When Jesus rose from the dead, the whole world changed and there was no going back. The disciples who followed Jesus knew things would never be the same after the crucifixion, but they didn’t see the future clearly. When they encountered a stranger on the road to Emmaus, their eyes were opened. At that moment, the disciples discovered Jesus is Lord.

This week, Pastor Mia highlights the ways in which the disciples’ journey to Emmaus mirrors our faith journey. The disciples prayed together, and today Christians practice faith in community at Sunday worship, Bible study, and singing together. The disciples also ate meals together. Communion and fellowship are part of today’s worship experience.

On the road to Emmaus, the disciples experienced a mysterious encounter with God. Perhaps you’ve had a vision or a strong experience with God. Furthermore, Jesus opened the disciples minds to understanding the scriptures. The stranger the disciples encountered chastised them for looking for the God they wanted, instead of the God who is. We are no different.

For the disciples, faith was not the arrival but the journey. It is the same for us. When a stranger joins us and a truth is received, our lives are changed.

Mary Riedl, guest preacher, takes us into the difficulty of leaving comfortable places. It's difficult for butterflies, and it's difficult for us. But we are made for it. Leaving comfortable places is where we find life. What safe grave do you need to leave?

Wombs, tombs, and cocoons. In this message about emergence and transformation, Pastor Mia reminds us that Easter is God’s invitation to new life.

The transformation to new life begins in the dark. Sometimes the darkness is a place of pain or sorrow—a tomb. And sometimes the darkness is a place of safety and warmth—a womb. Emerging from the darkness is challenging, especially when it’s comfortable, because we aren’t sure about the new life promised.

Like Jesus and like caterpillars, we have an instinct to move toward transformation. However, emerging to that new life requires the willingness to trust the darkness where transformation begins.

At the crucifixion, Jesus’s disciples betrayed him and they ran and hid. After the resurrection, it all changed. Those disciples publicly preached about Jesus the Christ Risen, and ultimately they were executed for their teachings. That’s a big a transformation.

With the resurrection, we can emerge with Jesus out of the darkness. Like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, we can be unfurled to all the beauty God calls us to be.