Voice: Ting Ai
Alleluia. Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Today is Friday of Easter Week, 10th April.
Psalm 115:1-9
1 Not to us, O Lord , not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!
2 Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
3 Our God is in the heavens;
he does all that he pleases.
4 Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5 They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6. They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7. They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them.
9. O Israel, trust in the Lord !
He is their help and their shield.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
Luke 24
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us.They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him,and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Abide with me
Of all the Easter accounts, the Road to Emmaus must be one of the most heart-warming and memorable. It speaks to us in so many ways. We can easily place ourselves in the shoes of Cleopas and his companion. The seven-mile, hilly walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus becomes a picture of our own spiritual pilgrimage.
The two travellers left Jerusalem in disappointment. Their anguish and sadness are evident in their conversation with the “stranger.” Jesus Christ—the One who promised to redeem Israel—had come to what seemed like a humiliating end.
What followed was an unfolding lesson from the Old Testament on the true nature of the Messiah. The walk, likely two to three hours, became a rich and transformative conversation. One can imagine how, step by step, the weight in their hearts began to lift.
As they neared Emmaus, they urged Jesus to stay with them, for evening was approaching. At the table, as was the custom, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it—and in that moment, their eyes were opened. They recognised Him.
We too will have our share of disappointments. A common response is, “I don’t understand.” When life does not match our expectations, we struggle because things do not make sense. Yet the Lord, in His mercy, provides ways for us to find understanding. Often, “Christ Incognito” draws alongside us in our journey. We may not recognise His presence, but He walks with us as a fellow traveller.
There will be moments when our eyes are opened, and we suddenly realise—He was there all along. Through every milestone of our journey, including the painful and bewildering ones, He was present. This life is a journey of learning, and it must be lived step by step.
As our lives draw toward evening, like those two companions, we too will pray, “Lord, stay with us”—or simply, “abide with us.”
These words later inspired the English clergyman Henry Francis Lyte of All Saints Church, Brixham. In the closing weeks of his life, weakened by illness, he penned the hymn:
“Abide with me; fast falls the eventide…”
May this prayer be ours too, when our journey reaches its quiet end.
Be blessed by a version of this hymn, Abide with Me, by Gentri.
1 Abide with me: fast falls the eventide;
the darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide.
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, O abide with me.
2 Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see.
O thou who changest not, abide with me.
3 I need thy presence every passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and strength can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me.
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Daily Devotion 
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