Let us pray to our living God that in Jesus he show us the road of life: Father, you have sent us Jesus to be our way to you, and through the Holy Spirit, Jesus walks with us on the road to you. Give us the food we need for the journey, the bread of life, Jesus himself, until we reach that eternal home. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Claretian Communications
Let us pray to God that we always listen to the voice of Jesus, our Good Shepherd: Almighty and loving Father, you have given us a reliable and caring guide to lead us to you and to one another, your Son and our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Help us to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice even in the silence of our faith, in the groaning of our miseries, and in the words of encouragement and joy of the shepherds of Christ’s Church and of everyone who has a good word for us, for there too speaks and calls our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Claretian Communications
How do we live in a society full of hatred, jealousy, wranglings, quarreling, and malice? 1 Peter (1:11-25) mentions living honorably and honestly, doing good, and not using freedom as a pretext for doing evil. God’s grace is a gift received! May we respond accordingly by not returning evil for evil. Christians are not slaves to evil: We are slaves to the good. We are bound and connected to God and others. May we live honorably and fairly with love and compassion, realizing that we may suffer for choosing to do the right thing.
Our Gospel Reading is about two men who were troubled by the crucifixion of Jesus. Their hopes had been dashed. As they walked home from Jerusalem to Emmaus, a stranger joined their journey (Luke 24:13-35). The stranger expounded the Scripture as it related to a crucified Messiah. They finally put it all together and understood when in the “breaking of bread,” their eyes were opened when they understood that it was the resurrected Christ who had been speaking to them.
Despite our proclamation and participation in the Lord’s Supper, do we always get it right regarding a crucified Messiah? What about the times we would rather lash out than hold our tongue, return blow for blow and punch for punch and feed our anger and plot revenge? Are there times we would rather mete out punishment with no thought of seeking to be reconciled? When will we finally and fully understand what it means to follow a crucified Messiah? May we live out what has been revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
Galax First United
Methodist Church
306 West Center Street
Galax, VA 24333
(Get Directions)
Phone: 276-236-9937
Email: fumcgalax1@gmail.com
Sunday Services:
10:30 am
