remembering, and trying to make sense of a story that no longer holds together. Their hopes have been shaken, their expectations unsettled.
And then—Jesus comes near. Not announced. Not recognized. Simply present.
Luke tells us their eyes were kept from recognizing him—not because Christ was absent, but because something within them was not yet ready to see. Grief, disappointment, and expectation can shape our vision. They can limit how we perceive God’s presence among us. So, they walk with him, unaware that resurrection is already beside them.
This invites us to reflect on our own journey.
How often does Christ come to us in ways we do not expect— in unfamiliar voices, in faces we do not fully see, in people we struggle to receive?
We speak, but do we truly notice?
We listen, but do we attend with care?
We walk alongside others yet remain distant in spirit.
At times, we are so occupied with our own thoughts and concerns that we fail to recognize who is accompanying us. Not because Christ is absent—but because our attention is divided, our seeing incomplete.
Yet Christ continues to walk with us.
Not waiting for certainty but entering our questions.
Not demanding recognition but offering companionship.
In time, recognition comes—not as sudden clarity, but as a gradual awakening. A deepening awareness. A heart stirred to new understanding.
The risen Christ is made known not only in extraordinary moments, but in ordinary encounters: in those we overlook, in those we hesitate to welcome, in those who quietly share the road with us.
So we are left with gentle questions:
Where has Christ been near to us—unnoticed?
Whose presence have we not yet fully seen?
What might change if we slowed down enough to recognize?
Let us remain on the road— looking again, listening more deeply, and receiving one another with greater care.
For Christ is still among us— not always recognized, yet always walking alongside.
Let’s pray,
Holy Presence,
you come near in ways we do not expect—
in quiet moments and in the faces we overlook.
Slow us down.
Open our eyes.
Teach us to notice you.
Soften our hearts when we are closed and gather when we are distracted.
Walk with us in our questions and kindle in us a steady hope.
Send us as companions on the road, so that others may glimpse your grace through us.
In the name of the Risen Christ, we pray. Amen.
Trinity United Church 