Mon 27 April – Another Resurrection Surprise

DAILY BYTE

There’s an Easter story I would like to share with you. It’s about a 3 year old girl named Zoe, and her pet turtle which died. Little Zoe cried as if her heart would break. Her father would later become the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, but that day, in the face of his little girl’s tears, he didn’t feel very wise at all.

All his best efforts to comfort her failed. Finally, in desperation, he said, “I’ll tell you what; we’ll have a funeral for the turtle.”

Well, since Zoe was only three, she didn’t really know what a funeral was, so her dad tried his best to explain.
“A funeral is like a festival in honour of your turtle.”

Zoe didn’t know what a festival was either, so her dad tried once more.
“A funeral is like a party. We’ll have ice cream, cake, lemonade and balloons, and all the children in the neighbourhood will come over to our house to play; all because the turtle died.”

That finally dried up her tears and Zoe returned to her normal, smiling self. Not only happy, but now quite excited at the prospect of what was going to happen because her turtle had died. Then a quite surprising and unforeseen thing happened. Suddenly, the turtle began to move.

It wasn’t dead after all! The turtle began to crawl away and now Zoe’s dad really didn’t know what to say. But little Zoe did.
“Daddy,” she said looking up at him, “Daddy ... let’s kill it.”

I love that story because it is a reminder that life post-Easter and post-Resurrection is full of surprising and unforeseen things – because Jesus has risen, everything changes. This week’s Bible reading is a Resurrection appearance that is full of surprises. Like the two disciples who feature in it, we may find ourselves astonished by how Jesus appears to us. Just as little Zoe found with her turtle, we may find Jesus moving in our lives quite unexpectedly.

This is because it is a story about finding Jesus, or should I say Jesus finding us, and as he does so, having our perceptions, expectations and stereotypes of who we think God should be, challenged, expanded and maybe even blown out of the water.

Like many great Biblical stories, this particular one starts off with a journey. Two nondescript disciples are making their way to Emmaus. Only of them – Cleopas – is actually named, while his companion remains anonymous. Scholars think this companion could have been Cleopas’ wife or friend, but perhaps this non-naming is actually purposeful. Maybe Luke’s intention is for us to insert our names here next to Cleopas’ – to include ourselves in this particular journey.

Read through the complete story (Luke 24.13-35) and do exactly that. As you do so consider in what ways God may be speaking to you and write down any thoughts you may have.

PRAY AS YOU GO

Great and Gracious God, I acknowledge you as a God who is full of surprises. May you enter my life this week in a brand, new and wonderful ways. Amen.

FOCUS READING
Luke 24. 13-18 NIV
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, "What are you discussing together as you walk along?"
They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, "Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?"