The Apocalypse of Easter // Rev. Matt Kennedy // Apr 5 2026

When you piece together the stories of the first Easter from the four gospels, you may notice that essentially no one that morning was instantly able to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. They experience bewilderment, curiosity, confusion, and fear... but not many immediately understood or even celebrated that Christ was risen. Each of the four gospels give us some unique details about the events of that day, and Luke is the one who tells us that late in the afternoon the risen Jesus goes on a hike with a couple of disciples and spends perhaps hours chatting before they have any clue this stranger on the trail with them is the crucified Lord! It is only after sharing many questions, scriptures, miles, and then a meal that their eyes are opened and their hearts burn with the fire of faith (Luke 24:13-32).There is a lesson to take from what Jesus did on that "walk to Emmaus" so many years ago. The journey to belief is not simply receiving a message, but the process of reflecting, remembering, questioning, and then experiencing the living Jesus. Because the church is more than a museum and Christianity is more than a historical society. We speak of Jesus in the present tense because our faith is a living, breathing thing-- not just a gift once given, but continually. On Easter Sunday we do not say, "he was risen." We proclaim, "he is risen... indeed."