Today’s message from the gospel of St. Luke chapter twenty-four gives the account of those two followers of Jesus walking towards Emmaus on that evening of the first day of the week. Luke never reveals the identity of these two travellers and he is the only gospel writer to include this account. We know from their conversation that they were still unaware of the news that Jesus had already risen from the dead and was seen by several of his disciples. Their conversation clearly proves that they anticipated more from Jesus and so the despondency and gloom which envelops their conversation tell us greatly how much their hope and expectation in Jesus was dashed when he was nailed to the cross. In that frame of mind, we can well understand that these two followers would have been hard pressed to see a future that was worth anticipating. It is a tough thing to have your hopes built up and then it is suddenly dashed in a most dramatic and inglorious manner.
As these despondent followers continue their journey to a place named Emmaus which is said to be about seven miles from Jerusalem, they are joined by a ‘stranger’, someone they clearly didn’t recognise until later. The stranger asks them what they are talking about and they in turn are surprised that this stranger hasn’t heard about the crucifixion and death of Jesus. That event surely must have been the biggest news of the week. How could he not know, they probably wondered to themselves. The stranger in the end begins to explain everything about Jesus’ life and work as was prophesied from the Old Testament up to the present and we are told that their eyes were kept from recognising him until the moment he sat with them at the table to share in a meal. The stranger had earlier pretended that he was going further on his way but was urged by the two followers to stay for the night as it was already late which he accepted. Lastly, the account tells us that after Jesus broke bread with them, they recognised him immediately and he vanished from their sight. They then returned to Jerusalem the same night, no longer fearful or despondent but full of joy.
This is clearly like a story with a happy ending but as we reflect on it I would like us to consider these three things that arise from the text.
- When your hearts are heavy, the future can seem daunting and even non-existent.
All of us at some point in our life’s journey know what it feels like to be despondent because of one thing or another. It was probably through the grief that comes with losing someone, or a broken relationship, or the disappointment of an unfulfilled expectation, or the failure of something that you worked hard to accomplish, or ill health. Whatever the reason, if you can remember that time or those times in your life when you really felt that nothing was in your favor, you can understand how these two followers must have felt as they walked along the road that day. They probably were just barely dragging their feet along. When one gets to this state nothing looks hopeful. You can only see gloom and for a while there is nothing and no one that can comfort you. You refuse to have hope. The worst part of it all is that you can become so overtaken with your own despair that you cannot see immediately what you already have, which is that thing or person which can lead you into new opportunities and a new season of growth. When you are in despair for whatever reason, your eyes and your minds are closed from the possibilities that are there for you to see.
This is a part of our reality as individual persons as families as organisations and institutions and even as nations. We can all feel hopelessness and despair at one time or the other for all sorts of reasons. Even as a church we have reason to feel despair and hopelessness sometimes as we experience lack of growth both numerically and spiritually and certainly financially as we struggle to find relevance in a society where we seem pushed into a corner by the rest of the world at times. After hearing the financial report and outlook a few minutes ago, it might be easy for us at Cottam to begin to feel deep concern or even despair about the trends that we see developing. In that mold, we can easily miss the opportunities that lie ahead.
- When we commune with Jesus our eyes will be opened to see what we already have.
As we get focused on the things that have gone wrong and the parts of our lives that have caused us to be despondent and feeling hopeless, our eyes remain closed to the future. For those disciples, it was only when Jesus sat and shared with them, that their eyes were open to who he really was. We are being reminded from these followers of Jesus that life is not gloom and doom when Jesus is present. We are also reminded that even though Jesus may be present and ready to work in our situation or deal with our pain, he cannot and will not do so unless we commune with him. Only when we commune with Jesus can he lift our heavy hearts and turn them into ‘burning’ hearts. When I say burning hearts I mean hearts that are alive and on fire for Jesus. It is only then we can recognise that which we already have with us, which is the presence of our Savior ready to lift us from gloom to joy and from hopelessness to hopefulness. The question for us today as people of God who feel oftentimes insufficient and incapable is, what do you have that you are not seeing that God can use to change your life? Like those two people on the Emmaus road, we have someone right beside us waiting to come into our hearts and transform us into people who are energised with spirit-filled power to do God’s work. However, we can only see him through a renewed relationship with Jesus as we invite him into our hearts and our lives to break bread with us and to be once again the most important person in our lives and in our church and in our communities. Those followers urged Jesus to stay with them even though they thought he was a stranger. We can also ask ourselves, when have we invited Jesus to stay with us and commune with us as we would with a good friend. Jesus is in many ways still a stranger standing outside the door of our hearts and our lives. As long as he remains on the outside we will remain despondent and discouraged and hopeless. Just open the door and allow him to come in and share that meal with you and you will begin to see what you already have, which is the power of God to transform your life and your circumstances for His glory and your joy. Revelation 3:20 reminds us, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him and he with me.”
- Let the presence of the risen Lord stir you to be a faithful messenger of the good news.
We ended the reading by hearing that the two followers got up and immediately went back to Jerusalem. They were neither fearful nor despondent. They had just sat down to share a meal with a stranger who turned out to be their Lord. Their joy was indescribable. This lovely account ends with two important things that we must take from here today and remember at all times. First, Jeus is alive. This is the good news that must keep our hearts burning with joy. This is the news that reminds us that no matter what circumstances we face we have someone with us who is bigger than all our situations and who can take care of all the things that weigh us down. Secondly, as stewards of God’s grace we must share the good news. If you do not feel the burning of Jesus’ presence in your heart then you will not be a committed and devoted follower giving of yourself, your time, your abilities and your physical resources to the work of the Lord. In short, you cannot respond to God’s love as you should if you have not truly communed with him. You cannot feel the ‘burning’ of your heart if there is no relationship with God and so you will remain blinded to his presence even when He is right there beside you.
We may wonder how the church is not growing and we are becoming seemingly irrelevant in our society. The answer is simple. Too many of us are not burning with the passion to live the Christian life and to serve God with all of our being. Too many of us are just lukewarm Christians or not Christian at all because we profess faith with our mouths but not with our lives. The Church that has believers who are passionate and devoted in service to God will not have concerns about numerical growth or spiritual growth and even financial strength because our passion and commitment will spur us to give what the Lord places on our hearts to give willingly and with joy as we serve God with all that we have. There is a verse in a song that says, “We give thee but thine own, whate’er the gift may be; all that we have is thine alone, a trust O God from thee.” (See Voices United #543) The Christian who believes this is the one whose heart is burning for the Lord.
May we go from here with the joy of knowing that despite the bitter struggles of life, Jesus is with us and if we invite him into a lasting relationship with us, our hearts will burn with joy. Then we can only respond to that joy by sharing what he has blessed us with in order to spread the good news of his saving work at Calvary.
Go into the world friends and let the joy of Christ’s presence be yours today and always. Amen.