Justin Appel

Dear Friends,

Today’s Gospel lesson from Luke tells of Peter visiting and the empty tomb and of the appearance of Christ to two people who were walking to Emmaus.

In the midst of the latter story, Jesus took the time to explain to them from the scriptures how the Messiah had to suffer then enter into glory. “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” What a walk that must have been!

The story is told in the medieval Easter hymn, Victimae Paschali laudes, here sung in English. (https://youtu.be/WRMnRvj5QLk)

No wonder that when they arrived at their destination, and Jesus made to continue, they urged him:

“Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.”

This single verse formed the text of a beloved motet by the 19th-century Lichtensteiner/Bavarian composer Joseph Rheinberger, called Abendlied, which the composer wrote when he was only 15 years old.

Bleib bei uns, denn es will Abend werden.
Und der Tag hat sich geneiget. —Luke 24:29

Abendlied, Joseph Rheinberger (https://youtu.be/sIOagJryMik)

Yours in Christ,

—Justin