It’s Gotta Be Shared!
Have you ever seen something so good you just had to tell someone? Maybe it’s a great meal, a sunset, or a moment with the family? You grab your phone and think, “I’ve got to post this.” We live in a world where sharing is instant.
In Luke 24, two followers of Jesus had that same feeling. Only for them, there was no “post” button. There was just a seven-mile hike.
The story began as they walked away from Jerusalem, confused and discouraged after Jesus’ death. But along the way, a stranger joined them and explained the Scriptures to them. Their hearts began to burn, and then, at the table, everything changed. The stranger was Jesus! He broke the bread, and suddenly, they saw Him for who He truly was.
And then He just vanished.
What?!? He was just here! What would you do in that moment?
Luke tells us: “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem…” (Luke 24:33). At once. No delay. No sleeping on it. We don’t even know if they ate the meal that Jesus had just blessed. They just left, immediately. Seven miles uphill to Jerusalem. Likely in the dark. After a long day. Why?
Because some news is too good and too important to hold onto yourself. It just has to be shared.
It’s interesting, isn’t it? We’ll rush to share a great meal, a funny moment, or a beautiful sunset, but what about the most meaningful things in our lives? Do we ever feel an urgency to share what Jesus has done for us? For these two, the resurrection wasn’t just meaningful, it was absolutely urgent!
And here’s the really cool part… Once they made the return trip and began telling the others what they had seen, Luke 24:36 says, “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them.”
They shared, and then Jesus showed up! Again! What if they had waited a little longer? Would they have missed seeing Jesus again? Doesn’t it seem like their obedience in sharing the news positioned them for another encounter with God? Could this be the way it works with us?
I don’t necessarily expect to experience anything quite as dramatic as what these two saw on the road to Emmaus, but there is a principle here for us… Whenever we experience God in our lives, we have a choice to make. We can hold onto it for ourselves, or we can share it. And in the sharing, we might find another blessing.
And maybe that’s the invitation here: Don’t just sit with what God has done. Step into it. Speak it. Share it.
The two men on the road to Emmaus had hearts that burned… and feet that moved. If your heart is burning, don’t stay where you are. It’s probably time to get up and go!
Josh Rose
Family Pastor
When the Moment Fades
“And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:31)
Luke tells us that just as the disciples who were walking on the Emmaus Road recognized Jesus, the moment when things finally clicked, Jesus disappeared. We don’t know how; we only know that there was no lingering conversation, he was just gone.
I’ve been sitting with that and wondering why Jesus would reveal Himself so clearly, only to vanish? Maybe because the point was never the moment itself. Maybe it was more about who they were becoming because of the fact that they saw Jesus.
When I was a backpacking guide, we used to take the students on an early morning hike to a peak where we’d watch the sunrise together. After hiking for hours with our lungs and legs burning, we’d sit down and wait. It was always a sacred moment to see the sun pierce the dawn and climb over the horizon. Everything opened up. There were peaks for miles. Light would spill across the valleys. God seemed so close.
Every instinct in you says, “Stay here.” But you can’t. Eventually, daylight fully comes, and you have to hike down the mountain. The peak gives you vision, but the valley is where that vision is both lived and tested. I was always struck by how all the green vegetation and life lie in the valleys, not on the mountain peaks.
That’s what’s happening on the road to Emmaus. Jesus gives them a moment where their hearts are burning, their eyes are opened, and clarity floods in. And then he vanishes. Not to abandon them, but to send them. Because the true test wasn’t whether they could recognize him on the road, it was whether they would follow him back into the ordinary.
We love mountaintop moments with God. In those moments, Jesus seems so close, and everything finally makes sense. We intuitively quietly wish we could stay there, thinking we’d live better, love better, believe better if we could just hold onto that feeling. But those moments were never meant to be permanent. They are meant to make us something. They’re designed to shape our character, reorient our direction, and anchor something deep within us that we carry back down into the valley of everyday life.
So when the moment fades, keep walking. When the emotion settles, keep trusting. When Jesus feels hidden, remember that he has already revealed himself. And that was enough to change your direction forever.
Ryan Paulson
Lead Pastor
The Resurrection Pivot
Remember back in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the major impact on all things normal in our world? Who can forget?
One word I heard that year, more than maybe ever before, was the word “pivot.” A cute little word that was more than overused to signal that everything was different, plans were thwarted, and what we thought was gonna happen, certainly could never happen now. We’re going to pivot and hold school online. We’re going to pivot and work from home. We’re going to pivot and hold church on the lawn. We’re going to pivot and turn indoor restaurants into sidewalk cafes.
The two men on the road to Emmaus appear to have a plan in mind. Headed from point A, Jerusalem, to point B, a village seven miles away, they walked. They likely timed their journey out so they left not too early nor too late. They had witnessed events that made for interesting conversation for much of their journey.
They knew some stuff, they had a lot of facts straight, they’d paid attention.
“Jesus of Nazareth. Powerful in word. Powerful in deed. A prophet—he had authority to speak for God. He had died by crucifixion. And now his body cannot be found. Angels had appeared, saying Jesus of Nazareth was not dead, but alive.”
Lots of correct information. But so what?
These two men knew a lot, but didn’t see the connection between the events that had occurred and their lives personally. Off to their home village they went. Pretty wild weekend in Jerusalem, but now it was back to everyday life in Emmaus.
It wasn’t until later, when Jesus, still with them, gave thanks and broke the bread, symbolizing his body, that the men recognized their world had shifted. It was time to pivot. Normalcy in Emmaus was no longer an option. “Pivot” meant they returned to Jerusalem, they found the disciples, and they couldn’t keep quiet about Jesus the Messiah.
I reflect on Easter Sunday… We sat in comfy pews… or chairs, wore pastel church clothes, sang resurrection-themed worship songs, and maybe, after church, ate ham and hid Easter eggs.
Does my life direction pivot because Jesus rose from the grave? 2,000 years after these two men met a risen savior on a road to a village, do I live in light of an empty tomb? The resurrection says Jesus won. The crucified Messiah is alive, and his victory over sin and death means salvation is possible for every one of us. May we live with this in mind, may we not keep the good news of Easter to ourselves.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member
Pay to Play
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luke 24:25-27
I played volleyball for one single season growing up. To the benefit of my team, I quit playing after that season. As much as I loved the game, I was not good at it. Some of my friends who played sports would often say, “How would you play the game if you knew you were going to win it?” Would you cut corners, or would you give it your all?
Jesus knew how the events would unfold, and he gave it his all.
Are you familiar with the phrase, “I wrote the book on this?” Jesus knew the extent to which he was going to suffer because he quite literally wrote the book on it. He knew what the road ahead of him looked like. He knew exactly what he was about to endure, and he knew what the prophecies foretold because he authored them himself.
The suffering of Christ was very real suffering. Sometimes we may find it hard to believe because he was fully God, but this passage also reminds us that he was fully human. Not only acquainted with our pain, but endured it himself. It had to be that way. Christ had to suffer so that we wouldn’t have to. The law demanded blood for the forgiveness of sins. Christ’s sacrifice guarantees that our blood is no longer required.
I love the way that the author of Hebrews articulates this:
“For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering.” (Hebrews 2:10)
It is by his blood, his death, and his resurrection that we are restored as children of God.
We’re on the winning team.
How will you play?
Kassie Lowe
Young Adults Lead
A U-Turn Needed
“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV)
Ever been in a situation where you needed to make a U-turn but couldn’t find a place to do it? Every time you thought you could, a sign loomed declaring “No U Turn.” I have had that frustrating experience more than once and have welcomed help that finally got me going in the right direction.
In Luke 24:13-35, we learn of two of Jesus’ followers who needed a U-turn. As they walked to Emmaus that Sunday afternoon, they sadly discussed what had happened to their hoped-for Messiah. Then the Word came to them; He was about to help them make a U-turn. Jesus engaged them in conversation, eventually explaining, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Don’t you just love that Jesus the Word came to them while they were mired in the circumstances and that it was revelation of Himself and Scripture that turned them back to Jerusalem?
Oftentimes, our circumstances shake our faith. The word circumstance comes from Latin, meaning “surrounding condition.” Feeling surrounded and not seeing a reason or a solution can lead to hopelessness. The Word breaks through the circumstances and brings peace in the midst of them as we trust in Him: “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV).
Here is the same verse in two other versions:
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation]” (Amplified Version).
“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you” (NIV).
Recently, I needed a U-turn in my thinking. While walking my dog one morning, my physical circumstances were good; it was my mind that was affected. I began to focus on the status of our world, our nation, and the future, and I was overwhelmed by what appeared hopeless. For several minutes, there was utter despair, fear arose, and tears came. But then, in the midst of it all, came the Word, the Promise Keeper, the truth of the Scriptures, and the perfect peace. He is faithful and true. I was U-turned! Peace, calm, hope, trust, joy!
Some questions to reflect on today:
Does what you see around you shape your faith? Is your faith shaken by what you walk through? Is your faith shaped by circumstances or by the Scriptures?
Jesus points us to the Scriptures because they point to Him.
Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member
Return to Resurrection Hope
Series: Easter Weekend 2026
Text: Luke 24:13-35
Speaker: Pastor Ryan Paulson
April 4/5, 2026: On Easter weekend, Lead Pastor Ryan Paulson shared the sermon “Return to Resurrection Hope.”
Good Friday 2026
Join us for our annual Good Friday worship services to remember and reflect on Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Communion will be served.