The Night After the Morning - An Easter Sunday Reflection from Rev. Dr. LaTaunya Bynum

Among the memories from childhood that continue to find a place in my mind is the rite of passage known as the Easter speech. It was a brief, four-line, kid-friendly speech that was often recited during a Sunday School Assembly Easter program. 

An example of the speech would be:

“Easter time is here today; Jesus rose in a special way. 

Happy Easter to you all, Jesus loves the big and small.”

We focus on Easter morning, but after the resurrection of Jesus, there was an afternoon and a night which we can experience through the disciples in the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John.

It is the last chapter of the Gospel of Luke that we witness up close and personal the confusion and celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

What an exhausting and bewildering day it has been. Recovery from the arrest, crucifixion, and resurrection of Jesus has not really begun. The dream of a liberating leader who found ways to resist Roman rule and to live in the love of God and humanity appears to be over. Two disciples are on the road to Emmaus talking about their strange day.

The two have heard about the resurrection of Jesus, but they are not sure they really believe the story to be true. They are caught up in grief and disappointment and they do not recognize the stranger who comes alongside them. They explained that they desperately hoped Jesus would be the one to redeem the people of Israel. Now they are disheartened. But Jesus knows all about the events of the day and explains to the two all the reasons that things have unfolded as they have.

We know the discouragement that comes when dreams are delayed and denied. The life we planned for crashes around us, and we do not know what to do. It helps to talk to someone. Sometimes we speak out disappointments to a trusted friend and call it venting. We speak to a therapist and call it processing. These two talked with the stranger, and we call it an epiphany or revelation. 

Neither revelation nor epiphany came as they walked along the road. It came as the two sojourners showed hospitality to the one who walked with him. When they set the table for Jesus and as he broke bread and blessed their meal, the light of recognition came on and they knew that they were in the presence of the risen Christ. As he continued to talk with them, they were able to see and fully and to understand that the promised resurrection was true. 

They rushed to find the disciples and about how the risen Christ had been made known to them in the breaking of bread” (24.35).

As this resurrection day ends, and in these turbulent times, may we all recognize Jesus who continues to walk with us and who breaks bread with us and reminds us of God’s great love for us.

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Rev. Dr. LaTaunya Bynum is the Regional Minister of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Northern California-Nevada. She earned the Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees at the School of Theology at Claremont and is a former member and Chair of the DSF Board.