Here is a recap of my Sermon for May 18, 2025 ✨ Sermon Recap — May 18, 2025“When the Road Seems Long”📖 Luke 24:13–35
As we continue exploring Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances, this week’s message took us on a 7-mile walk with two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Their journey—filled with sorrow, confusion, and spiritual discouragement—mirrors the difficult roads we sometimes travel. But what happened on that road changed everything.
🛤️ The Road of DisappointmentThe disciples were leaving Jerusalem, the very place of promise and miracles. Emmaus, a village of little significance, became symbolic of retreat and resignation. Though they had heard the resurrection report, disappointment had clouded their vision and dulled their hearing.
“We trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel…” (v. 21)
They couldn’t reconcile what they hoped for with what had happened—and so they walked away from what God was doing.

👀 Jesus Draws Near (Even When We Don’t See Him)Jesus joined them on the road, but “their eyes were holden”—they didn’t recognize Him. This wasn’t just physical blindness; it reflected a spiritual truth:
Disappointment can keep us from seeing that Jesus is with us.
Jesus gently engaged them, asking questions not for His benefit but to draw out their hearts, their hurt, and their broken hopes.

🔇 When Disappointment Dulls Our HearingThough they had heard the testimony of the resurrection, they didn’t believe it. Why?
Because their pain shaped their perception.
“When we’re disappointed, we tend to interpret truth through the lens of pain, instead of letting truth interpret our pain.”
Instead of believing God's Word, they were letting their feelings redefine their faith.

🔥 The Word That Rekindles HopeJesus didn’t perform a miracle. Instead, He gave them a Bible study for the ages—from Moses to the Prophets, showing how the entire Old Testament pointed to Him.
He gave them the “box cover” of the puzzle—so all the scattered pieces began to make sense.
This shows us that recognition comes through revelation. They didn’t see Jesus clearly until the Scriptures were opened.
“Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

🍞 A Sacred Moment at the TableWhen they reached Emmaus, they begged Him to stay. Around the table, Jesus broke the bread, just as He did at the Last Supper. And in that sacred moment:
“Their eyes were opened, and they knew Him.”
This speaks to the power of communion and personal fellowship—we come to know Jesus not just through facts, but through intimate moments of faith and surrender.

💡 Hearts That Burn, Feet That RunOnce their eyes were opened and their hearts burned with truth, they couldn’t sit still. Though it was night and dangerous to travel, they immediately returned to Jerusalem.
Emmaus was meant to be their escape, but now they sprinted back into the mission.

💬 Final TakeawayLike the Emmaus disciples, we all face seasons where the road seems long—where faith feels dim, and God seems distant. But the truth is:

• 🕊️ Jesus is walking beside us, even when we don’t recognize Him.
  
• 📖 His Word has the power to awaken hope and renew our vision.
  
• 🍞 He is known in the breaking of bread—when we sit with Him in fellowship.
  
• 🔥 And when our hearts burn with truth, we are compelled to share the good news:
  

“The Lord is risen indeed!” (Luke 24:34)

Here is a summary of my Mothers Day Sermon on May 11, 2025: 

🌷 Motherhood in the Midst of PainMother’s Day Sermon — May 11, 2025
Text: Luke 2:25–35; John 19:25–27
🔹 Sermon Summary:Motherhood is a sacred calling—filled with tenderness, strength, and often deep pain. This Mother’s Day, we honored moms by reflecting on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the quiet sorrows she bore as she trusted God through it all. Her story helps us see how God never wastes a mother’s tears.
🔹 Key Highlights:

• Mary: A Model of Motherhood and Faith
  
  • Luke 2:25–35 introduces Simeon’s prophecy, which foretells both the glory and pain Mary would face.
    
  • Mary would suffer—not just in childbirth, but watching her Son be rejected, mocked, and crucified.
    
  • Yet, she trusted God’s purpose even through her pain.
    
• Jesus: The Dividing Line
  
  • Simeon declared Jesus would cause the fall and rising of many—He would divide humanity.
    
  • Jesus is a stumbling stone to the proud, but a rock of salvation to the humble.
    
  • Mary was told “a sword will pierce your soul” (Luke 2:35)—a foreshadowing of the cross.
    
• At the Cross: Pain and Provision
  
  • In John 19:25–27, we see Mary faithfully standing near her crucified Son.
    
  • Even in agony, Jesus cared for His mother, entrusting her to John—reminding us that the family of faith is formed at the foot of the cross.
    
• God Does Not Waste a Mother’s Tears
  
  • We reflected on other faithful mothers:
    
    • Jochebed (Exodus 2) let go of baby Moses, trusting God to protect and provide.
      
    • Hannah (1 Samuel 1–2) gave her long-prayed-for son Samuel back to God.
      
  • Like them, modern moms must often let go in faith, trusting God’s purpose in their child’s life.
    
• Biblical Encouragement for Mothers:
  
  • Psalm 126:5: “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.”
    
  • Psalm 56:8: “Put thou my tears into thy bottle...”
    
  • Charles Spurgeon: “The tears of God’s saints are as precious as diamonds...”
    

🔹 Final Words to Mothers:We honor you not just for what you do,
But for who you are—warriors of prayer, givers of grace,
Bearers of unseen burdens.
God sees. God knows. God rewards.
🔹 Scripture of Blessing:Proverbs 31:28–29
“Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.”

A Mother’s Tears
She rocked the cradle with gentle grace,
And dreamed God’s dreams in quiet place.
She bore the weight no one could see--
The joy, the fear, the mystery.
She prayed when nights were long and dim,
And gave her children back to Him.
Through every ache, she stood and stayed--
By love, by faith, by hope she prayed.
The sword that pierced her soul was real,
Yet deeper still was love’s appeal.
For every tear the silence heard,
God bottled each and kept His Word.
So here’s to mothers, strong and true--
Your hidden work, God sees it too.
He does not waste the pain you bear--
He weaves His glory even there.
​

A devotion from my sermon on May 4th:


🌊 Restored and RecommissionedJohn 21:1–19
A Devotional Reflection
Have you ever felt like a failure in your walk with Christ? Like you've let Him down, or that your past disqualifies you from His purposes? You're not alone—and you're not disqualified.
Jesus’ post-resurrection encounter with Peter in John 21 is a powerful reminder that our failures are not the end of our story. In fact, they can become the starting place of restoration.

🐟 A Familiar Sea, A Familiar Failure(John 21:1–3)

• 🎣 Peter returns to fishing, the life he once knew. He’s discouraged, directionless, and possibly disillusioned after denying Jesus.
• 🚫 But even in the familiar, his efforts come up empty—a picture of what life becomes when we drift from God’s call.

💡 Devotional Thought: When we return to old habits to fill spiritual voids, they never satisfy. Jesus gently calls us back to purpose.

☀️ A Dawn of Grace(John 21:4–8)

• 👀 Jesus appears on the shore—but they don’t recognize Him at first.
• 🎯 He directs them to cast the net again, and miraculously, the net is full—just like in their first calling (Luke 5).
• 💨 John recognizes Him, and Peter, ever impulsive, jumps into the sea to get to Jesus.

💡 Devotional Thought: Jesus meets us at our lowest and reawakens our hearts. His presence turns failure into recognition and restoration.

🔥 Breakfast with the Savior(John 21:9–14)

• 🍞 Jesus has already prepared a meal for them. He doesn’t scold—He serves.
• ✝️ This quiet meal echoes His grace--He welcomes us back before we even apologize.

💡 Devotional Thought: Jesus doesn’t just tolerate us after failure—He prepares a place for us to be with Him again.

❤️ “Do You Love Me?”(John 21:15–17)

• 💔 Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves Him, matching Peter’s three denials.
• 🐑 Each response is met with a call: “Feed my lambs… tend my sheep.”
• 🔄 This isn’t punishment—it’s reinstatement. Jesus is restoring Peter and recommissioning him for ministry.

💡 Devotional Thought: Jesus doesn’t just forgive—He entrusts us again. He sees what we can become, not just what we’ve done.

🛤️ A Future with Purpose(John 21:18–19)

• 🕊️ Jesus tells Peter that following Him will be costly—but glorious.
• ✝️ “Follow Me,” He says again—not as a fresh call, but as a restored one.

💡 Devotional Thought: Restoration is not just about healing—it’s about stepping into your God-given mission again.

🙌 Final EncouragementNo matter how deep your failure feels, Jesus still calls your name.

• 🧡 He prepares a place for you at His fire.
• 🗣️ He speaks your heart’s language.
• 🐾 He calls you to follow again.

“God is not finished with you. Your worst moment does not define you--Jesus does.”