We're going to begin our worship by singing to God's praise.
We're going to sing in Psalm 23, the Sing Psalms version.
You'll find it on the Order of Service or in the Psalm books on page 28.
Psalm 23, the Sing Psalms version.
We're going to sing the whole of this psalm, a great psalm that reminds us of
who the Lord is and how he is, our shepherd, how he watches over us and leads us.
The Lord's my shepherd, no one shall I know.
He makes me lie down where the green pastures grow.
He leads me to rest where the calm waters flow.
We'll stand to sing the whole of this psalm.
The Lord is my shepherd, no one shall I know.
He makes me lie down where the green pastures grow.
He leads me to rest where the calm waters flow.
My wandering steps he brings back to his way.
In straight paths of righteousness making me stay.
Though I walk in death's valley where darkness is near.
Because you are with me, no evil I'll fear.
Your God and your suffering be comfort and cheer.
In the sight of my enemies a table you spread.
The oil of rejoicing you pour on my head.
My cup overflows and I'm graciously fed.
So surely your covenant, mercy and grace.
Will follow me closely in all of my ways.
I will dwell in the house of the Lord all my days.
Let's bow our heads in a word of prayer.
Let us pray.
Our Father in heaven as we gather today.
We thank you for the wonder of your creation.
We thank you for the beauty and the stillness of this day.
We thank you that on this Sunday morning, this Lord's Day morning, we can gather in your name.
We can gather with the assurance and the promise that you give in your word that you will be with us.
That you will come near to us as we seek to come near to you.
We thank you for your word and how it reminds us of all the blessings that are ours in Jesus Christ.
Even as we have sung together from this psalm, we are reminded of the wonder of the Lord.
The Lord who is our shepherd.
The Lord who leads us through this life.
He watches over us.
And as we put our trust in him, he gives us every promise and assurance and comfort of the word.
And especially that great comfort of a place for all of his people.
A place that he leads his people to.
His dwelling place forevermore.
And we thank you that that is true because of what he has done for us.
And especially today, we remember the significance of all that's been done for us.
That Jesus came into this world.
That he died on the cross.
That he was buried.
And that he rose again on the third day.
And we thank you that today as we come, especially remembering that,
we are thankful that every Sunday we have that reminder to us.
That he is risen.
And we pray, Lord, that you will bless all that we do in your name today.
Bless us together as families and friends and as a community here, Lord.
We thank you for each other.
We thank you for our young people and pray your blessing on them.
Especially at this holiday time, Lord.
Watch over each one.
And we thank you for our schools, for the teachers and all the staff.
And all the children there.
We pray that they will enjoy a time of holiday just now.
Whether it's staying at home here or going away to different places, Lord.
Keep each one safe and watch over us all.
Thank you for those visiting with us as well, Lord.
And we pray your blessing on each of them as well.
People traveling to and fro, Lord.
Watch over us each one.
Lord, bless us now as we worship your name.
Bless us as we go on in this day, Lord.
Look after us and all our loved ones as we commit them to you.
I think especially for this coming week of James and Donna.
As they will be away as Donna goes through her treatment, Lord.
We pray that you will watch over them.
Bless them.
Uphold them.
And others like them, Lord.
Going through that experience at this time as well, Lord.
We commit all who are unwell.
All who are cast down at this time.
All who are with many different troubles in this life, Lord.
We pray for your comfort and your blessing to each one.
So hear our prayers, Lord, and continue with us now as we ask all of these things for the forgiveness of our sins.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Well, today is, of course, Easter Sunday.
And it's a special day for us as we come together to remember what the Lord Jesus has done for us.
And today we're going to be looking at a particular story from the Bible.
A story that's often called The Two on the Road to Emmaus.
Two people who were traveling on this journey along the road, leaving Jerusalem and making their way to a place called Emmaus.
And as they were making their way along, Jesus came alongside them.
And it's an amazing story.
But the foundation of this story, as we find it in Luke's Gospel, chapter 24, actually begins with the resurrection on the first day of the week.
And I'm just going to read one verse earlier in Luke, chapter 24, at verse 6.
And that's where it says,
He is not here, but he has risen.
Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee,
that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified,
and on the third day rise.
He is not here, but he is risen.
That is what Easter is about.
Jesus came, he died, he was buried,
but on the third day he rose again.
Who here has ever told a lie?
If you don't put up your hand, you probably are telling a lie.
Who else has maybe heard something that you think is true,
only for it to turn out to be a lie?
Sometimes it's hard to know what to believe and what is truth.
Now, there's a day tomorrow, the 1st of April, it's called April Fool's Day.
And people love to make up stories to try and trick people and to catch people out.
And you'll hear all kinds of different stories being told,
and sometimes it's very difficult to work out what is true and what is a lie.
And we often fall into the trap of believing things that just aren't true,
or not believing things that actually are.
We've been living in Plasterfield for nearly two years now,
and it's been nice getting to know all the neighbours round about there.
There's one in particular, though, when the 1st of April comes,
I'll be a little bit wary about what he might say to me,
whether to believe it's true or not.
I'm expecting a text in early tomorrow morning saying,
the ferry's cancelled.
And I'll be wondering, is that true?
And I think, oh, no, it's so-and-so who's texting.
It's probably just an April Fool's.
But we struggle to know, to believe what is true and what is a lie.
Now, 2,000 years ago, on a Friday, something happened,
something that really changed this world.
And that is that Jesus, who had come into this world,
and he came with a purpose.
He came to give his life for his people.
And so on that Friday, Jesus was crucified.
It was a dark day, a very sad day in many ways,
especially if we didn't understand just why it was happening.
But we know it's true.
It's recorded in history for us.
And many people saw Jesus being put to death.
And then on the Saturday, his body lay in the grave for that day.
But then something amazing happened.
On the Sunday morning, on the third day,
when they went to the tomb to see what was there,
they found the tomb, the stone had been rolled away,
and the tomb was empty.
He had risen.
He was alive.
And he met with people.
And that's not a lie either,
because it's recorded for us here in the Bible.
Many people met with Jesus.
But there are many people who think it is a lie.
And our lives are so often made up of trying to work out
what is true and what is a lie.
And there's actually board games and TV shows
that are based on this kind of idea
of trying to work out what's truth and what's a lie.
There's one TV show called Would I Lie to You?
And on it, you've got two teams of three on each team,
and they're telling stories,
often about themselves and things that they've done.
Sometimes they're telling the truth,
and sometimes they're telling a lie.
And the team opposite them has to try and work out which it is.
And it can be very hard,
because it can be very convincing.
And isn't that the way our lives so often are?
We hear so much,
and we're wondering to ourselves,
what's true and what's a lie?
And as we hear what we read in our Bibles,
we need to believe that this is truth.
This is what is true.
And what these two on the road to Emmaus found
was that as they were on this journey,
after they left Jerusalem,
going to Emmaus,
which is about seven miles of a journey,
so it'll be a bit like walking from here
to Skoltenaloch or Skolavac,
seven miles,
walking all that way,
and plenty time to discuss things.
But as they're on this journey,
Jesus comes alongside them.
But it takes them a little while
to realize just who it is.
But what he does is he speaks to them
about the Bible,
the truth.
And it's the truth,
as we read here,
makes their hearts burn within them.
Their hearts get excited
about what they are hearing
and who it is
that is speaking to them.
It is Jesus,
who they thought was dead,
who is alive,
and he is risen.
And what happens is
their lives are transformed.
And they want to rush back
to Jerusalem
and tell others about him.
Why is Easter important?
Is it because of the holidays,
which are good?
Is it because of the Easter eggs
that you get,
which can be good as well?
Is that why Easter is important?
No, it's about Jesus.
That's what's important about Easter.
That we remember
that Jesus came
to give his life.
That he died,
but that on the third day
he rose again.
And we can rejoice in that.
We can be delighted in that.
That joy that he gave
to the two on the road to Emmaus
can be ours
if we come and believe in him.
So that's the journey
we're going to go on today.
We're going to look at
the two on the road to Emmaus
and we're going to see
three things about them.
They're doubting,
they're searching,
and then they're believing.
And today,
if we're in any of these situations,
maybe we're doubting today.
May we come to search
the word of God
and may we come to believe
in the Jesus who is risen,
who is our Savior.
Well, we're going to read together
just now,
and at this point,
anyone who's going out
to the tweenies
can go out.
We're going to read together
in the Gospel of Luke.
We're going to read
from verse 13
down to verse 24.
So we're going to read
in the Gospel of Luke,
chapter 24,
and at verse 13.
That very day,
two of them were going
to a village named Emmaus,
about seven miles from Jerusalem,
and they were talking
with each other
about all these things
that had happened.
While they were talking
and discussing together,
Jesus himself threw near
and went with them,
but their eyes were kept
from recognizing him.
And he said to them,
what is this conversation
that you are holding
with each other
as you walk?
And they stood still,
looking sad.
Then one of them,
named Cleopas,
answered him,
are you the only visitor
to Jerusalem
who does not know
the things that have happened
there in these days?
And he said to them,
what things?
And they said to him,
concerning Jesus of Nazareth,
a man who was a prophet,
mighty indeed,
and word before God
and all the people,
and how our chief priests
and rulers delivered him up
to be condemned to death
and crucified him.
But we had hoped
that he was the one
to redeem Israel.
Yes, and besides all this,
it is now the third day
since these things happened.
Moreover,
some women of our company
amazed us.
They were at the tomb
early in the morning,
and when they did not find
his body,
they came back saying
that they had even seen
a vision of angels
who said that he was alive.
Some of those
who were with us
went to the tomb
and found it
just as the woman had said,
but him they did not see.
But we leave our reading there
at this point.
We're going to come back
and pick it up again.
But in this first reading,
we begin to see
the two on the road to Emmaus,
the journey that they were on,
and just some of the things
that they were talking about.
There are many things
that we hear
and we can find them
hard to believe.
We doubt.
And that's exactly
what these two
on the road to Emmaus
were experiencing.
They were doubting
even the things
that they were heard
from others
who were of their company,
as it says,
others who were friends
of them
who had come
and told them
all these different things
that had happened
and they'd seen
or heard in Jerusalem.
They were doubting
to believe it.
Just like that,
we ourselves
can find things
hard to believe.
For example,
if I was to say to you,
they're going to build
a tunnel
from Stornoway
to Ullapul.
They're going to go
under the minch
with a tunnel
so that we can travel
by car
under the minch
over to the other side.
Would you believe that?
Some people
would want to believe it
so we don't have to go
on the ferry anymore,
especially when the ferry's rough.
It would make getting
back and forth
so much easier.
Other people
wouldn't want to believe it
but say,
oh no,
that would bring
maybe too many people
into the island
or make it too easy.
Others would just say,
oh,
that's ridiculous.
It's just
never going to happen.
That's just
an April Fool's
or I'll believe it
when I see it.
There are things
that we kind of struggle
to work out
just what we want
in these circumstances.
Well,
we meet these two
on the road to Emmaus.
We know one of them
is called Cleopas
though we're not told
the name of the other one.
And they had been
to Jerusalem.
They had been there
for the Passover.
That was
the remembrance
of how God
had helped his people
in the Old Testament
in the time
of the Exodus,
how they had
been helped by God
to get away
from Egypt.
And they were remembering
that by sacrificing
a lamb.
But now as they'd been
to Jerusalem
remembering the Passover,
what they had seen
was this fulfilled.
And Jesus
who had come
to give his life.
And they've seen
so much,
they've heard
so much,
and yet here
they are
coming away
from Jerusalem
on the way
to Emmaus.
And what's
their emotion?
How are they feeling?
Are they happy?
Even when they've heard
that Jesus
may be alive,
you'd think
they would be happy,
but they're not.
They are sad.
They are sad
about what had happened
because they don't
understand it.
They don't realize
just what this means.
And you notice
what they were
talking about.
they were talking
about the things
that had happened
concerning Jesus
as it says
in verse 19.
And it's almost like
they had all
the information.
They had Jesus,
they were talking
about him,
this man
who was a prophet,
who was mighty indeed,
all the things
that he had done.
He was so mighty
in all of these things,
how the chief priests
and the rulers
had delivered him up
to condemn him to death.
They had crucified him.
And it says,
but we had hoped
that he was the one
to redeem his.
He was the one
that they were looking for
and putting their hope on
that he would save
his people.
And yet here they feel
like all their hopes
are dashed.
They're coming away
from Jerusalem
and they've missed
the most important thing.
It reminds me of
when you see
football fans
and they're in the stadium.
They've got the ticket
to go into the stadium
to watch their team play,
but they find their team
losing and losing badly.
And so maybe with
15 or 20 minutes to go,
they think,
well, what's the point?
My team's lost.
Even if you look back
to the results yesterday,
Newcastle were playing
West Ham.
And with less than 15 minutes
to go,
West Ham are winning
3-1.
And you can start to see
the fans starting to leave.
They're thinking,
we've lost.
There's no point.
So they go out.
They start coming away
from the stadium.
But as they're making
their way away
from the stadium,
they begin to hear
a cheer go up
as their team
has scored one goal.
And as their team
has scored another.
Newcastle came back
and they won 4-3
in the last minutes.
But fans who left
before the end
because they doubted
that their team
could come back
and win,
they missed it.
And they had to go
on reports
that others would tell them.
And even then,
they maybe wouldn't believe it.
There's no way
that we could come back
and win that game.
And yet,
here are these two
on the road to Emmaus.
They've been in Jerusalem.
They've been in the place
with everything
that was happening.
They've seen so much
that was happening.
And they've even heard
so much about
what has happened.
It even goes so far
as to say that
some of the people
who were with us
came and told us
that his body
was not there,
that the angels
were saying
that he was alive.
And yet,
they dismissed it.
They were doubting.
And yet,
into this,
who is it
that comes
alongside them?
As they're journeying
on the way,
Jesus himself,
it says in verse 15,
drew near
and went with them.
Jesus himself.
And yet,
they didn't recognize him.
They didn't understand.
And they're saying to him,
we hoped
that he was the one
who was going to save us.
And he's there.
He's right beside them.
And yet,
they're still
not believing.
And how close
are we
to salvation today?
How close
are we
to Jesus today?
And still,
we don't believe.
The Bible
tells us.
He is not here.
He is risen.
This morning,
this Sunday morning,
tells us
that he is risen.
It is Easter Sunday.
It reminds us
of all of these things.
And yet,
still,
we don't believe.
We're so close
to the truth.
We're hearing the truth.
And yet,
we're still saying
to ourselves,
but it's a lie.
It can't be true.
Well,
that's the experience
of these two
on the road
to Emmaus.
That's our first experience,
doubt.
They don't believe
that this can be true.
And for ourselves,
that might be
our experience
today as well.
Maybe we don't believe
that this
can be true.
Well,
there is truth
here
for us.
And before we go on
to the next stage
of the journey
when we come
to see them searching,
we're going to read,
but first,
before we read,
we're going to sing.
We're going to sing
another psalm together.
We're going to sing
in Psalm 22.
Psalm 22.
And we're going to sing
from verse 25
down to verse 27,
three stanzas.
Now,
this is another psalm
that's all about
Jesus in many ways.
It speaks to us
about his crucifixion.
But at the end
of this psalm,
it reminds us
that although he died,
he is alive.
In verse 25,
you are the theme
of all my praise.
Within the great
assembly, Lord,
before all those
who fear your name,
I will fulfill
your solemn word.
And then in verse 27,
the whole earth
will remember him
and turn towards
the Lord their God.
All peoples
will bow down
to him,
the nations
of the world abroad.
And that's a reminder
to us that today
as we worship here
throughout the world,
the whole world,
people remember him,
remember that he is risen.
So we'll sing
from verse 25
to verse 27
to God's praise.
Amen.
You are the theme
of all my praise
within the great assembly,
Lord,
before all those
who fear your name,
I will fulfill
my solemn word.
The poor will eat
and will be filled,
and those who seek
the Lord will give.
A shout of joyful praise
to him,
O may your heart
forever lift.
the whole earth
will remember him
and turn towards
the Lord their God.
All peoples
will bow down
to him,
the nations
of the world abroad.
the Lord.
Well, we read some more
verses now in this chapter,
Luke 24.
We're going to read
from verse 25
down to verse 31.
Luke 24 at verse 25.
And he said to them,
O foolish ones,
and slow of heart
to believe
all that the prophets
have spoken.
Was it not necessary
that the Christ
should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?
And beginning with Moses
and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them
in all the scriptures
the things
concerning himself.
So they drew near
to the village
to which they were going.
He acted as if
he were going further,
but they urged him
strongly, saying,
Stay with us,
for it is towards evening
and the day
is now far spent.
So he went in
to stay with them.
When he was at the table
with them,
he took the bread
and blessed
and broke it
and gave it to them.
And their eyes
were opened
and they recognized him
and he vanished
from their sight.
Well, as Jesus
was hearing
these two
on the road to Emmaus
talking as he came
alongside them,
this is now
where we see
how Jesus
responds to them
and all that they're saying
and all the explanations
that they've given
to him
about what had happened
in Jerusalem.
And it's a reminder
to us
that there is always
two sides.
to every story.
Two sides.
And so often
it's a case
of trying to work out
what is true
and what is a lie.
And we begin to see
that the understanding
that the two
on the road to Emmaus
had was
believing
what was not true.
And that's what
Jesus' response
to them is
in verse 25.
He said to them,
O foolish ones,
and slow of heart
to believe
all that the prophets
have written.
O foolish ones,
are we fools today?
Will we be fools
tomorrow
when someone plays
and April fools on us
and we get sucked in
and believe that?
We can be fools
to believe a lie.
It can happen
so easily
and so quickly.
But how many more
are fools
in not believing
what is written
for us here?
What is told
to us
in the Bible
in God's Word?
the truth
that is presented
to us
in the Scriptures?
Well, that's what
Jesus brings
these two to.
He brings them
to the Bible,
to the Word
of God.
And that's what
Jesus says,
you are fools
not to believe this.
And Jesus then
starts explaining
to them
all about
the Bible.
And he says,
was it not necessary
that Christ
should suffer
these things
and enter
into glory?
Was that not
what the Bible
was saying to you
all this time?
And he says then
in verse 27,
beginning with Moses
and all the prophets,
he began to explain
the Bible to them.
The things,
he says,
concerning himself.
How Jesus was seen
in all of the Old Testament.
How it was pointing
towards Jesus' coming
and all that was
necessary for him
to do.
And you can imagine
Jesus speaking
about the things
of the Old Testament,
like the Passover lamb,
explaining what it meant
in Moses' day,
what it meant now,
what it meant
going forward.
Explaining from the prophets,
like Isaiah,
the things that Isaiah
wrote about Jesus.
Explaining from
so many of the Psalms,
how Jesus is seen
in them.
Even think of the likes
of Psalm 14,
which says,
the fool says in his heart,
there is no God.
That is what it means
to be a fool.
To say there is no God.
And Jesus here is describing
these two on the road
to Emmaus
as foolish
and slow
of heart.
He is describing them
in this way
and he is saying
basically,
you are stubborn.
You are stubborn
not to believe
these things.
Here it is
presented before you.
You are just foolish.
You are stubborn
not to believe
these things.
And is that not
the way we so often
are as well?
We are just stubborn
by nature.
Stubborn
to believe
so many things.
And that is certainly
not something
we want to be
with the word
of God.
Stubbornness
is being foolish.
Many of you,
I am sure,
will be busy
just now
either working
or helping
with sheep
and helping
with lambing
at this time.
It is a busy time
for those
who have sheep.
Have you ever
ended up
in a standoff
with a sheep
though?
When you are
trying to get
them into the pen
but they just
want to go
the opposite
direction.
And I am sure
many of you
have been in
a situation
where you find
yourself,
you end up
just wanting
to talk
to the sheep
and you are
trying to reason
with the sheep.
You are saying
look,
I just want you
to go this way
not that way.
Will you not
just do
as I am saying
and you are
you want me
to go this way?
No,
I am going
that way.
They are stubborn
just like we are.
And that is why
you find
in the Bible
Jesus so often
describes
his people
as sheep.
You find it
in the Old Testament
as well.
All we like sheep
have gone astray.
We have turned
all to our own ways.
We have been stubborn.
We have gone away.
Well,
Jesus is described
as we sang
in Psalm 23
as the good shepherd.
And the good shepherd
who is described
in John 10
as the one
who calls
his sheep,
calls them by name
that they would
follow him.
But we are stubborn.
Even though we know
the Bible
is talking
to us,
we are still
stubborn
to believe,
slow of heart
and just foolish
to believe
all that is said.
There are two sides
to every story.
But the more
we hear
the voice
of Jesus,
the more we realize
that he is
just like
a good shepherd.
A shepherd
who wants
to care
for his sheep.
A shepherd
who is trying
to get his sheep
into the pen
so he can look
after them
and care for them
even though they
want to go
the opposite
direction.
The more we hear
of Jesus,
the more we see
he wants us
to come to him
that we might
help us.
That we might
come to him
and find rest
with him.
And the more
they,
the two on the road
to Emmaus,
were hearing
as Jesus was
opening up
the scriptures,
the more they realized
as he was searching
through the scriptures,
he was not just
searching the scriptures
but he was searching
their hearts.
Working in their hearts,
those hearts
that were stubborn
and foolish
and slow
to believe,
he was working
in them
that they might
come to believe.
And that is
the power
of God's word.
That is the power
that we have
before us
here today.
This word
of God
that speaks
to us
about all
that was
necessary
for Christ
to suffer.
All that he
had to do
for us
in giving
his life
on the cross
and being put
in the grave
but that he
rose again
to remind us
that he had
conquered the grave,
conquered death.
All of these
things
we are to hear
and that is the word
that searches
your heart
in my heart
and challenges
us
to believe
in this.
We can come
from doubting
to being foolish
and stubborn
to being searched
by Jesus
and coming
to know
what Jesus
has done
for us
that we might
have life
in him.
And that is the
final thing
I want us
to take
from this
passage.
The way
they come
to believe.
I want us
just to read
a few more
verses
before we
come to reflect
on this
final point.
Reading from
verse 32
down to
verse 35.
And there
we read
these words.
They said
to each
other,
did not
our hearts
burn
within us
while he
talked to
us on
the road,
while he
opened to
us the
scriptures.
And they
rose that
same hour
and returned
to Jerusalem.
And they
found the
eleven and
those who
were with
them gathered
together saying,
The Lord
has risen
indeed,
and he
has appeared
to Simon.
Then they
told what
had happened
on the road
and how he
was known
to them
in the
breaking
of bread.
As they
had come
towards
Emmaus,
these two
had invited
Jesus in
to stay
with them.
They were
concerned for
him.
It was
getting late
at night.
It wasn't
the time
to be out
and about
on the
roads at
that time
of night
because
they were
dangerous
places,
places where
robbers would
be hiding
and waiting
for people
to come
along.
And as
they sat
together
and as
Jesus had
opened up
the scriptures
to them,
you see in
this moment
there was a
realization
of who
it was.
In the
breaking of
the bread
they suddenly
realized
that this
was Jesus.
What does
recognizing
Jesus do?
What does
recognizing
the truth
do?
It does
what happened
to these
two on
the road
to Emmaus.
It makes
your heart
burn
within you.
It's an
amazing image
this.
Did not
our hearts
burn
within us
as he
opened up
the scriptures?
And it's
looking back.
It's
recognizing
something that
had been
happening
for a while
and something
that can
happen to
ourselves
as well
when all
of a sudden
we begin
to realize
who Jesus
is and
begin to
realize how
he's been
speaking to
us and
how he's
been bringing
our heart
alive again.
Our heart
that was
hard and
stubborn and
foolish.
Jesus has
begun to
work in
it.
To bring
it to
life.
Through
his word.
through
his
truth.
That is
what
happened
to them.
The
word of
God
started to
speak
in
powerful
ways.
And the
hope,
remember the
hope that
they thought
had gone.
The hope
that they
had left
behind in
Jerusalem,
leaving,
as it were,
before the
full-time
whistle had
gone,
not realizing
the great
achievement that
had been
done for
them,
that he
was risen.
What they
had been
slow to
believe,
now they
realized.
And their
hope was
back.
Their hope
was fulfilled.
They were
filled with
joy.
Joy and
gladness that
the Lord is
risen indeed.
And that's
the joy that
the word of
God can give
to us today
as well.
So here
they were,
the two on
the road to
Emmaus.
They had
come to
Emmaus.
What had
started out
as a sad
journey,
talking about
the hope
that they
had lost
and all
of these
things.
Imagine
you were
going on
a school
sponsored
walk.
You were
going to
walk from
Stornoway,
seven miles,
maybe to
the Lough
School or
to the
Bath
School.
And it's
been a
long,
tiring
walk.
You're
knackered
as you
come to
the school.
You're
thirsty,
your feet
are hurting.
And then
when you
get there
your teacher
says,
right,
we're
going
straight
back
to
Stornoway.
Start
walking.
Oh,
you would
think,
no way,
we're not
going to
do that,
we've just
reached here.
Well,
Cleopas and
the friend
that was
with Cleopas,
as soon as
they had
arrived in
Emmaus and
as soon as
they realized
who Jesus
was,
the first
thing they
wanted to
do was
get right
back to
Jerusalem.
Get right
back there
to tell
people who
they had
seen and
who they
had met
with.
He is
risen.
He is
alive.
The
resurrection
filled
them with
hope.
And that's
what the
resurrection
does today
as well.
No matter
what makes
us sad
in this
life,
no matter
the things
that come
our way
that hurt
us and
leave us
feeling anxious
and fearful,
as we
trust in
Jesus,
he gives
us a
hope.
A hope
for today
and a
hope for
eternity.
Why is
the resurrection
important?
It's important
because it's
not a joke.
It's not
an April
fool's.
It's not
there to
give us a
little hope
and then only
take it
away that
is not
actually
true.
It is
true.
And so
we are
to believe
it.
These
two,
they came
to believe
in all
that they
had heard
and seen.
They had
seen Jesus
and it
filled them
with hope
and filled
them with
delight.
There was
once a
skeptic,
that's
someone who
doesn't really
believe in
God.
And he
had a
Christian
friend.
And very
often he
would mock
his Christian
friend,
make a
laugh of
his faith.
And one
day this
man said
to his
Christian
friend,
say,
George,
what would
you say
if when
you die
you find
out that
there is
no heaven?
Well,
a Christian
friend said
to his
friend beside
him with
a smile.
He said,
well,
I would
say I've
had a
good life
and I've
enjoyed living
my life
for Christ.
And then
he threw
a question
back at
his skeptic
friend,
his friend
who didn't
believe.
And he
said to
him,
what about
you,
Fred?
What would
you say
if when
you die
you find
out there
is such
a place
as hell?
And there
was no
response
to give.
And that's
the reality
of the
resurrection.
That's the
difference
it makes.
Jesus
came to
save his
people from
their sins,
to save
his people
from hell
and to
give them
the hope
of heaven
and eternity
with him.
it is not
an April
fools.
It's not
a joke.
But do you
believe the
truth or
do you
believe a
lie?
The truth
is he
died,
he was
buried,
and he
rose on
the third
day.
The lie
is that
none of
that is
true.
There's a
little song
that we
used to
sing at
a holiday
club that
we used
to do
in Dumfries.
And it's
about the
cross.
And it's
just a
simple little
song,
really one
verse.
And this
is what it
says.
When I
think about
the cross,
when I
think of
Jesus,
it reminds
me of
his love,
love that
never leaves
me.
who am
I that
he should
die in
my place,
giving life
so freely,
when I
think about
the cross,
help me
to believe
it.
It's a
simple
little verse,
and yet it
speaks so
much to
us about
the love
of the
Lord to
us,
in giving
his life,
love,
and asking
in prayer
that he
would help
us to
believe it.
Amazing
love,
how can
it be
that thou,
my God,
should die
for me?
He died,
but he
is risen,
and may he
help us
all to
believe the
truth that
there is
in that,
and not the
lie that
says it
is not
true.
Let us
pray.
Our
Father in
heaven,
we do
thank you
for your
word and
the hope
that it
gives,
for it
reminds us
that though
Christ came
to die
for our
sins,
it reminds
us too
that he
is risen,
and we
pray that
today we
would be
helped to
believe in
all of
these things,
to believe
in the
things that
maybe even
seem impossible
to us,
but we
thank you
that through
faith we
see all
that is
possible with
God.
So continue
with us
Lord and
bless us
we pray
in Jesus
name.
Amen.
We're going
to conclude
by singing
to God's
praise in
Psalm 62
in the
Scottish
Psalter
version.
Psalm 62
and we'll
sing the
first two
verses.
Psalm 62
My soul
with expectation
depends on
God indeed
my strength
and my
salvation
doth from
him alone
proceed.
He only
my salvation
is and my
strong rock
is he.
He only
is my
sure defense
much moved
I shall
not be.
We'll sing
these two
verses to
God's
praise.
my soul
with
expectation
depends
on
God
indeed
my strength
and my
salvation
doth
from
him
alone
proceed.
He only
is my
salvation
and my
strong
rock
is he.
He only
is
my
sure
defense
much
move
I
shall
not
leave.
After the
benediction
I'll go to
the door
to my
right here.
We'll just
close with
the
benediction.
Now may
grace,
mercy and
peace from
God,
Father,
Son and
Holy Spirit
rest upon
and abide
with you
all now
and forever
more.
Amen.