Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;  but they were kept from recognizing him. (Luke 24:15-16)

Dear Church Family,

The risen Christ is with you.

I am Pastor Sophia. You may experience being lost while you are driving—even with GPS on. The voice kept saying, “Turn left… turn left…” but you thought that you knew a better way. Then you ignored the voice. Five minutes later… “Recalculating.” Ten minutes later… “Recalculating.” Fifteen minutes later… you ended up right back where you started.

Finally, your wife showed a look and said, “You should have listened to her.”

Sometimes we are so sure of our direction. Other times, we simply don’t want to face what’s ahead. So, we keep going our own way, even when something deep inside is gently trying to guide us differently.

Thank you God! This is not only our story. In the book of Luke 24, two disciples are walking a long road after everything they hoped for seemed to fall apart.

They are not rebellious. They are not careless. They are simply… human.

They are trying to make sense of disappointment. Trying to move forward. Trying to cope the best way they know how.

And in the middle of that uncertain walk—Christ comes near.

What I love about this moment is how quietly the risen Christ appeared to them.  Just a presence… walking alongside them.

It reminds me that God often meets us not when everything is clear, but right in the middle of our questions.

This week, I invite you to pay attention to those gentle “recalculating” moments in our life.

When something doesn’t feel quite right…
When our heart feels restless…
When you feel like you have to do something to release those feelings… The risen Christ quietly invites you to slow down, invites you to trust, and invites you to walk a little more closely with Christ.

We don’t have to figure everything out all at once.
We don’t have to have perfect clarity.

Sometimes, the most faithful step is simply this: to become willing to listen again.

As we gather this Sunday, my prayer is that we will recognize that we are not just people trying to find our way—but people who are already being met on the road.

Even now… the risen Christ is near.

With a grateful heart for each of you