My apologies for missing the Devo yesterday. There was a glitch that I didn’t catch until late (actually, my mother caught it when she texted me wondering if I was okay.) So here is yesterday’s Devo today — this week will all be pushed back one day and the final Devo of the series will run next Monday. Again, sorry about yesterday. –Adam

…Opening To…

A marvelous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonor and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat. (St. Athanasius)

…Listening In…

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! Your dull minds keep you from believing all that the prophets talked about. Wasn’t it necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then he interpreted for them the things written about himself in all the scriptures, starting with Moses and going through all the Prophets. (Luke 24:25-27; context)

…Filling Up…

Week two of our celebration of the Resurrection, `cause one week just isn’t enough. (At church, it takes seven.) Last week we were in John all week because John has the most fully realized resurrection appearances. This week we’ll touch on Luke and Matthew. (Mark doesn’t have any.) So, without further ado, what you read a moment ago is from Luke’s wonderful, amazing, fantastic, and other-words-that-mean-really-great story about Jesus meeting two of his followers on the road to Emmaus.

Many, many things make this one of the loveliest stories in the Gospel, not the least of which is Jesus appearing to these two people – Cleopas and an unnamed companion – who are essentially nobodies in the Gospel. This is their one and only appearance. They have followed Jesus; they even number themselves as members of the “group” to whom the women who went to the tomb belong. And yet they never take center stage until now.

And it is to these unsung disciples that Jesus opens up the scriptures. He tells them all about himself using the words of the prophets of old. And still they don’t recognize him. Not until he breaks bread with them at the table that evening. Then their eyes see him and they realize how their hearts had been burning within them when he was teaching them on the road.

Sometimes, we don’t realize that we’ve had encounters with Jesus until later, until something jostles our faith into the right spiritual alignment to notice Christ on the road with us. But the truth is that Jesus is always on the road with us, always speaking truth into our hearts, always making us burn with fire. We just need to have the eyes the disciples had when they communed with him.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are always walking the way with me. Help me to follow where your footsteps lead and always along the paths that lead to life and light. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, rejoicing that you raised your Son from the dead and showed me that nothing in all of creation can separate me from your love.