Grits and the Gospel - April 19, 2026

Hello friends and welcome to this week's episode of grits in the gospel. My name is Reverend Katie Griffiths and I am so excited to be with you this Sunday the third Sunday of Easter as we move through this time of the liturgical calendar and celebrate the risen Lord and many ways of his time here on earth before he moves on up to heaven I Am so thankful that you are joining me this week next week There will be no episode. I am actually going to the 200th the bicentennial Celebration of Mulberry Street United Methodist Church in Macon, Georgia. That is my home church that is the church that helped me to birth this call to ministry and I'm happy to be able to celebrate with them next weekend There will not be a podcast next Sunday. So just be aware As we come together today Let us sorry Maggie is now awake. So there's no telling what you're gonna hear Let us come together and worship and in praise the Lord be with you and also with you today's epistle lesson comes from the first Letter of Peter chapter 1 verses 17 through 23 here now the word of the Lord if you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person's work live and fear during the time of your exile You know that you were ransom for the feudal conduct inherited from your ancestors Not with perishable things like silver and gold But with the precious blood of Christ like that of a lamb without defect or blemish He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake Through him you have come to trust in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory So that your trust and hope are in God Now that you have purified your souls, but your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual affection love one another deeply from the heart You have been born anew not of perishable But of imperishable seed through the living and enduring word of God Thus ends the first reading Let us come together now and be reminded of those words of our faith Paying special attention to the words of the risen Savior as we work through this season of Easter Friends, what do we believe? I believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only son our Lord Was conceived by the Holy Spirit born of the Virgin Mary Suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified dead and buried the third day He rose from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead I believe in the Holy Spirit the Holy Catholic Church the communion of saints the forgiveness of sins The resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. I'm in Let us pray to Lord we come to you today Just so humbled that you gave us the example of breaking bread together How a meal can heal a heart how a meal can build a bridge? We are thankful for that example and look to find ways to do that every day in our lives and in our church Here's now as we pray those words that your son our Savior taught us to pray our father who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us Leave us not into temptation But deliver us from evil for that is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen Today's gospel lesson comes from the gospel according to Luke verses 13 through 35 here now the word of the Lord now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem and Talking with each other about all these things that had happened While they were talking and discussing Jesus himself came near and went with them But their eyes were kept from recognizing him And he said to them What are you discussing with each other while you're you walk along? They stood still looking sad One of them whose name was Cleopas Answered him. Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place in these days He asked them what things and they replied the things about Jesus of Nazareth Who was a prophet mighty and deed and word before God and all the people and how our chief priests and leaders Handed him over to the to be condemned to death and crucified him But we had hoped that he was the one who redeemed Israel Yes, and besides all this it is now the third day since these things took place Moreover some women of our group Astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning and when they did not find his body there They came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said he was alive Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said But they didn't see him And he said to them oh how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all the prophets have declared Was it not necessarily that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory? Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets he interpreted to them the things about himself and all the scriptures And as they came near the village to which they were going he walked ahead as if he were going on But they urged him strongly saying stay with us because it's almost evening and the day is now nearly over So he went to stay with them When he was at the table with them he took bread blessed it and broke it and gave it to them Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he vanished from their sight They said to each other We're not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road While he was opening the scriptures to us The same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together They were saying the Lord has risen indeed and he has appeared to Simon Then they told what had happened on the road and How he had been made known to them and the breaking of the bread The word of God for us the people of God Thanks be to God Would you pray with me? Do with this beautiful story of the road to Emmaus is one that has inspired many generations Help it be fresh and new to us and in different ways than we have ever dreamed or imagined Before let the words of my mouth and the meditation of all of our hearts be acceptable in my sight Oh, Lord our strengths and our Redeemer I'm in Several years ago now is coming out of a tragic life situation I moved back home to Macon with a heart that needed mending and a hope for a life full of joy. I Found that life at a carriage house apartment around the corner from my grandmother It was a as beautiful as a movie set and was a safe and happy place to live with something always in bloom Always in bloom It was in my childhood neighborhood with familiar faces and comforting streets I'd known the people I was moving in with they refused for me to call them landlords for many years But not as more than good neighbors The wife Amanda had actually worked for my dad as a paralegal for a while and the husband James is a physician And my internal medicine group It was a beautiful cottage That we named the not caught since it was on Nottingham Drive. I Had no idea that this family my landlords and my acquaintances would become very much like my family and It all started with a dinner that first week. I moved in Amanda is originally from Texas and an expert chef and baker So when she asked me over for dinner to have Mexican food, I had no idea just how good it would be But the best part is that we ate in their formal dining room by candlelight Tamales and tacos with homemade guacamole on fine china with candles burning was just what I needed The perfect balance of easygoing delicious food and their finest wares Let me know that I would always be welcome and that I was worth the effort it took to make me feel cared for Breaking bread together that night began to heal my heart Simon Peter had a lot to learn on the road to Emmaus He had just denied that he even knew Jesus three times He had been ashamed and sad and hurt by his own actions and by the death of his friend Maybe his heartache was the thing that kept him from seeing Jesus at first Maybe it was his guilt that kept his eyes from recognizing Jesus No matter what his past was no matter what mistakes he made Jesus still loved Simon Peter I think Jesus used this trip on the road not to not only to open his eyes But it to inspire many people who would hear the story And it all centered around a meal at the table I think two things happen in the story that are important for our own faith journey The first thing that happens is that these men on the road welcome who they think is a stranger into their house They invite him to come in and stay with them Not realizing that the man on the road is Jesus They tell him the story of their savior and ask him to come into the house with them I think without that step Jesus may not have revealed themselves to him Himself to them It was that care for neighbor that Peter showed that helped Jesus see that Peter had been redeemed from his denials And that Peter was a disciple at his core And that Peter was going to go on and be that rock of the church that Jesus had first called him And because he took that step, because he shared his faith and welcomed his neighbor Jesus let his eyes be opened to him over a meal For Mary Magdalene her eyes were open when Jesus said her name For Peter his were open when he heard the words that must have meant a great deal to him That blessing over the meal was all it took to prove to the one who denied him That Jesus was indeed risen and was the savior that he had promised he would become Jesus often used the act of eating with people to make a point He ate with those that society thought were outcasts like the poor and the lepers He ate with the church leaders and Pharisees that were constantly questioning him and his authority He ate with friends to celebrate holidays and weddings He used meals to make miracles like the feeding of the 5,000 And when he needed a rest from ministry he ate with his friends Mary and Martha And here after a seven mile life-changing walk He broke bread with the one who betrayed him to show him that he was loved and forgiven Having a meal together is a powerful way to build community I love that food insecurity is one of our main missional focuses here at St. Paul Chapel United Methodist Church It is important to help fill that desperate need for our neighbors But what if we went one step further? What if we not only give food away But find ways to sit together and have a meal It gives people dignity and makes them feel important when you pull up a chair next to them and have a meal We did that at Christmas with our friends up at Byronville United Methodist Church in the food pantry mission We broke bread and built community with our neighbors at the Easter egg hunt at St. Mark Have I told y'all I'm still dreaming about that dirty rice? Because I am But more than that I'm dreaming about ways to let people really see Jesus in the breaking of bread together I'm dreaming of meals we can serve the Wesley students next year They certainly know how to build community over a plate of food Even here on the early days of our congregation some of the best times we shared And getting to know each other were over a plate of fried pork chops and good desserts What meals are you dreaming about that we can have together to build community? How can we build bridges and show the love of Jesus over a meal with people who society thinks are less than Or that we should not be eating with It worked for me here at St. Paul the very first Sunday that I was here you had a reception for me We got to know each other and then when I left honey was there waiting for me to find her I gained a dog and many friends that night I've gone on to forge friendships with you over meals and snacks You have welcomed me into your homes for holidays and birthdays You're willing to be seen in public with me in restaurants We've had a Bible study group over meals at restaurants here in town that have sparked conversations of life and faith Jesus knew what he was doing He showed us what to do not just with his words but with his actions Eating with people Getting to know your neighbors Talk to people and make others start talking about the things we are doing in the name of Jesus God's love spread over chicken salad and cookies at the cafe Or a meal at the Wesley house or sitting around a dining room table broken and desperate to feel whole again Jesus is there at every one of those meals It is the continuation of the foundational work he did in his time on earth It is amazing what a taco and some guacamole can do for the soul Slowly but surely My heart healed at the knock cut I got many opportunities to eat at that dining room table James and Amanda welcomed me and invited me to every party and dinner they had And they had a lot A good meal and an even better conversation went a long way to showing me what a new and fully healed life could look like And when that day came The day that I had a new calling to a new mission They did for me one last time what they offered that first week They got some food and gathered people to share it with me That time in my life was transformative in many ways I would not be here preaching I would not have had the courage or the heart to leave them if they had not had all of those opportunities to break bread together There is a lot that needs to be healed in this world There are divides along racial lines, different classes, different religions, different political parties, and issues of gender and marriage Jesus shows us Jesus lived out Jesus healed people And in this story he healed Simon Peter by simply having a good conversation and a meal together The Lord has risen indeed and he appeared to Simon Then they told what happened on the road and how he had made known to them and the breaking of bread It was so with the disciples Let it be so with us on our road of mission and ministry Amen As we go throughout this week let us be warriors for those who need to be fed Let us find opportunities not just to give food but to break bread together Because in life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us We are never alone Thanks be to God Amen