If you’ve been hanging out with Eastgate for the last 2.5 years, this Sunday you need to pat yourself on the back because you have journeyed through the entire gospel of Luke, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.  This Sunday we’ll be reading our final installation, ch 24:36-53 , and examining it to see how it relates to our lives.

We have read through Jesus’ birth and ministry in Galilee, right up to his betrayal, arrest and crucifixion.  It was a compelling, challenging story. We have read how three days after his death, Jesus’ body was missing and a couple of glowy guys said he had risen from the dead.  We read how Jesus himself ambushed a couple of travelers on the road to Emmaus and  gradually revealed himself to them. It’s been an amazing ride…and yet, with all of those stories surrounding us, we could STILL be left wondering what it all has to do with us, right here and now in 21st Century America.

That’s where the final section of Luke’s story becomes crucial.  In this wrap-up, we actually see a transition take place for Jesus’ followers.  Jesus shows up and they’re startled, yet he comes announcing something that is entirely opposite of their reaction.  That’s typical.

But then something changes.  What happens?  All before the events of Acts 2 the disciples take on a different demeanor. What do you think changes for them?

Jesus is with them, but differently than he was before.  Then Jesus is gone from them again – yet this doesn’t discourage the disciples, just the opposite.  Christ’s presence, activity and absence all seem to have a profound effect on them.  Do you think those same aspects of the resurrected Christ have the same impact on us?  How would you describe this at work in our own lives?

Hope to see you on Sunday!