The Gospel this Sunday (Luke 24.13-35) presents us with the story of two disappointed disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the first Easter evening. Unrecognised, Jesus comes and walks with them. His explanation of the scriptures is so engaging that they ask him to come in and eat. It is only when he breaks the bread that they recognise who he is – but he vanishes from their sight. This little story contains some things that are vital to our Christian faith: the proclamation of the good news by Jesus himself (the ministry of the Word) in explaining the Bible; then the breaking of bread (the ministry of the Eucharist) in which we recognise the risen Lord; and finally the work of mission (the disciples return to Jerusalem at once to proclaim that they have seen the risen one).
Collect
Living God,
your Son made himself known to his disciples
in the breaking of bread:
open the eyes of our faith,
that we may see him in all his redeeming work;
who is alive and reigns, now and for ever. Amen