Easter Sunday

“Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.”  Luke 24:13(NIV)

We often think that the process of discovering God is all about our seeking God.  But the truth of the Resurrection is that it shows us that it is God who seeks us.

It was Easter, and the news was spreading through Jerusalem. Jesus’ tomb was empty; the body was gone.  But Scripture tells of only a few people going to the tomb to check out the story for themselves.  Mary and a few ladies had discovered the empty tomb.  Only two of the disciples ran to the tomb to verify the story.  Ironically, it was only Mary that stayed near the tomb and tried to investigate where the body of Christ might be.

And then we have the two in this story.  They were followers of Jesus in His earthly ministry.  They had observed the horrible events of Friday.  They had even heard the reports of an empty tomb and of the angels that announced Jesus was alive.  But what did they do?  They went about life as normal.  Cleopas and his companion set off for home in Emmaus.  They had heard reports of a resurrected Jesus, and it didn’t even spark their interest to stay around and see if the reports might be true.

The great news about this story is that Jesus sought them out.  As they walked and talked, Jesus joined them on their journey.  As they shared the story, Jesus taught them from the scriptures how this was God’s plan all along.  Then, finally, He revealed Himself to them at dinner.

What are you doing today?  As you celebrate the resurrection of Christ, have you set your focus on Him or have you gone about life as normal?  For many “It’s just another day.”  But today Christ has sought you out.  He is not satisfied with letting you continue superficially in your life.  Today He wants to reveal Himself to you in a real and personal way.  Will you seek Him?

Prayer:  Dear Savior, forgive us as we allow the world to intrude on our relationship with You.  You are alive and You seek relationship with us.  Jesus we grant you permission to invade our lives and reveal Yourself to us.  Help us to truly celebrate your Resurrection.  In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Food for Piner Families

As part of our ongoing efforts to assist families in the Piner area with food needs, and as the needs increase through this crisis, we would like to implement a new collection process.  We are going to begin a “food pantry” and will assemble weekly boxes of food.  As you do your weekly shopping, and as you are able, please look for any of the following items:

Cans of Beef Stew                                                               Applesauce Cups/Fruit Cups
Cans of Tuna or Chicken                                                   Peanut Butter and Jelly
Tuna Helper/Hamburger Helper                                       Loaf of Bread
Cans of Soup                                                                        Bag of Apples or Oranges
Cans of Vegetables or Baked Beans                                Potatoes (Bagged or Boxed)
Mac/Cheese                                                                          Saltine Crackers
Cans of Ravioli/Spaghettios                                             Pancake Mix/Syrup           
Pasta of Any Kind                                                               Cookies/Little Debbie Cakes
Spaghetti Sauce                                                                   Granola Bars/Nutri Grain Bars
Rice-A-Roni/Noodle-Roni/Stuffing                                Cheese or Peanut Butter Crackers
Box of Cereal                                                                       Pudding Cups
Oatmeal Packets                                                                  Individually wrapped snacks or cookies
PopTarts