Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

Good Morning you lovely people. I hope you continue to experience something of the risen Lord in your daily life in lockdown.

I know for many this is hard. The uncertainty, the separation from family and friends, the loneliness and isolation and the fear we are experiencing, along with missing those things that are so dear to us. It is all taking its toll.

So, if you are feeling grim, you are not alone. Bless you.
What you don’t need is me telling you to ‘cheer up, because everything will be fine’. For some folk it won’t be. And if you are feeling down, then honour that feeling, and work through it.

God can take it if we feel like ranting and raving at him, so feel free to let it all out. Sometimes it helps to get it all out.

On the evening of that first day, Luke tells us that two disciples were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were downcast as they talked about what had happened.
Jesus came and walked with them, but they did not know it was him. He asked them what they were talking about, and they just let it all out.
Perhaps that is one of the greatest things that we can learn. To open our hearts to Jesus.
With him there is no point in putting on a brave face, or pretending we are fine when we are not. There is no point in playing a role, or washing over our fears, because he knows the secret of our hearts, and that in turn is so liberating. It means that we can really be ourselves, warts and all.

So, let Jesus know what you really feel like. Share with him you worries, frustration, cares  and concerns. Open up about how heartbreaking it is when you think of those who have lost loved ones, and can’t gather to celebrate their life, or whose Wedding has been postponed, or the families that are tearing each other apart because they are not coping.

Let it all out. Release your emotions. Be true to yourself.

Then continue with the story. You see, Luke says that Jesus then opened up the scriptures so that they could see all the bits that were about him. He was the Messiah, the chosen one of God.
Then they shared a meal, and their eyes were opened, and they recognised him in the breaking of the bread! They were witnesses to the Resurrection!

Jesus left them, and they went straight back to Jerusalem,  straight back into the thick of it, and told the disciples everything that had happened, and how they had recognised him in the breaking of the bread.

This brilliant story is in Luke 24.13 – 35, and I shall be unpacking it some more later in the week, so look it up if you get the chance, and open your hearts to Jesus, and let him reveal to you the glory that will come when we are able to release the things that bind our hearts so strongly. There is new life to behold.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you.

Fr Marcus.