The LORD God is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He has established laws in nature which govern all the processes of life–planting, growth, cultivation and harvest. These principles give us insight on how to conduct our lives, families, churches, and societies (to continue reading this essay, click on image above).
Jesus is Risen!, Luke 24.1-49
The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands as the foundational truth of Christian faith, confirming his divine identity and the efficacy of his atoning sacrifice for humanity’s redemption. Christ’s resurrection validates all his teachings and promises, offering assurance that death has been conquered, and eternal life is available to all who believe. The disciples’ journey from confusion and disbelief to understanding and conviction demonstrates how encountering the risen Christ transforms our perception of Scripture, history, and personal purpose. As modern believers, we are called to follow their example by allowing the reality of the resurrection to illuminate our understanding of Scripture, shape our worldview, and empower us to bear witness to this transformative truth in our daily lives.
Our Focus Today
The Breaking of Bread.
Jesus was finally recognized by the two disciples when he broke with them, causing them to affirm his true identity, and recall how their hearts burned within them as he explained the Scriptures, Luke 24.28-32.
Invocation
Risen Lord Jesus, we desperately need for you to make yourself known to us through your Word and in our fellowship, just as you revealed yourself to those disciples at Emmaus. Open our eyes to recognize your presence, not only in those extraordinary moments of our lives, but also in the day to day happenings we experience. Cause our hearts to burn within us with the fire of your truth, and create in us a spirit of holy hospitality and spiritual attentiveness that invites you to abide with us and transforms our communion times and everyday tables into places of divine encounter. Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
Chronological Scripture Readings for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the entire Bible in one year in chronological order.
Tuesday: 1 Kings 8; 2 Chron. 5-6
Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Tuesday: Psalm 22, 52, 82, 112, 142 and Proverbs 22
The Breaking of Bread.
Jesus was finally recognized by the two disciples when he broke with them, causing them to affirm his true identity, and recall how their hearts burned within them as he explained the Scriptures, Luke 24.28-32.
Reflection
This passage reveals how Christ is made known to us through both Word and sacrament—through the exposition of Scripture and through the intimate fellowship of shared meals where he is present as host. The disciples’ burning hearts during Jesus’ teaching, followed by their moment of recognition at the breaking of bread, demonstrates that spiritual illumination often occurs gradually, with full recognition dawning when intellectual understanding aligns with personal encounter. Christ may reveal himself in our lives through familiar, even ordinary acts—like sharing meals, and in the Lord’s table—and our moments of spiritual epiphany often come when communal practices connect with scriptural truth. We can recognize the presence of Christ in the breaking of the bread, the Lord’s table, together.
Engaging God’s Word Today
When have you experienced your heart “burning within you” during engagement with Scripture or Christian community, when you have focused on Christ as your life and purpose? How might cultivating greater attentiveness to the centrality of Christ enable you to live more faithfully as his disciple in your everyday life?
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Benediction
May the Lord Jesus who makes himself known in the breaking of bread continue to reveal his presence in our daily journeys and ordinary moments of fellowship. May our hearts burn within us as we encounter your truth in Scripture, in prayer, and in communion with fellow believers. Please, Father, open up our eyes to recognize in our everyday lives your Son, the risen Christ walking beside us, before us, and within us, transforming every path we take into a road of revelation and every table we share into an altar of recognizing your Son among us. Amen.
Scripture Memory for this season
Psalm 1.1-3 (ESV):
1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
4 In all that he does, he prospers.”
Scripture Engagement
As disciples of Jesus, the Churches of Christ the King strongly seek to engage the Scriptures to discover the centrality of Christ and his Kingdom in the prophetic and apostolic writings. You will find a rich treasure of resources on engaging Scripture at the Center for Scripture Engagement of Taylor University.
Book Reading and Reflection
“If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Focusing on the overall system, rather than a single goal, is one of the core themes of this book. It is also one of the deeper meanings behind the word atomic. By now, you’ve probably realized that an atomic habit refers to a tiny change, a marginal gain, a 1 percent improvement. But atomic habits are not just any old habits, however small. They are little habits that are part of a larger system. Just as atoms are the building blocks of molecules, atomic habits are the building blocks of remarkable results.
Habits are like the atoms of our lives. Each one is a fundamental unit that contributes to your overall improvement. At first, these tiny routines seem insignificant, but soon they build on each other and fuel bigger wins that multiply to a degree that far outweighs the cost of their initial investment. They are both small and mighty. This is the meaning of the phrase atomic habits—a regular practice or routine that is not only small and easy to do, but also the source of incredible power; a component of the system of compound growth.”
~ Clear, James, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin Random House UK, 2018. Electronic Edition, Location 392.
Seedling Focus for the Season: The Tree Planted by Streams of Water
Description: A spiritually mature believer bears fruit in all circumstances and seasons of life, Psalm 1.1-3.
On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
Worthy Is the Lamb Who Was Slain, Revelation 5.11-14.
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