Here are a number of songs that connect with this week’s scripture reading, perhaps you might listen to them and create your own playlist for the week.

If you have favourite songs of resurrection and hope please email them to Darren for him to include in future playlists.

I Love The Keeper of Life (Psalm 116) – Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan

Psalm 116 – Sons of Korah

Psalm 116 – Robbie Seay Band

Praise The Lord Every Day – Yancy (Great for Young Children)

In Christ Alone – Page CXVI

In Christ Alone – Virtual Choir

In Christ Alone – Lauren Diagle

Bring heaven to earth, Lord (We are blessed) – And Flannagan

Hear Our Praises – Hillsong

Sing, Sing, Sing – Chris Tomlin

Thine Be The Glory

Alleluia Alleluia

Sing Out, Earth and Skies

Make Me a channel of Your Peace

God Make Me A channel Of Your Peace – Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan

Show me The Path of Life – Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan

An old friend Shawn Whelan has written a song this week and shared it online, it’s a demo and brand new, but I really like it. Check out Road To Emmaus here.

Sourced from Mucky Paws
4th may 2011
Roddy Hamilton

This was originally designed for two readers, so, if you find yourself alone, perhaps you might find another to read it with, give them a call and read it together?

How did we not see??
Why did it take so long to recognise him, the man who sat with the leper?and spoke to him, and touched his wounds, and spoke about healing, a healing that was more than making him better but restored him to family and community, reborn, reborn, reborn…

…reborn, reborn like Jairus’ daughter, lying dead in her room,
her father out searching for a miracle, and finding Jesus,
who, in heaven’s own time,
sat quietly with her,
and called her back into life, into life, into life…

…into a life, into a life that was now lived generously
for Zacchaeus repaid all those he had taken from.
From tree climber to social climber,
outcast to newly cast,
forgiven and accepted
by grace as Jesus ate with him, with him, with him…

…with him, with him, it was always an adventure
that took us to the borders of country, culture and faith,
where we met people on the edge
we weren’t meant to speak to,
but he did, the woman at the well,
who offered to draw water for him,
as he offered living water instead, instead, instead…

…instead, instead of going to the temple for prayer,
he threw the tables,
freed the doves, rolled the coins,
and broke the moneychangers.
This was the kind of prayer we all wanted!
Except, we used words, he used actions, actions, actions…

…actions, actions speak louder than words,
and as he took the bread,
and blessed it and broke it,
sparks flew,
light escaped,
heaven erupted in a thousand shards
as in a holy explosion, we saw him, saw him, saw him…

…saw him, saw him among us
and we wondered about a bread
that could contain such a miracle,
and knew it wasn’t the bread,
(that was just crumbs),
it was in the telling of the story,
for in sharing it
we began to trust these stories once more,
trust the truth they contained,
and in our believing,
we saw him once more, once more, once more…

…once more, once more, he said: share the bread,
it holds the story of Jesus,
and whenever you do this,do this in remembrance
of him.

Sourced from Spill The Beans Issue 34
Spillthebeans.org.uk

The Emmaus Road they call it.

It is the road from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus,
a journey of about 7 miles.

If you walked it the other way around
you could call it the Jerusalem Road,
but no-one ever does.

Something happened on that road
a long time ago that made it famous.

Two travellers walked along it
one Spring night
and a third traveller joined them.

The two travellers were sad.
A friend of theirs had just died.
They were missing him.
The traveller who joined them was a stranger to them.
He seemed to be a preacher…
a story teller…
a teacher…

As they walked together
they talked about life and its meaning,
about the things that were important to them.
They listened to each other.
They asked each other questions.
Sometimes they smiled.
Sometimes they nodded.
Sometimes they struggled with their hopes and fears.

When they got near to Emmaus
the stranger walked ahead of them
as if he meant to walk on,
but this was their home
and they wanted to invite him in.

And the stranger stayed
and they shared each other’s food.
And he was a stranger no longer.
He was their friend.

They say
that the two travellers were friends of Jesus.
And the evening of their journey
was the evening of the day
that Jesus had risen from the dead.

And they also say
that when the meal was finished
the two travellers hurried back
those seven long miles to Jerusalem
to share their story:
the story of the road to Emmaus
and of Jesus who they recognised
in the sharing of bread.