Year C Easter Week WED 2025 The Eyes of Faith

 Year C Easter Week WEDNESDAY, 23 April 2025

St James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“The Eyes of our Faith”

Collect: O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Acts 3:1-10

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o'clock in the afternoon. And a man lame from birth was being carried in. People would lay him daily at the gate of the temple called the Beautiful Gate so that he could ask for alms from those entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked them for alms. Peter looked intently at him, as did John, and said, "Look at us." And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, "I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk." And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. Jumping up, he stood and began to walk, and he entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. All the people saw him walking and praising God, and they recognized him as the one who used to sit and ask for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day, the first day of the week, two of the disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?" He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But 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. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

This morning we have only two readings because it is Easter Week. And in our two stories in John and Acts, we are given tales of Wonder and Amazement. The first, chronologically, is our Gospel reading from Easter evening, when we walk with the followers on the road to Emmaus. Does it surprise you that Jesus took the time to do an in depth Bible Study in his first few hours back alive?

Maybe it was because they were going somewhere, unlike the disciples whom we will see this Sunday cowering in their room. But as they were walking and talking, they were enlightened, but still in the dark. They still could not see Jesus until he broke the bread.

There is head knowledge and heart knowledge. We can only know so far with our 

heads. It takes our whole selves to truly know. It takes our hearts to truly see. Or as Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's said in "The Little Prince": “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

It was a big for the church to have this understanding, especially as the capstone for that first Easter. Jesus opened their eyes in the way that we see him most clearly, our sacraments and the living out of our faith “on the way.”

The second tale is no different. Peter and John going to the Temple to pray, and Peter decides to move into the camp of Jesus’ promises, that idea that we would do just as much as Jesus, if not more.

And Peter looks at a man born without the use of his legs, and the man begs from them. Peter gives him what he needs instead of what he wants. A lot like Jesus, if you ask me. But the man sees a potential coin, and he gets his full self from them. More than he asked for, and more than he could dream of.

In our collect this morning, it talks about the eyes of our faith. They need to be opened up. And Jesus can and will do it. 

In the Eucharist, it is not me up there, it is Jesus who guides us all. Me, too.

In our service of others, it is Jesus who receives our gifts. And maybe the recipients get to see Jesus, too.

The eyes of faith can see miracles in the ordinary, if we let them. The most humble thing can show God if we look close enough. We never know when and where we will see God. Moses did not expect the burning bush. Abraham did not expect the ram in the bush. Isaiah did not expect to see God in the Temple. Let God be God, and let us open our eyes of faith.

My prayer is that as we go through this Easter season, we will see Christ more clearly, follow him more nearly, and love him more dearly, day by day. Amen