Image: Emmaus
© Jan Richardson
Reading from the Gospels, Easter 3, Year A: Luke 24:13-35
Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
—Luke 24:31
I am thinking about the Emmaus story that comes to us on the third Sunday in this season of resurrection. I am so grateful for how Christ meets us in the breaking of bread, and how, even (and sometimes especially) in our deepest losses, a table can become a holy place that invites us to recognize him in each other. So today, in whatever hope or hurt or hunger you carry, this blessing is for you.
Table Blessing
To your table
you bid us come.
You have set the places;
you have poured the wine;
and there is always room,
you say,
for one more.
And so we come.
From the streets
and from the alleys
we come.
From the deserts
and from the hills
we come.
From the ravages of poverty
and from the palaces of privilege
we come.
Running,
limping,
carried,
we come.
We are bloodied with our wars;
we are wearied with our wounds;
we carry our dead within us,
and we reckon with their ghosts.
We hold the seeds of healing;
we dream of a new creation;
we know the things
that make for peace,
and we struggle
to give them wings.
And yet, to your table
we come.
Hungering for your bread,
we come;
thirsting for your wine,
we come;
singing your song
in every language,
speaking your name
in every tongue,
in conflict and in communion,
in discord and in desire,
we come,
O God of Wisdom,
we come.
—Jan Richardson
from How the Stars Get in Your Bones: A Book of Blessings
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Using Jan’s artwork
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April 18, 2026 at 4:13 PM |
bless you, queen of blessings. i have always considered my scratched, and faded old maple kitchen table an altar of the highest calling. it is where bread is broken and hearts sometimes are patched back together. bless you for blessing our slabs of wood, formica, plain old plywood. wherever it is we gather…..
April 19, 2026 at 8:55 AM |
I love your writings..so thoughtful and full of love ❤️ and hope!! I hope all is well with you and yours!! My husband., Ed and I are living Rockville, MD. Thank you for your gifts of words that keep us connected and inspire me to remember I am loved by God in Christ. Jesus!!
Blessings Abound, Sue Peterson
April 29, 2026 at 2:08 PM |
Jan, thank you so much for your consistently beautiful work in words and pictures. This week’s poem is especially meaningful as it reminds me of my years as pastor of an ELCA church in downtown Dayton, OH, where homeless and others facing life’s cruel hardships were welcome for breakfast and worship every Sunday. May God continue to bless you in your hope-filled ministry.
FYI – if you have 4 minutes, the lyrics of the song, “The Invitation” might resonate with you. https://youtu.be/Z3vLs54F4uY?si=8Gy-vm5o9I2adpaz.
With Hope, always ~ Bob