Tuesday, May 3, 2011

"What things?"


“What things?” I am certain that the question hit like a ton of bricks. Not just because the person asking seemed to be so unaware of his surroundings and had managed to miss everything that had happened to Jesus. It is deeper than that. Cleopas and his traveling companion had to stop right there in the middle of the road and once again face everything they had seen and been through in order to re tell the events that had just happened. They were leaving the city now. They had waited the three days. And in the soft evening, has the pair trudged along the Emmaus Road (Lk. 24:13-35), they had been consoling each other, wondering what was next. Time had passed. There were still no trumpets, no resurrection, no earthquake and no Jesus. Certainly the dreams of a renewed Israel were fading fast with the sinking sun.

All of a sudden there was with them another traveler. They did not know him or recognized him. After all who looks for the dead among the living? We should note that has the trio now walk in step together which quickened the pace. The steps are easier and the hearts of the sorrowful are becoming lighter. The traveler spoke with confidence about the Scriptures and how God had acted to bring about the work of the Messiah and how the Messiah would bring about the start of the new creation. Cleopas and his companion had waited and wondered what would happen next. They were still waiting and hoping for everything to make sense; “We had hoped… we had waited…” and as they continued to walk and talk the duo found courage in the travelers’ words. When it came time for the trio to part and become a duo again, Cleopas and his companion would not take “no” for answer to their offer of hospitality when the time to part ways came. They would twist the arm of this traveler and force him to turn in for the night if they had to.  They thought that the least they could do for this traveler was offer a simple meal and a warm bed for the night. They compelled the traveler to come with them.

At the table, with the breaking of the bread, they finally knew him: fully and suddenly. They knew that they knew. Their faith and their unbounded joy returned to them, like a warm, refreshing summertime rain. They found that the embers of their hearts were once again fanned into full flame. Just as important, they wasted no time. They left and returned to the city as fast as their legs would carry them – running and sprinting as fast as they could go, to share the good news that they had seen and known the risen Jesus in the walking and in the breaking of the bread.

We as a Church need to renew ourselves in the word. We need to deepen our knowledge of the Scriptures not just that we can have better debates but so that we can begin to hope and to see on the way, at the table and in our everyday moments all day long! We need to see ourselves as being in this part of the resurrection story. We care a lot and we know a lot. As Church we think about and talk about the things we face and the things that sadden us, make us fearful and that disappoint us. We worry about our hope being diminished and our dreams being dashed.
    
We (the Church)  need to walk, talk and we need to have our hearts opened again by the presence of God and we need to have our eyes opened that we would see Jesus so our hearts might be on fire and we would be fearless to tell others where we see and know Jesus in the here and now. And we need to be patient to the end of the Day when God will have made all things new again. We can and do know him on the side of the road. We do know him in the breaking of the bread and the prayers.  We too shall know that we know his presence and thanks be to God for that. 

No comments:

Post a Comment