It's possible to walk and talk with Jesus and have no idea it's him. Cleopas and his friend did this on the first Easter Sunday. I wonder if they heard the beginning of the story in Luke's Gospel and thought, "I can't believe we told this to Luke! Now we'll never live this down!" Or maybe, in the light of the resurrection of Jesus, they simply had a good, long laugh. I love the question they ask themselves afterward: "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
A.W. Tozer wrote of the "fellowship of the burning heart." “I am looking for the fellowship of the burning heart. I claim the Methodist and the Baptist as mine and I claim everybody that loves Jesus Christ as mine; but I am looking for the fellowship of the burning heart. Men and women of all generations and everywhere that love the savior until ‘adoration’ has become the new word and they do not have to be entertained or amused. This Christ was everything. He was their all in all . . . . I am looking for men and women who are lost in worship, those who love God until he is the sweetheart of the soul.”
-A. W. Tozer in Reclaiming Christianity (emphasis added)
The fuel for the fellowship of the burning heart is Scripture. Ignited by the gift of faith and sustained by the promised presence of Jesus, time in Scripture is time with Jesus.
Dwell deeply and regularly in Scripture in this Easter. In particular, repeatedly read 1 Peter. That's our suggestion as Church of the Incarnation (because it's our pastor's recommendation to us). This week's chapter is chapter 1. And we're trying to read it once a day for most days this week.
The sermons during the rest of the Easter season will focus on 1 Peter and support our efforts in reading. We trust that Jesus will be with us as we trust him and engage the Bible. We also trust that he will help us understand the Scripture so that we can love and trust him more fully. He promised he would help us and sent the Holy Spirit for just this purpose.
Collect (Prayer) for the Second Sunday of Easter
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.