God Comes Alongside Us
Service Link: https://youtu.be/h9xW10ThmgU
Readings: Isaiah 25:6-9, Psalm 114, Luke 24:13-35
I remember when I was partway through the pilgrimage across Spain, someone told me that the walk was like a miniature version of one’s life. The more I walked, the more I realized this to be so. There are times when you meet people and for a time they walk beside you, but then you may never see them again. There are people that whom you change your pace and plans because you want to walk with them. There are times when you are excited, times when you struggle, when you contemplate, when you run out of things to say, think about or do. There are times when you are lost and others when you are confident in your path. Then there are those people, signs, and voices that remind you God is there. When I hear the story of the two disciples on Emmaus road I imagine they had a similar experience.
Here they were having witnessed the worst thing in their lives. They couldn’t help continuing on their journey, but they were reeling along the way. That can be a difficult reality when something goes wrong in our lives. Not only do we watch as the world seems to go on as if nothing has happened, but often have to keep moving too. Thankfully, the disciples had each other and the walk to talk. We would do well to make space to pray, talk and walk in the midst of our struggles, because as my life has proven, God usually shows up in one way or another.
There on the way, in the midst of their grief, a stranger walks beside them. He doesn’t seem to know and so they invite him into their grief. Now, this isn’t something we usually do. We usually keep our troubles to ourselves, especially with strangers. We are so often isolated in our loss. I think there are many reasons for this. Sometimes we don’t think others will understand, sometimes we don’t want to bother someone, sometimes we feel guilty about our grief, sometimes we think we can only share good news. So when someone asks, “how are you?” we simply respond “good”. Imagine if these disciples didn’t invite this stranger in. Maybe God could work through that person in your life. Maybe it would give them the opportunity to share the good news as Jesus did. Maybe it would be a chance for you to share your hope. Maybe it would just be a chance to share a burden together and grow closer. I think there are so many reasons, but we need to share our struggles along with our joys.
I walked the pilgrimage when I was 14. The amazing thing is that adults trusted me enough to share their struggles with me. Some were going through a divorce, others had lost loved ones, others were trying to figure out what to do with their lives, and more. I got to listen, ask questions, pray with them, and hope. I believe this had a profound effect on my faith and life.
So once this particular stranger, Jesus, was invited in, he had a lot to show them. While they walked, while they continued their journey, he began to open their minds up to Scripture. Jesus had already been with them for three years, but there is something different about this moment that allows them to see even more about God’s revelation of himself through Scripture. A big part of that is their witnessing Jesus’ suffering and death, this gave them a new ability to see who God always was and is. A God who loves us to the last ounce of his life and that he had always purposed a sacrifice for our redemption. The resurrection was also a revelation they had yet to understand and the hope they heard from the women was probably just beginning to point the way towards God’s powerful love to redeem the loss and brokenness.
These are two essential realities to our understanding of God’s identity and his purpose throughout history. I also think there is something important about the journey to their revelation. They are on their way somewhere and they are experiencing things along the way that speak to God’s journey with us. The same thing happens in our lives. Every moment, every interaction, or sight has the potential of helping us understand and grow closer to God.
A simple example: as I was walking Layla on Thursday, I saw a team of people installing a set of stairs in a house. This reminded me of Jacob’s ladder when he saw angels descending and ascending into heaven. Then how Jesus called himself that ladder when speaking with Nathaniel. Finally, I made that simple, but profound revelation that even in this life, a relationship with God can be like suddenly we have access to a whole new floor of life and living, but we need that ladder in our homes and lives to be able to climb in. Obviously, heaven is an even greater reality and God’s angels’ presence on earth still adds more depth.
So they kept on their journey with the unknown Jesus walking beside them. Again, what a parallel for our lives. Sometimes we know Jesus is there, but I would say more often than not we do not recognize him or know him. He is there teaching us and showing us the truth, but making room and inviting him in is important.
At first, Jesus comes to them and walks beside them, but God will only push himself into their lives so hard. We need to invite him in. We need to make space. We need to change our plans and make room in our houses and at our tables. I always loved the line where Jesus makes it look like he is going to continue on. It is like the whole time he is hoping that they will invite him in to join them and be with them. If they didn’t he might have kept walking, he might have hinted in other ways, but he wanted to stay with them. Just like he wants to stay with us.
Sadly, sometimes we don’t recognize God or we can think God is too much of a burden to make space and time for him. So we ignore his hinting and let him walk. This is only our fault. God will keep coming alongside of us on the way, but we have to invite him in, include him, build a relationship with him, make space, time, and adapt for our new guest.
So, Jesus eats with them. Somehow, this stranger was put in charge of blessing the meal. It might be stretching, but it almost feels like Jesus becomes the master of the house in that meal. We don’t hear how this happens, but it does. That is the moment of greatest revelation. That is the moment they finally understand, recognize and know this stranger that joined them along the way. It was when he was leading them as he gave thanks and broke the bread.
This is also a really important reminder of God’s invitation to meet him in the Eucharist. In many ways during communion, we are a family gathering together to be fed by our Lord and master Jesus. In a very real way, we are meant to meet and know God in this meal. It might be in the discussion, in the sharing it, or the moment of thanks, or the breaking of bread, or in the being filled, but in a very real way, we can recognize and meet and recognize Christ in this meal.
At that moment, Jesus disappears. This can seem to happen in our lives too. The important part is that they completely change their plans, their path, and life because of this new revelation of God in their lives. It would have been very late. They would have planned to hunker down for the night and Jerusalem would have been at least a two-hour walk away and that’s if they are walking fast. Yet meeting God changed it all and they went on the journey, backtracking the whole way to tell the other disciples. I can only imagine what that space and conversation would have been like. The amazing thing is that as these two disciples tell the other disciples and share their experience once again Jesus will come alongside them, but now he appears to all of the disciples, and they all witness this hope. We’ll come to that next week.
So our lives are this great journey that God wants to walk with us on. As we learn from the disciples it is important to take time to think, pray and talk. In the midst of that God comes alongside us. The more we share our joys and our grief with others and God the more we build relationships and can grow in God. God uses our whole journey and life to open up the bible to us and reveal his purpose and person. The more we make space and invite God and others in, the more God can fill that space. Just like our empty hands at communion. I don’t know how it happens, but if we can make Jesus the Master of the house of our lives we will see his life, glory, and hope all the more as he fills us. Lastly, we often need to change our plans, and the trajectory of our journey to share Christ’s hope and life, and in doing that we will meet him even more. Our lives are a great journey where we can meet God in incredible life-giving ways. The more we make room, give him leadership and follow him the more we will know the hope that is Jesus with us and be able to share him with others.
Bible Study (Luke 24:13-35)
How is life like a journey?
(13-15) The disciples were struggling with Jesus’ death and they talked about it. When you have struggled or experienced loss, what was your experience of sharing and discussing it? Why could this be important?
(17-24) Why was it important that the disciples shared their sorrow and confusion with Jesus? Why can this be important for us?
Jesus comes to them. How does this relate to our own lives? Why do you think Jesus comes and walks beside them?
(16) Why do you think the disciples didn’t recognize him? How were they prevented from recognizing him? Was it God, themselves, the situation, Jesus’ resurrection, etc. Explain your thinking.
(25-27) Jesus did public ministry for 3 years, why do you think the disciples suddenly are able to understand Jesus describing Scripture better?
(28-29) Why was it important the disciples invited this stranger to stay with them? What would have happened if they didn’t?
(30-32) How do you think Jesus suddenly became the one leading this moment of the supper? Why is this important? What does it mean for our own lives with Christ?
How does this supper relate to our relationship with Christ in communion?
(31-35) Why does Jesus disappear? What does this propel them to do? Why was this important?
