THE NEW YEAR

The New Year always holds a dim glimmer of hope but in the end we usually return to things as usual. We are going to do this, change that and so on. It is true His mercies are new every morning.  

I have a feeling 2003-2004 is going to be a year of change at Maranatha. We are prayerfully commencing the Emmaus Road Inn Sunday eve 1/19.  The service will commence at 5:30 P.M . with the doors opening at 5:00 P.M .

 I am modeling the evening after Luke’s account in his 24^th chapter.

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem .  ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast.  ¹⁸ 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?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.  ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel . And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.  ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.  ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  ²⁶ Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther.  ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” ³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem . There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”  ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

 We will break bread together, study the Scriptures and converse with each other. We will have a time of singing and sharing with open mic…., daring. Don’t worry, I have a large stick to run off the self aggrandizing and egomaniacal.

 Any gifted soul can be a part of lifting up Jesus in our midst through testimony, poetry and song. 

      So come and join us. Walk as Cleopas and his companion did on that night of nights when the risen Jesus join two disillusioned brethren and transformed their despair into hope.