Welcome to the Lexington Emmaus Community!

Next Gathering

Date: Friday, May 3

TimE: 6:00 Fellowship

6:30 Pot LUCK DINNER

7:15 Worship

place: TRINITY HILL Methodist Church

3600 Armstrong Mill Road, Lexington, KY 40517

From the Lay Director:Wally Briggs

As I sit at my computer typing this article for the newsletter my spiritual senses are heightened because it is the middle of Holy Week. Following this story of Jesus from His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, His anger (yes, he was human) at the Temple, His teachings in the form of parables, Mary's annointing and Judas' deal, the feet washing, the Last Supper, the betrayal, arrest and trial, the crucifixion. The last four falling on Good Friday. What was so good about Good Friday? If you have never seen this I suggest you watch it.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzxXvEtf9D0

The story of Holy Week gives us insight into what Jesus encountered during this six day period. From the cheers of the crowd praising “Hosanna” to the shouts, of maybe the same people, screaming “crucify”. Do I turn that quickly from Christ? Do I praise Him one minute then allow sin to separate me from Him the next minute?

I was given the opportunity to give a short devotion on Good Friday at Trinity Hill. There are seven speakers talking about the last seven words/phrases of Jesus during His crucifixion. I was entrusted to talk about John 19:26-27. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

This meditation reflects the humanity of Jesus. As fully God and fully man, Jesus' concern for Mary was not just as a Savior, but as a son. His compassion for His earthly mother reminds us that Jesus also cares for our well-being and direction in life, even when we don't understand God's plans. Yet here was Jesus, intensely suffering, but thinking of the needs of the mother who had loved Him and making sure she’d be cared for by the disciple he loved. And as Jesus asked the disciple to care for Mary, He asks us to care for others on His behalf.

In 2009 my family dynamic changed. Separating and then divorcing physically took me away from my two daughters. They were and are still in my heart but the trajectory of our relationships changed course. I soon came to realize that as that family dynamic had been altered, a new family was being formed. My family here at Trinity Hill. As Jesus asks us to care for others, I became aware that Trinity Hill was caring for and about me. Through this church and Emmaus I learned to love and to be loved. I learned to care and be cared for. I was welcomed into the Trinity Hill family with open arms even though I did not feel worthy.

I am truly blessed to be part of this Emmaus family. From my original table of Luke to the current board of directors and all the men and women that I have worked with/for over the past eleven years. From my reunion group to this new group of pilgrims of walk #149. My inner circle to my expanding outer circle. I love this community and you are a blessing as I continue my spiritual journey.

As Mercy Me's “I can Only Imagine” plays in the background I think about what the disciples went through on Saturday. Grief, doubt, fear, shock and hopelessness and other emotions ran rampant through the group. They did have each other, like a family, to lean on and talk to. They didn't know the rest of the story like we do, even though Jesus tried to tell them. We have hope because we know what happened. We have faith because we know what happened. We believe because we know what happened. We can wait until Sunday because we know what happened. HE IS RISEN !!!!

De Colores / Fly With Christ - Wally