St Mary's

Today Talk from Steve

19th April 2026

Broken Hope?

Luke 24 and Acts 2

Let me start with a question that doesn’t need a show of hands, just an honest moment.

If you are anything like me. Have you ever found yourself walking away from some big Christian event or conference, replaying events back in your head, thinking,

“I really thought God was going to do something different this time?”

You don’t get angry exactly, maybe a little disappointed, confused or a possibly deflated. You still believe, but things haven’t worked out the way you hoped.

If that’s you, then you’re in very good company, believe me, I have been there.

1. Walking with Heavy Hearts

Luke 24 introduces us to two disciples walking away from Jerusalem. That detail matters. Because Jerusalem is where everything happened, Jesus’ arrest, his trial, his crucifixion. It’s also where the women have just reported an empty tomb. And yet these two characters are heading in the opposite direction, toward a village called Emmaus!

They’re not running. They’re not being dramatic. They’re just… walking away.

And as they walk, they talk. They turn things over again and again. “We thought he was the one. They said”

That sentence carries so much weight. It’s the sound of hope collapsing.

They had believed Jesus would redeem Israel. And then the cross happened. Even the resurrection reports feel unreal, half-believed. Hope is now only flickering.

And right there, right in the middle of their disappointment, Jesus shows up. But they don’t recognise him.

Let’s just think about that for a moment.

That’s important, because I believe sometimes, Jesus comes close to us, not with a fanfare from a company of Angels, but quietly, anonymously, he moves in alongside us on the road we’re already walking. Will we recognise him in that moment, or will that encounter become more clear further down the line?

2. Jesus Walks with Us Before He Explains Things

So back with these two hopeless disciples walking, heads down.
not recognising their new arrival. What does Jesus do first?

Well he doesn’t correct them straight away. He doesn’t say, “Where are you both off too? “Why are you leaving?” or even “Come on, keep up.”

He walks with them. He listens. He lets them speak.

I think that’s deeply encouraging. It tells us that Jesus is not threatened by our own confusion or disappointed prayers. He’s not offended by our honest conversations. He’s patient enough to hear us out.

And then, only then, he begins to open the scriptures. Step by step, he helps the despondent travellers to see that the Messiah’s suffering wasn’t a tragic mistake; it was part of the plan. That glory doesn’t bypass pain; it comes through it.

Later, the disciples will say their hearts were burning as he spoke. But they didn’t feel that way at the time. Often understanding comes after obedience, reflection, and walking on with Jesus, not before.

3. Recognition in the Breaking of Bread

When they all arrive in Emmaus, Jesus acts as if he’s going further. Again, there’s something very human here. He doesn’t force himself on them. He waits to be invited.

And when they do invite him in, when they stop and share space, food, and time, things change.

In that familiar act of breaking bread, their eyes are opened, and suddenly they knew: It was him. Jesus, the one they had followed, believed and gained so much from.

And then just as suddenly as he arrived, he was gone.

But here’s the amazing thing: we read they don’t collapse into despair again. They did not say, “Oh no, we’ve lost him!”

Instead, they look at each other and say, “Didn’t something stir in us while he was speaking?”

They realised that even when they didn’t recognise him, he was already present. Sharing, walking, transforming them.

That’s such good news for anyone who’s ever thought, “I wish I could feel more of God’s presence.”

Sometimes clarity comes after the journey, not during it. Don’t we say today, it’s the journey that is just as important as the destination?

Perhaps we can take more time to reflect just where it is we are going and with who.

4. From Walking Away to Running Back
Now back to this dusty long road, and the same two disciples who were slowly heading away from Jerusalem now turn around and run back, at night, tired, but alive with purpose.

Because meeting the risen Jesus doesn’t just comfort us. It significantly changes us. And that takes us straight into the book of Acts.

5. From Private Encounter to Public Declaration (Acts 2)

In Acts 2, we’re in Jerusalem again. But this time the atmosphere is totally different.

Peter, the same man who denied Jesus weeks earlier, is standing up in public, with confidence. He speaks openly about Jesus’ death, but also boldly about his resurrection.

The heart of his message is this: death could not hold Jesus. The grave didn’t win. What looked like an ending was actually God opening the door to new life.

And then Peter lands it where it really hurts and really heals. He tells them plainly that the Jesus they rejected has been made both Lord and Messiah by God.

That’s not meant to crush them. It’s meant to wake them up. And it works.

6. Conviction That Leads to Hope

The crowd doesn’t react with defensiveness. Instead, Luke says they are cut to the heart.

That phrase matters. This isn’t shame for the sake of shame. This is conviction that invites change.

And they ask the most important question anyone can ask: “What shall we do?”

Peter’s response is simple, practical, and hope-filled:

1.     Turn around.

2.     Be baptised.

3.     Start again.

4.     Receive forgiveness.

5.     Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In other words: This isn’t the end of your story. It’s just the beginning.

7. Today this is the Same Risen Jesus, with the Same Invitation

If you hold Luke 24 and Acts 2 together, a pattern emerges.

In Luke 24, Jesus walks with confused individuals and opens their understanding. In Acts 2, the risen Jesus, through the Spirit, calls whole crowds into transformation.

Private encounter leads to public impact.

And here’s the encouragement: the invitation hasn’t changed.

If we feel like the Emmaus disciples, walking with questions, disappointment, unmet expectations.

Jesus can meet with us on the road, on our journey. He’s not waiting for us to have a perfect faith. He’s willing to start with an honest conversation.

If you feel like the crowd in Acts, aware you’ve missed something, longing for a reset, Jesus offers repentance without rejection, forgiveness without conditions, and new life without delay.

8. Resurrection Changes Direction

The resurrection doesn’t just prove something about Jesus. It changes something about us.

It turns walkers-away into runners-back. It turns locked rooms into free spaces. It turns fear into courage. It turns endings into beginnings.

And it does so gently, patiently, and powerfully.

9. We can still Encounter Jesus

Let me leave you with this.

If our heart and mind feels heavy today, that doesn’t mean Jesus isn’t nearby. If our faith feels unsure, that doesn’t mean the story is over. If we are asking, “What now?”, then we are exactly where Jesus loves to start.

Sometimes Jesus opens our eyes in a moment. Sometimes he warms our hearts over a longer journey. But he is always moving us toward life.

So, let’s keep walking. Let’s Keep listening. Let’s all Keep inviting him to stay.

Let’s pray.

Jesus, thank you that you meet us on the road, even when we’re tired, confused, or disappointed.

Thank you that you’re patient with our questions and gentle with our hearts. Help us to recognise you in the ordinary moments, to listen when you speak, and to invite you to stay with us.

Where hope feels broken, breathe new life.
Turn us around where we need re‑orienting and give us courage to keep walking with you. We thank you that Your resurrection still changes direction, still brings hope, and still starts new beginnings. Amen.