Sermon for April 23

The reading

Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.  And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad.  Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?"  He asked them, "What things?" They replied, "The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him." Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!  Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" 

 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.  As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.  But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.  They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?" That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!"  Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The message

This is our last Sunday with the Gospel of Luke for our reading.  Since Christmas our Sunday worship has been shaped by this Gospel and its focus on Jesus welcome of all people into the kingdom of God.  The kingdom of God was the thing that Jesus talks more about than any other in the bible (money is second).  It refers to the presence and impact of God’s love and power in the world.  Jesus has welcomed the religious authorities, outsider, leper, tax collector, prostitute  and sinner.  Luke reports that even with some of his last breathes from the cross, Jesus forgives and welcomes a criminal into the kingdom of God.  Each time someone is welcomed into the kingdom of God, they change, they are healed of an illness, repent from their abusive ways and work to invite others in.  

Starting next week, we will go on the to the book of Acts. This biblical book was written by the same author as Luke and tells the story of the early church, what Jesus first disciples did after his resurrection and ascension.  Over the summer months we will have 3 series, five weeks on the psalms, four weeks on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians and four weeks on the book of Revelation. 

This morning, we complete Luke’s Gospel with a story of walking around and eating.  In Luke (and Acts) things often happen on the road, while people are walking around.  The story of God’s active love brought to the world through Jesus begins with a journey as Mary and Joseph go to Bethlehem for the census. To see John the Baptist, who first announced the savior was here, meant a walk out to the wilderness.  Jesus calls his first followers as he walks around the towns and seas. In Luke 9:51, Jesus sets his face to Jerusalem, where he will be welcomed as the savior then be put on trial, suffer, die and rise again. Jesus gets there by Palm Sunday (reported in Luke 19:28).   At a time when every single word mattered, this trip to Jerusalem takes up more than a third of Luke’s Gospel.  The famous parable of the Good Samaritan takes place along a dangerous road and the prodigal son gets interesting when the young, wasteful son is spotted on the road back home.  In the book of Acts, we will see Paul, a persecutor of the church, encounter the risen Christ on the road to Damascus.  This will change the world.  This morning the walk to Emmaus becomes bible study, perhaps the best one ever participated in and it becomes the revelation that Christ is Risen.

In Luke, eating is also central to Jesus ministry and relationships. The obvious place is through Holy Communion, where in Jesus last days, bread and wine, the stuff everyone had, the most common elements of a dinner. Combined with God’s word, they are transformed into an event and ritual where the presence and forgiveness of God can be contained.  There are others. Jesus is often criticized by the religious authorities for eating with tax collectors and sinners because he often did.  To eat together meant to accept, to recognize others as fellow people and to enter relationship with them.   A few years later St Paul will write a scathing and nasty letter to the church in Corinth about how they eat with rich and poor separated, they might be in the same room but they don’t get it.    This morning, the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus experience God in a simple act of hospitality, when they invite this unknown traveler to “stay with us and eat”.  In this meal, Jesus followers know he is truly risen because he eats (ghosts or illusions could not consume food).

I know a thing or two about walking around and eating and so does this community.  Pastor Tilly, who served here from 1898 to 1952 is still remembered by some long time neighborhood  residents for walking (or riding a horse) around the church. Sixty plus have passed but still remember him being in the community. When Jen and I first meet and in the years afterwards, we spent a lot of time walking around and eating (I sometimes think that’s all we ever did).  You find stuff, unknown places, new places, interesting people or opportunities, new cultures and new experiences.  I try to eat with all of the churches that share the space with us at least once a month.  It is a chance to remind each other, we are coworkers in ministry and not all that different. We might have different languages, food and practices but we know each of us is loved by God, and that’s enough.

Eating and walking used to be ways that we were in the world and connected to each other, the way we meet people and participated in the world.   I say used to be because these things were before we became glued to our smartphones and headphones, before we were able to control every part of our social lives, before we could be in a community but not really there.  

(I filled in a few different stories here about my experiences of walking around with my clergy clothes on or even just wearing a simple cross. This includes being stopped for a moment of prayer or blessing by someone drunk and being greeted with great joy by other Christians, despite language barriers.)   Recently, there was an experiment where a man dressed with different uniforms like nurse, doctor, construction worker and firefighter and traveled around a city. The most difficult was walking around as a priest. That was the one he had to stop.  He was constantly greeted, asked questions, asked for prayer, for help, for answers.  It showed a great longing for the presence of God in a community, one that pastors often miss. Of course, it’s not only pastors responsibility.  (there’s not enough and some ain’t so good), each of you should be signs of God’s presence in the world.

This story of the road to Emmaus reminds all of us that we express our faith in our daily lives, we are called to be part of our communities, to share the news that Christ is Risen from the dead outside of these walls.