| Luke 24:13-35 "On the Road to Emmaus" |
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| Written by Rev. Don Lee | |
| Sunday, 06 April 2008 | |
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Prayer: Come Holy Spirit, speak to our hearts, humble our spirits, heal our brokenness. Help us to see Jesus in all his glory and to leave different, better then before. Amen. Here’s a question for you. What can you tell you me about Emmaus? Anyone? Truth is, we know next to nothing about the village of Emmaus! It’s not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible. It has no recorded history nor is the village still in existence today. The only thing I can tell you with certainty is that its name, “Emmaus,” means “warm wells.” It might as well be “Hot Springs, Arkansas!” In the Gospel, Emmaus is merely a destination; it symbolizes a return to normalcy, to the routine; movement from the sacred to secular, from the extraordinary to the mundane. So…why go there? I believe the answer to this question is the same answer to the question of Jesus’ own Disciples don’t recognize him, post resurrection. The gospel writer is using this story as a narrative tool to tell us something about the Disciples; its telling us the disciples’ had finally lost faith! They don’t believe in Jesus anymore and they’ve bailed on his church. And with the death of Jesus dies THE DREAM: • the re-establishment of a just and righteous Davidic rule, • the restoration of Israel to its former glory days, and • the Return of the King! You see, they were going to change the world and usher in a new era of prosperity and peace; the reign of God on earth. They had given up everything to follow Jesus, but then it had all turned out to be nothing more then a lie. Jesus had failed them and God had allowed their hearts to be broken in the process. Vs. 21, “But we had hoped he was the one to redeem Israel.” The disciple’s words drip with disappointment! They return home, dazed and disillusioned, experiencing all the classic signs of grief. Their world has come crashing down around them and so they abandon Jerusalem and their identity as Disciples. Ever been there? To Emmaus? In the book, “The Magnificent Defeat,” author Fred Buechner describes Emmaus as, “Whatever we do or wherever we go to make ourselves forget that the world holds nothing sacred; that even the wisest and bravest and loveliest decay and die; that even the noblest ideas that men have had-ideas about love and freedom and justice- have always in time been twisted out of shape by selfish men for selfish ends.” Like those disciples walking the dusty road back home, defeated, empty handed, and hopeless. But something changed all that. I call it, “Dinner with a perfect stranger!” Rev. William Lee writes about a chance encounter with Jim Caldwell on a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Indianapolis. For those of you who don’t follow football, Jim is the associate head quarterback coach for the Indianapolis Colts, then pre-Super Bowl Champs. At some point in their conversation the preacher invited Caldwell to come to a men’s weekend and speak, and Jim agreed. The Colts went on to win the Superbowl and Caldwell came the following month. Over dinner, the preacher asked Caldwell, “Please tell me what was it like getting ready to go to the Superbowl.” Referring to the flight out the coach responded, “We were rather pensive, almost nervous, quiet, almost deathly somber, if you will. (Everyone was studying their playbooks and talking among themselves almost in whispers). It was a long flight to Miami, but it was eerie; almost frightening.” What about the flight back?” the preacher asked. “Oh, my gosh it was bedlam on the plane! Nothing but noise. Everybody was shouting and whopping it up, I mean we had a good time coming back. It might have been because the Lombardi trophy was on board, but the return trip was altogether different than the trip down. And even the flight back seemed short.” That’s exactly how Cleopas and his friend leave Emmaus, like SuperBowl champs! Regardless, the Road to Emmaus is actually a story about failure: 1) the failure of the disciples to interpret Jesus’ death and resurrection as fulfillment of OT prophecies; 2) the disciples’ failure to believe several among them who claim Jesus is alive; 3) the disciples’ failure to even recognize Jesus when face to face. Emmaus is a story about failure but also a story about hope and grace! • It’s a story about a God who comes down to be there for us. • God revealed not as a set of beliefs or a mere 1st century phenomenon but as the Jesus who is there for us 24/7. • A God who is in it for the relationship. “Jesus walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own,” goes the old hymn. That’s the story of the road to Emmaus. Some of you may have been wondering where I was last Sunday. “Don’s got himself a new church appointment and he’s already playing hokey or worse, cheatin’ on us.” No, I didn’t go check out 1st Lewisville. Actually, my wife, Susan and I took the rare Sunday off to visit Rev. Kathleen Baskin-Ball’s church. Kathleen is pastor of Suncreek in Allen; she’s a good friend, a colleague in ministry, and a former staff member of HC. As many of you know, Kathleen has reoccurring cancer (a terminal diagnosis). She told me Sunday after worship, “Don, were praying for a miracle.” Kathleen has the kind of faith that just astounds. She just oozes love. She’s the kind of person everyone respects but so few of us ever achieve… non-judgmental, big hearted, accepting. The prophet Elisha asked his mentor and teacher for a double portion of his spirit. If I could have just 1/2 of Kathleen’s spirit, I’d be a better person! Well, despite the joy that radiated from Kathleen there was a general feeling of sadness in the sanctuary. My wife noticed it too. Kathleen’s cancer was the elephant in the room. Still Kathleen spoke with the passion and conviction of someone who believes every moment is a precious gift. She talked about the difficulty of living faithfully in the in between times of Sunday to Sunday; she talked about her faith and she spoke of how God’s love was carrying her through. And after “she” was done… “I” felt better! I showed up to comfort and support someone I care about, but left comforted and supported; I came expecting weakness and possibly, faltering hope; but I left strengthened, renewed; better then before! That’s the story of Emmaus! It’s a story about brokenness, disappointment and even failure punctuated by God’s joyful “Surprise!” The disciples recover their faith and their hope when they recognize Jesus in the breaking of the bread. I don’t know who it was but someone at the table said, “My God, its you!” Vs. 31… and he vanished from their sight. And suddenly, one of them said, “Let’s go!” Now, seven miles is a long way to go when you’re tired, down in the dumps, and you’re hope is gone…but not now. They are noisy and elated… “How can we sleep now?!” Forget that its night, scary and unsafe for travelers…forget that thieves wait along the road to target unwise travelers. Forget, timidity and stealth…Its bedlam! They run the entire 7 miles back, shouting and whooping it up (just like SuperBowl Champs!). It was a return trip like no other. Even the 7 miles seemed short. I don’t know about you, but when I come to this table something happens to me…somehow I recover my hope, and I get “up” and I get going! I can’t leave here the same. My return trip feels shorter then the trip here because I’ve been touched by grace! It may still be dark; it may still be seven miles by foot; it may still be dangerous, thieves waiting along the road ahead, but forget, timidity and stealth. I return shouting and whooping it up because I’ve seen Jesus! Now I know there are member here who are dealing with some very difficult situations. You’re grieving the loss of someone you love, a family member has been diagnosed with cancer, you are concerned about decisions your children are making, you’ve lost a job and are unsure, even fearful of the future. Some of you may even be praying, “God, what I really need here is a miracle!” It’s then the Christ of the Emmaus Road comes to us. We may not even recognize him but he’s here listening to our ramblings, walking with us, speaking words of comfort, helping us make sense of things, and then we see him. Perhaps in the breaking of the bread or in something as simple as the smile of child and suddenly, we realize that everything is going to be okay! Hope is what brings us here, to this table. And hope is what we will find if only we will allow ourselves to recognize Jesus in the breaking of this bread. |
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