Dear Readers and Listeners, Friends in Jesus Christ,
Our watchword for today is taken from the Book of the Amos, Chapter 3 verses 6 and 7, “Shall a trumpet be blown in the city and the people not be alarmed and afraid? Shall misfortune occur and the Lord has not caused it? Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets,” (Amplified Bible). God has promised, through the prophets of the ages, that he will send his Son to redeem the world and her people. Christ’s death on the Cross and his resurrection, were the mysteries of God revealed for all to see, there on the Cross and in the empty tomb. The trumpet-call that sounded while Christ descended in death and to Hades, it was the victory sound, announcing the Kingdom of God that has broken through the darkness of sin, death and condemnation. God declared throughout his Word, that those who follow his commandments will be blessed and their future generations will be sharing in these blessings. The coming of Christ brought us back to the Father. God sees us and the nations of the world, through the gift and sacrifice of his Son, and waits for nations to turn away from their wrongful ways and seek peace. Everyone suffers when nations are not at peace; everyone suffers when war and disease, unrest and turmoil reign. God’s promise for the nations is peace, the good tiding of his Easter Gift of salvation. In the revelation that John saw on Patmos, the Angel spoke and said God’s mysteries will be revealed and the glad tidings of the prophets will be fulfilled, (Revelation 10 verse 7). Jesus, our Risen Lord, is the fulfilment of all God’s promises through Scripture for us.
After Jesus arose from the dead he met with a couple from Emmaus. They were exceedingly distraught and Jesus asked them why they were down-hearted. They were amazed that this stranger did not know about the sad events that have taken place in Jerusalem and asked Jesus if he was not aware of what happened in the city. The couple from Emmaus did not recognize Jesus and told him about the death of Jesus and the hope they had that he would be the one to save Israel. They also shared with Jesus that they received news that those who went to his grave could not find his body. This couple were deeply perplexed and Jesus said to them, “Was it not necessary and essentially fitting that Christ, the Messiah, should suffer all these things before entering into His glory?” (Luke 24 verse 26). Then, as they were walking along, Jesus started to explain the scriptures to them. He interpreted and referred to the prophecies about the suffering of the Messiah. As they came close to their home they urge Jesus to share a meal with them. He took the bread, thanked God and broke the bread and their eyes were opened. They realized that this is Jesus, the Messiah, who was revealed to them, there where he was sharing the bread with them. Then Jesus disappeared before their very eyes. They marvelled and said, “Were our hearts not greatly moved and burning within us while he was talking and explained Scripture to us?” (Luke 24 verse 32).
Jesus comes to us in our times of perplexity and anxiety, and he walks alongside us and explains and opens up the Word of God, Scripture to us, so that we understand how it still applies to us today. He breaks open the Word like bread, and shares it with those around the table. Christ had to suffer in order to attain the victory for humanity over the iniquity of falling into sin, death and condemnation. He lives, and broke through the boundaries of death and isolation, and brought us to the Psalm 23 Table of the Lord.
Father, we marvel at your salvation plan that you revealed in your Son. We thank you that you continue to work through your Word in us by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Amen.