Ordinary Time 
Pause
It’s ok to grieve, it’s ok to learn to fall. / It’s ok to believe, to admit that you’re human after all.
It’s ok to heal, all of those scars buried deep inside. / It’s ok to feel, to say all the things you’ve been trying to hide.
We are always in motion, like the winds, the tides, the ocean. / Everyday I’m born again, I wake up I feel that second wind.
We’re gonna be alright.
from “We’re Gonna Be Alright,” Switchfoot (2019)
Listen
On that same day, two disciples were traveling to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking to each other about everything that had happened. While they were discussing these things, Jesus himself arrived and joined them on their journey. They were prevented from recognizing him.
He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk along?” They stopped, their faces downcast.
Luke 24:13-17
Think
What are you talking about these days? Not the Final Four, not where you went for Easter brunch, not what happened at school today. These are things that are not happening right now.
What has happened? Over a million confirmed Covid-19 cases worldwide, with deaths in the tens of thousands. Shortages of masks and hoarding of toilet paper. Cancelation of school plays, prom, and graduation.
It’s easy to fall into a downward spiral of depressing news, to create lists of things we’ve lost, with no way of knowing when exactly our isolation might end. It’s easy to miss the good news all around us.
News like families sewing masks and car factories building ventilators. Churches hosting online worship, “Zoom” coffee hour, even virtual Easter egg hunts. The return of spring flowers and songbirds here in the Northern Hemisphere. Celebrities like John Krasinski curating and sharing “Some Good News” on YouTube.
Jesus walks with us during these uncertain times. And he reminds us that there is more to the story, helping us to open our eyes.
Peter Hanson
Pray
Jesus, lift up my downcast face. Help me to see beyond the bad news I hear today, to see the Good News that you bring to me. May I recognize how you walk with me today and every day, transforming my sorrows and bringing new life. Amen.
Go
God calls you to venture where you cannot see the end, by paths never yet taken, through perils unknown;
Go with good courage, not knowing where you go, but only that God’s hand is leading you and God’s love is supporting you.
