Third Sunday of Easter, 2026
What follows is a worship service which, I pray, you can participate in at a time(s) that are convenient to you. This 'service' will take about forty five (45) minutes.
I pray that you will feel called to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in this service.
The text that is in regular typeface (that is what you are reading at the moment) is to be read quietly, while the text that is in bold face (like you are reading right now) is meant to be read aloud.
Opening Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we commence our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A Call To Worship:
We meet in the name of God,
Creator of the universe,
source of true humanity,
mother and father of all. Amen.
An Assurance of Forgiveness:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
The Sentence For Today (let us say aloud):
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call upon the Name of the Lord.
The Special Prayer For Today (let us pray aloud):
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.
Our first reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Our second reading for today:
(click the 'play' button below to listen)
Gradual Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we raise out voices in praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
Listen to David speak to this gospel
or, if you prefer, you can read the sermon, below:
Sermon for Easter 3, 19th Apr 2026
Welcome sisters and brothers and peace be with you. MAY the words on my lips and the meditations in our hearts be acceptable in your sight O Lord, our strength and our Redeemer. <Amen>
It is Easter Sunday. The tomb is empty. However, in Luke 24:13-35 we meet two disciples who, instead of joy, are filled with confusion, disappointment, and grief. They had hoped that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel .. but now, as far as they can tell, everything has fallen apart.
So they do what many of us might do in moments like that: they walk away.
They leave Jerusalem - the place of hope, the place of promise - and head toward the small town of Emmaus, carrying their broken expectations with them.
And then something extraordinary happens. Jesus comes alongside them and walks with them, ah - - - but they do not recognise Him. <PAUSE>
Isn’t that striking? The risen Christ is RIGHT THERE, walking beside them, listening to their pain, engaging in their conversation .. and yet they do not know it is Him.
Why?
Because sometimes grief blinds us.
Sometimes disappointment clouds our vision.
Sometimes when life doesn’t turn out the way we expected, we assume that God is absent when, in fact, He is closer than ever. <PAUSE>
As they walk, Jesus listens patiently. He lets them tell their story. He hears their sadness. He doesn’t interrupt or correct them right away.
And then, gently, He begins to speak. He opens the Scriptures to them. He helps them see that their story is not over, that their suffering is not meaningless, that God’s plan is bigger than they had imagined. <PAUSE>
That’s the first movement of this story: Jesus meets US on OUR road, even when we don’t recognise Him.
He comes to us in our confusion, in our doubt, in our disappointment. He doesn’t wait for us to have perfect faith. He meets us exactly where we are. <PAUSE>
But the story doesn’t end there.
When they reach Emmaus, the disciples invite Jesus to stay with them and at the table, something familiar happens.
Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it to them.
And in that moment their eyes are opened. They recognise Him.
It is in the breaking of the bread that they finally see. What they could not see on the road, they now see at the table. What was hidden becomes revealed.
THEN - the moment they recognise Him, He disappears from their sight.
BECAUSE now they no longer need to see Him with their eyes; they know Him in their hearts.
This is the second movement of the story: Jesus is revealed in relationship, in hospitality, in the breaking of bread. <PAUSE>
THERE IS SOMETHING VERY POWERFUL HERE FOR US TO REMEMBER …
How often do we miss Christ because we are looking for Him in dramatic, extraordinary, ‘FLASH-POINT’ ways when - - - - - He is present in the ordinary?
In a conversation.
In Scripture.
In a shared meal.
In a quiet moment of grace. <PAUSE>
Then comes the final movement.
These two disciples, who had been walking away from Jerusalem, now turn around immediately and go back.
Even though it is late.
Even though the journey is long.
They go back because everything has changed.
They came to Emmaus weighed down with sorrow but now they are filled with joy.
They came feeling lost but now they have purpose again.
They came walking away from hope but now hope is alive within them.
That is what encountering the risen Christ does …
It doesn’t just comfort us - it transforms us. It turns us around. It sends us back into the world with a story to tell:
“The Lord has risen indeed!”
So what does this mean for us today?
It means that if you are walking through a season of confusion or disappointment, if the world seems full of threats and bluster, violence and confrontation, if life has not turned out the way you hoped - - - you are not alone on the road.
Christ DOES walk beside you. Even if you do not recognise Him. Even if your eyes are clouded by grief or doubt.
He is there—in the conversation, in the Word, in the quiet stirring of your heart.
Perhaps, just perhaps, He is waiting for an invitation from YOU. Just like that invitation from those two disciples and … the words of invitation we need to say to the Risen Christ are :
“Stay with me.” <PAUSE>
When we invite Him in - into our homes, into our lives, into our struggles, our eyes begin to open.
We begin to see differently.
We begin to recognise His presence where we hadn’t noticed it before.
Then slowly, quietly, our concerns are calmed, our fears are stilled and hope returns.
When that happens, we cannot stay the same.
We turn around.
We go back.
We share the good news. <PAUSE>
So today, whatever road you are walking, but especially if it feels like a road of loss, uncertainty, or searching remember this:
You are not walking it alone.
The risen Christ walks beside you.
He speaks into your story.
He reveals Himself in unexpected ways … and …
He leads you - step by step - back to hope.
May you ask The Lord to “Stay with me” on this day and forevermore.
I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. <AMINE>
Pause and Reflect
Just take a moment now to pause. Bow your head, close your eyes.
Allow these words of Holy Scripture and this interpretation of them today to speak to you.
An Affirmation of Our Faith
Let us affirm our faith by saying aloud, and together, "The Apostles Creed":
... and now let us pray for the Church, the World, and Ourselves, giving thanks for God's sacrifice and goodness.
Let us pray aloud, and together:
Holy God, as we gather in prayer, in the presence of the Risen Christ, walk with us as individuals and as our faith community on our own Road to Emmaus. Open our eyes, as you did with Jesus' companions, to the reality and truth of the resurrection.
<longer silence for personal reflection>
We pray for our all who seek to walk with the Risen Christ as they bring a light to those in darkness and words of love to those in need of comfort.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Creator God Your Son walked the roads and tracks of the Holy Land and taught us to seek Your hand in the beauty and wonders of earth and sea and the sky. We so often see too much of the evidence of poor stewardship in our surroundings and it is easy to forget that the world belongs to You. Help us to recognise Your presence in our modern world, and help us to use more wisely the resources of the earth.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Lord, in this world which often seems filled with antagonism, division, mistrust and hatred - we pray for world peace in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
We pray for countries, and particularly their elected leaders, to find diplomatic solutions that will bring harmony between nations.
We pray for wars to end.
We give thanks for Your promise that one day there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. Until that day, we pray for your continued grace and goodness to overflow in this world so that humans can live alongside one another respectfully, allowing for mutual flourishing.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Father God we thank you for the gift of Your Son, our Saviour, who walks with us on our life’s journey. We pray for all who travel with us in our family, among our friends and within our community. We pray for a deepening awareness of our need for one another and of Your image in the hearts of everyone we meet.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Loving God, send Your Son to walk with those we know who are going through a time of suffering and pain. Help us to always be aware of one another's needs and to respond accordingly and assist them with words and deeds on to the road of recovery.
Give the song of joy to all who are now on the road to recovery and recuperation and the song of thanks to all who helped them on that road.
We especially raise before You now all those who have asked for our prayers from around the world … those we know in New Zealand, in Singapore, in Argentina, in France, in Australia, in the US, in Canada, in Austria, in Ukraine, in China, in Germany, in the Czech Republic, and any others we now name aloud, or in the silence of our hearts, and those who are known only by You.
<short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
Merciful God accompany those travelling, through the valley of death and may our love and prayers support those who walk that journey today.
We especially raise before you at this time our recently departed sisters and brothers, Mary (England), Mary-Kate (USA), Graeme (NZ), Bill (UK), Bradley (USA).
We pray for all the faithful departed, may they now rest in eternal peace as they most surely have risen in glory.
<Short silence> Lord, in your Mercy: Hear our Prayer
In a moment of silence we pray for ourselves, our families, friends, for all whom we love and for our personal ministries.
Make us worthy of the sacrifice and resurrection of Your Son.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Faithful God as we go from this time of prayer, we thank you for walking alongside us wherever we travel and, if like those first disciples, we fail to be aware of You forgive us for our human weakness and open our eyes to see You as a constant companion and friend.
(Short Silence) Lord, in Your mercy: hear our prayer
Forth in the peace of Christ we go; Christ to the world with joy we bring; Christ in our minds, Christ on our lips, Christ in our hearts, the world’s true King.
Merciful father: accept these prayers for the sake of Your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN.
Remembering that we are confident to pray this day, and every day, because Jesus Christ continues to teach us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Let us conclude our prayers by praying together and aloud:
God of mercy,
you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice,
and have promised to hear the prayers
of two or three who agree in your name,
fulfil now, we pray,
the prayers and longings of your people
as may be best for us and for your kingdom.
Grant us in this world to know your truth,
and in the world to come to see your glory. Amen.
The Blessing
May The Risen Lord Christ turn His face towards each and every one of you.
May He cause His light to shine upon you, and
may He grant you His peace, and
The blessing of Almighty God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and all of those whom you love,
on this day and forever more.
A Closing Hymn:
Let us conclude our worship today by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we unite in another hymn our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
The Dismissal
Go now, go out into the world
to love and serve The Lord.
Go in peace.
AMEN, we go in the name of Christ.
