Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, April 11, 2021
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: We can find Jesus in the mundane, day-to-day tasks.
It had been three days since Jesus’ death. This morning, women came from an empty tomb claiming to see angels. Their words indicated Jesus may be alive, but how could that be? If any held hope of Jesus’ return, it would have included a grand spectacle, for sure!
But as two of Jesus’ followers walked along, a quiet stranger walked alongside them. He listened before he talked. Then he shared with them what he knew—interpretations of scripture they had likely not heard before.
When the time came for them to part, the travelers implored him to join them for the night. They sat together, blessed their bread, and shared it. Only then did they recognize that the stranger they had been walking with was Jesus! Immediately they realized that their hearts had been burning throughout their journey. They had recognized him, sort of, but didn’t realize it until they ate together.
Jesus could have returned with armies of angels, dazzling bright light (it wouldn’t have been the first time), trumpets and choirs filling the sky. He could have conquered the world in a grand display of power and show. Instead, Jesus showed up in the most mundane of tasks—a meal.
How often we look for Jesus in grand spectacles. We seek large gestures of miraculous power. But Jesus doesn’t only show in those transfiguration moments. Jesus wakes us up as we eat, as we walk, as we talk. Jesus becomes known as we share with one another, as we celebrate being in community. Sometimes we don’t realize it until later. Sometimes we are blessed to recognize Jesus in the moment. Jesus is always there. We only need the eyes to see.
