What happened to Easter? For most people confined to their homes during this pandemic, it seems like Lent has been extended. But we know the truth, and the truth, (at least spiritually) has set us free. We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song. (Alleluia, that Latin word, which originally derives from the Hebrew word Hallelujah, means “Praise the Lord.”) How and why did this expression of jubilation survive down through the centuries? Perhaps the Church found that other words were simply inadequate when we consider the awesome mystery of Christ’s resurrection. We know that our familiar words cannot always express what we feel and know. As Jesus commanded Lazarus to come out of the tomb, so God says to us, “Come out into the glorious light.” If not literally, we can bask in the glow of God’s love and joy, metaphorically during these days of incarceration, waiting for the glory that shall be revealed. We can say our prayers, in particular the “Daily Office,” i.e. morning, evening, noonday, and night prayers as provided in the Prayer Book or go to  https://www.missionstclare.com/  for the daily scripture readings and prayers. Know that “This too shall pass,” and it will be a joyful and glorious moment when we can gather together in person. So, when you get to wit’s end, you’ll find God is there, because as I’m fond of saying, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”

NOTICES for this week:

The Bishop’s Orders – “I am extending the closure of congregations, schools, and special ministries until at least the end of the academic year.   

• View – Sunday mass– a videos posted are be found on the church’s website, Facebook via our YouTube channel. Do not forget to subscribe free so that we will in the future be able to retain our site.
• Urgent Message– Please continue to pray for an end to the COVID-19 virus and its victims and thank you for your continued financial support (check, automated bank transfers or electronic donations via https://www.myeoffering.com to the life and witness our congregation in this community. For safety and security issue, please do not leave any checks in the communication mailbox attached to the parish building at the front door. For your daily devotional readying the May/June/July copies of “Forward Day by Day” are available there as well. As a reminder, the music ministry continues, outreach is still feeding the homeless. Some of us have already received the government’s stimulus checks, or discounts on various utilities or insurances, or simple savings of not going out to eat so often. We also have the ability to pray for others, donate blood, and particularly lessen the load on our medical resources by staying home and taking care of each other via phone calls; you never know who else needs to hear a friendly voice.
• In case of a pastoral emergency, you can leave a message on our voice mail, and we will respond as quickly as possible.
• Please Pray – For the sick: Carole, Patti, Sandy, Kim, Joe, Steve, Bob, Linda, Francine, Timone, Donna, Ashlyn, Robin. For birthday celebrations: John Algood, Therese Guillaume, Janice Jacques. For our expectant mothers: Dani and Andrea.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, Physician of the body and soul, You restored sight to the blind, healed the lame and cured those with leprosy. Grant, we beseech You, the necessary knowledge and perseverance to all who are working on a vaccine to quickly end the spread of COVID-19. Have mercy on those who have died, and grant comfort to all who are affected in any way and those who are living in apprehension. Give us the grace each day to trust in You and Your loving mercy. We ask this in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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For the full scripture readings, please refer to The Lectionary Page by clicking the link below….

https://www.lectionarypage.net/YearA_RCL/Easter/AEaster3_RCL.html

Third Sunday of Easter – 4/26/20 – The Road to Emmaus.

Acts 2:14a, 36-41      Fifty days after Jesus’ crucifixion-resurrection (the Feast of Pentecost). Peter boldly preached the first Christian sermon on a Jerusalem street corner. Here are his concluding words and the effect of his sermon on those who heard him.

Psalm 116: 1-3, 10-17     The psalmist is filled with thankfulness because God has delivered him from some danger which threatened his life. The latter part of the reading has for the Christian overtones which suggest the Eucharist: “the cup of salvation” (v.11). “the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (v.15).

1 Peter 1:17-23        In Acts 2, Peter is telling Jerusalem what the Lord’s resurrection means to him weeks after the event. Here, more than a generation later, he gives a more profound view of what Christ’s resurrection means.

Luke 24:13-35     This resurrection appearance indicates something of the impetus which caused the Lord’s Supper to be so universally observed from the very first. Jesus had evidently performed the mealtime ritual – “he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them” (v. 30) – so many times with his followers that the act was indelibly associated with remembrance of him.

Challenge Questions:

1. As the two travelers walk along the road and talk with the stranger (who is actually Jesus), how do they describe the events of the previous three days?
2. What is their understanding about Jesus and the recent happenings in Jerusalem? How do they feel about their prospects for the future?
3. As Jesus walks with them, how does he explain the things about himself as revealed in the Scriptures? Why was it important for him to interpret these things to them?
4. In addition to the revelation of Scripture, Jesus is recognized through the breaking of the break (Lk. 24:35). How do you feel the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in other ways in your own life?
5. In the Epistle reading (1Pet. 1:17-23), what is expected of those who belong to the new community of believers in Christ? How do we carry out these responsibilities today?