A man and his little grandson were out walking down the beach one afternoon. They saw a crowd of people gathered around a man who had been overcome by the heat of the sun and had suffered a sunstroke. The grandfather was trying to explain this to the boy. The little fellow looked up at his grand father and said, "Grandpa, I hope you never suffer from a sunset."

We have gathered today to celebrate the good news that even though we face many sunsets there is always a sunrise.

There is a simple beauty in this Easter story we have read today about Jesus and two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. It shows us the great contrasts which were so much a part of that resurrection experience. Those followers of Jesus - and all who loved him faced a sunset on that fateful Fri day. The sun went down …