Sunday, April 30, 2017

Heartburn


Acts 2:14a, 36-41
14But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them:

36Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.’ 37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what should we do?’ 38Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.’ 40And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, ‘Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.’ 41So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God

Luke 24:13-35
13Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. 18Then 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?’ 19He 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, 20and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21But 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. 22Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23and 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. 24Some 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.’ 25Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ 27Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

28As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29But 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. 30When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32They 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?’ 33That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

This is the Word of the LORD
Thanks be to God.


In my experience, it doesn't happen very often. I mean, it happens, and it happens often enough that we can recall a time when we experienced it. But it's not how things usually work.

Every once and a while, every now and then, we have a moment when God shows up in a powerful and undeniable way. In those moments, we have a chance to knowingly participate in what God is doing around us, we have a chance to contribute a verse to the powerful play going on in God's creation.

But that is not most days.

Most days, we are on the Emmaus road with these disciples. "...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."

Some days, we are able to recognize Jesus as soon as we see him, and know clearly the way we should go. But those days a special blessings, an out-of-the-ordinary intervention of Christ in the life of faith.

Most days, God's presence is harder to see. For these two disciples, "Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him." Scripture doesn't tell us why these disciples were prevented from recognizing Jesus. They don't seem to be especially sinful disciples, neither are they celebrated for exception faith. The story makes no mention of their behavior or their faith. But even without their recognition, Jesus is still with them.

Most days, we are with them as well, trying to understand what has happened in the world around us, but we do not recognize Jesus, even though he has come near and goes with us.

Even though they do not recognize him when they meet him, Jesus is still with the disciples, and is still at work within them. Before they even have the conviction of seeing our risen Lord, Jesus pushes these disciples to proclaim the gospel. They are speaking the good news with faith that is nowhere near firm. "Here is the good news," they seem to say, "we don't know what to do with it yet, but here it is." All it takes is a gentle push from Jesus for the story to come spilling out.

"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.’"

They're still not sure, and they have more questions than answers, but they tell the story anyway, not pretending to be more sure than they are, but also not leaving out the more unbelievable parts of what we now know as the gospel. They confess their hopes, their doubts, and the astounding tale of resurrection that the women had proclaimed earlier.

Most days, our hearts are slow to believe. Most days we have more questions than answers, even if we pretend that we've got it all together. Most days we do not immediately recognize Jesus at work among us, or walking alongside us. But these disciples on the Emmaus road show us that we can still preach the good news, we can still tell the stories of Jesus even when we don’t recognize him.

With their proclamation punctuated with a question mark, the two disciples try and gauge this stranger’s reaction. When he starts his response with “Oh, how foolish you are,” they are likely not expecting what comes next. They are expecting, rebuke and ridicule. “Oh, how foolish you are, with your fantastic story of visions of angels and graves opened up.” “Oh, how foolish you are, for falling in with this redeemer who got himself crucified.”

Instead, as we readers already know, they get Jesus, interpreting the law and the prophets to remind them of who he is, and to strengthen their faith. Instead of rebuke, the get revelation. Instead of ridicule, they get grace. “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?” This good news that the disciples have timidly spread is not new, it’s the old properly interpreted. The Law leads to this, the prophet’s point to this. God’s intervention in the world is both described and anticipated by scripture. The religious teachings hold up even when the relationship is frayed. “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” Even when we don’t recognize Jesus around us, as is the case most days, we have a foundation of faith in the witness of scripture.

But the relationship may be hazy, but Jesus of Nazareth is not about to let it break down. “As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.” As if. The revelation that begins in scripture will be fully unveiled, but here’s where some action on the disciples spurs the story on. Jesus walks ahead as if they’re not going to invite him to stay. The relationship will be nurtured around the dinner table and the stranger will be revealed to be savior in the breaking of the bread.

Every once and a while, we have an experience like these disciples had around the dinner table in the village of Emmaus outside Jerusalem. From time to time our eyes are opened to the real presence of our resurrected Lord around us. Every now and then we see what God is doing and have a chance to knowingly participate in what God is doing among us.


But most days, we’re still on the road to Emmaus, where they met Jesus, but they don’t find out its him until later. Most days we are relying on the story we have been given, and our experience is completed by faith.

When we have those moments of unveiled mystery, where our eyes are opened to the greatness of our God, our faith is strengthened for all the days where we are on the road. Because gathered around the experience of the risen Christ, we can look back, we can remember that our hearts burned within us, and what we mistook for reflux was instead the Holy Spirit, reminding us that even when we don’t recognize him, Jesus is still with us.

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