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Preparation

O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth shall proclaim your praise.

In your resurrection, O Christ,
let heaven and earth rejoice. Alleluia.

Blessed are you, Lord God of our salvation,
to you be praise and glory for ever.
As once you ransomed your people from Egypt
and led them to freedom in the promised land,
so now you have delivered us from the dominion of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your risen Son.
May we, the first fruits of your new creation,
rejoice in this new day you have made,
and praise you for your mighty acts.
Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed be God for ever.

Luke 24.35-48

The two disciples told the eleven and their companions what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 

While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.’ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. 

Then he said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you – that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. 

Reflection

You are witnesses of these things.

I wonder how many of you have ever been called to jury service? If you have you will probably recall the sense of awe and responsibility that came upon you as you listened attentively to the arguments that swung to and fro as the case in which you participated unravelled before you. The barristers, the defendant and the witnesses all tried to persuade you of the veracity of their side of the story. Then came the moment when the judge asked you to ‘retire’ with your fellow jurors and come to a decision. That is when the problems probably began.

In most court cases the professional lawyers and the supporting witnesses, for both sides of the argument, are very convincing. You probably felt your sense of certainty swing from side to side as each person addressed you. But, there still came that moment where you had to commit yourself to saying either ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’.  

Of course, those witnesses all took an oath to tell the truth, but did they really keep their promise? As Pilate asked Jesus before sentencing the man he knew to be innocent to death: What is truth? Of course, that question is based in human wisdom, and certainly not the divine wisdom of God. With God there is no wriggle-room, no leeway which allows for political double-talk and obfuscation. For Christians there is just one truth, the truth that Jesus, the Son of God, conquered death to bring salvation to humanity.

Today’s reading ends with Jesus opening the minds of his disciples to the truth about the mission and ministry in which they have shared for the past three years. Then, to make sure that the disciples really understood, Jesus spelled it out: You are witnesses to these things. In that blatant statement of fact Jesus is commissioning his disciples, and us, to go out and tell the great truth … the Good News of Jesus, the Christ.

Many will argue against us, but we are called to stand firm in our faith. We are called to proclaim the Good News in all that we say and do. Today, as we are called into the witness box of life, we should be praying for the strength to stand firm in the testimony we have to offer … the testimony that Jesus died and rose again in fulfilment of all the ancient prophecies, and to bring us into the closest of relationships with his, and our, loving Father.

Prayers

To Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
and who now lives in the glory of the Father,
let us lift our voices in praise, saying:
risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

Lord Jesus, you are the Amen, the faithful witness,
the firstborn of the dead:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

You are Alpha and Omega,
the one who is, and was, and who is to come:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

You search into the thoughts and affections of all people:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

You reprove and chasten those whom you love:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

You open the eyes of the blind
and set the prisoners free:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

In your paschal victory,
you have proclaimed the coming of the kingdom:
Risen Lord, we bless you, alleluia.

God of glory,
by the raising of your Son
you have broken the chains of death and hell:
fill your Church with faith and hope;
for a new day has dawned
and the way to life stands open
in our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
let us pray with confidence as our Saviour has 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,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

The God of peace,
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the eternal 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.
Amen.