Worship · Order of Worship

Recognizing Christ in Our Midst

Date: April 19, 2026
Scripture: Luke 24:13-35
Theme: Recognizing Christ in Our Midst
Lectionary: RCL Year A

for April 19, 2026

Opening Prayer

Note to leader: before the prayer and the beginning of worship, take a moment to encourage God’s people to settle into God’s Spirit, to breath, to be open to Christ’s presence.

Risen Christ,

you came alongside your disciples
on a road they did not understand,
and you walked with them
before they ever knew it was you.

So come alongside us now.

As we gather this morning,
we bring with us many things—
hurried thoughts,
unanswered questions,
quiet burdens we have not named.

Slow us down.

Settle our restless minds.
Quiet the noise within us and around us.
Help us to breathe deeply of your presence.

Where we are distracted,
draw our attention back to you.
Where we are anxious,
steady us with your peace.
Where we feel distant or uncertain,
come near again.

Open the Scriptures to us,
that we might hear your voice.
Break the bread of life among us,
that we might recognize your presence.

Walk with us, even now,
in ways we may not yet perceive.

And as you did for those on the road,
kindle something within us—
a quiet burning,
a growing awareness,
a deep assurance that you are here.

Make yourself known to us
in word and in silence,
in prayer and in song,
in one another and in this shared moment.

And when our eyes are opened,
give us grace to respond—
with trust,
with joy,
and with lives turned toward you.

We pray this in your holy name,
Jesus Christ, our risen Lord.

Amen.

Call to Worship

Responsive

On the road, when hope seemed lost,
Christ drew near, though he was not recognized.

In our walking, in our wondering,
Christ is near to us still.

When the Scriptures were opened,
their hearts began to burn within them.

When the bread was broken,
their eyes were opened, and they knew him.

In word and in meal, in stranger and in friend,
Christ is made known among us.

So come, let us walk this road together.
Let us listen for his voice and watch for his presence.

For the risen Christ is among us,
even now.

Come, let us worship the living God.

Hymn of Praise

Christ Is Risen! Shout Hosanna!, GTG #248

Assurance of Grace

Hear the good news:

Even when we do not recognize him,
Christ comes near.

Before we understand,
Christ comes near.

While we are still uncertain,
Christ comes near.

This is God’s faithfulness:
we are met with mercy.

This is God’s grace:
we are made new.

Not by our effort,
but by God’s love.

Not by our certainty,
but by God’s promise.

In Jesus Christ,
we are forgiven.

In Jesus Christ,
we are made new.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.

Trusting in God’s grace and mercy, let us confess our sins and brokenness together.

Responding to God’s Grace

Unison Prayer of Confession

Gracious and merciful God,

you come near to us,
and still we do not always recognize you.

You walk beside us,
and yet we are distracted,
caught up in our own thoughts,
our own fears,
our own understanding.

We confess that we often move too quickly—
too certain of ourselves,
too slow to listen,
too busy to notice your presence among us.

We cling to what we think we know,
and miss the new thing you are doing.

We hold back from trust,
and resist the grace you freely give.

Forgive us, we pray.

Open our eyes,
that we might see you more clearly.
Open our ears,
that we might hear your voice.
Open our hearts,
that we might receive your life.

(A time of silent prayer)

Risen Christ, come near to us again.
In your mercy, forgive us.
In your grace, renew us.
In your presence, lead us.

Amen.

Sharing the Peace of Christ

An Embodied Sign of God’s Grace in Christ Jesus

Friends, we have been reminded that God’s grace extends to all. We have confessed our sins, knowing that we have been forgiven and that God is making us a new creation.

In this spirit, let us share the peace of Christ.

The peace of Christ be with you.

And also with you.

(Share Christ’s peace in ways fitting to your community.)

The Written Word

Gospel Reading

Shared Word Translation Luke 24:13–35

Open in Bible

The Road to Emmaus

¹³Now on that same day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself drew near and went with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷And he said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹He said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group amazed us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels who said that he is alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see.”

²⁵Then he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to trust all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” ²⁷And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is toward evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”

³³That same hour they rose and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and those with them gathered together, ³⁴saying, “The Lord has been raised indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Notes

v16

“their eyes were kept” — Recognition is not merely intellectual; perception is given, not achieved.

v21

“we had hoped” — The line holds grief and disappointment; resurrection meets people inside collapsed expectations.

v25–27

“slow of heart… interpreted” — Jesus does not replace scripture but rereads it; suffering is not an interruption of God’s work but part of its pattern.

v30–31

“took… blessed… broke… gave” — Recognition occurs in shared practice; the meal becomes a site of revelation.

v32

“hearts burning” — Understanding is experiential as well as cognitive; truth is felt before it is fully grasped.

Vocabulary

v16

κρατέω (krateō)

to hold fast; to restrain

v21

λυτρόω (lytroō)

“To redeem; to set free.”

v25

καρδία (kardia)

heart; inner life; center of will

v27

διερμηνεύω (diermēneuō)

to interpret; to explain

v30

εὐλογέω (eulogeō)

“To bless.”

v31

ἀνοίγω (anoigō)

to open

v32

καιομένη (kaiomenē)

burning; set on fire

Recognizing Christ in Our Midst

Sharing God’s Word Together

Think of a time when you misjudged someone at first—
maybe because of how they looked, what you assumed, or what you had heard—
and later realized you were wrong.
What changed?
What helped you see them differently?

In this story, the disciples are talking with Jesus himself—
and still don’t recognize him.
What do they assume about him that turns out to be wrong?
What were they expecting that kept them from seeing what was actually there?

What prevents them from seeing what is actually right in front of them?
Is it lack of information—or something else?

Do you think it’s possible to be sincere in your faith—
and still misread what God is doing?
What in this passage makes you answer that way?

Have you ever had a moment where your understanding of a person—or even of God—had to change because of an encounter you didn’t expect?
What made that change possible?

If Christ could stand among us in a way we did not expect—
what might keep us from recognizing him?
Where do our expectations come from?

If every person is created in the image of God,
how might that shape the way we see and treat others?
What might change in the life of a church that took that seriously?

What is one small, concrete way we can approach someone differently this week—
especially someone we might normally overlook, avoid, or assume something about?
What would make that feel like a risk for you?

Hymn of Reflection

Open My Eyes, That I May See, GTG #451

Affirmation of Faith

Spoken together.

We believe in Jesus Christ,
the risen Lord,
who comes near to us
even when we do not recognize him.

He walks with us in our confusion,
speaks to us through the Scriptures,
and is made known to us
in the breaking of the bread.

We believe that Christ is present among us—
in this gathering,
in our neighbors,
and in the life we share together.

We trust not in our own understanding,
but in God’s faithful love,
which meets us,
opens our eyes,
and makes us new.

By the power of the Holy Spirit,
our hearts are awakened,
our lives are turned,
and we are sent to bear witness
to the risen Christ.

Amen.

Prayers of the People

Let us pray for the church, the world, and one another.

Risen Christ,
you walk with us even in troubled times,
even when the world feels uncertain and divided.

Hear us as we pray.