The Road

Scripture

Luke 24:13–35 NRSV

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.

Introduction

We begin what I think will be an exciting sermon series for us called The Road or The Rd. Its that time of the year when we reacquaint ourselves wiht what it mean to be a Christ follower. For many churches this is when they conduct a “stewardship month.” We do not use the word stewardship here because it is a comprised word having to do the fund raising. Your extravagant generosity has noting to do wiht giving to a church budget or spending plan we we call it. No your generosity is about a spiritual response of gratitude to all God has blessed you with. We put it this way: Generosity, not consumption, is a key value of a meaningful life. Generosity is a spiritual response to our personal need to give and NOT a response to underwriting a financial goal. This is Loving Christ, Loving People, Helping People  Love Christ.

Extravagant generosity is a value and the mark of a disciple Since our mission is to make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world, we have to know what characteristics or fruits are evidence that one follows Christ. For us we have 5:

Extravagant generosity

Passionate worship

Risk Taking mission and service

Radical Hospitality

Intentional faith development

When you join a UMC church you vow to be loyal to Christ through the church by supporting it with your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service and your witness. As you can see these vows contain the five marks of a disciple. The marls of a disciple are also values of the church. Following Christ is what we teach people to do and what we do. Thus our new logo it is all about our vision which is driven by these values:

First we are not a location but a community of Christ Followers. it is interesting to note that the word disciple occurs 262 times in the NT, but 239 times it is used in its plural form.As one writer put it: “We simply do not observe the Lord having one‐on‐one discipleship appointments. As communities of Jesus followers expanded, new church plants naturally developed. In short, Jesus’ command to make disciples of all peoples involves telling the good news, inviting friends to believe and follow Christ, training new believers, and establishing new faith communities. All of this occurs in the midst of caring relationships"  So our name is not primarily about a location but more about community. Thus the abbreviation of Rd. That abbreviation is about traveling with Jesus like the two on the Emmaus Road. Our Rd. looks like this:

We love Christ symbolized by the Cross. The cross in the middle has the intersection has two roads. This is where heaven and earth meet in Jesus Christ the road we all travel as Christ followers.. The heart of course represents that love. We love our neighbor. We love people. Thus, the person symbolized in the icon with the heart. Finally we help people love christ. Thus the cross and the people icon are joined by the heart.

Finally we are United Methodists, a community of Christ followers first who identify as United Methodist. . Church is a given.

Thus, in a world where the majority of younger folks communicate with emoticons and gif images we have a logo that speaks to the future.

The cross and heart is all about passionate worship, The heart and person is all about Risk taking mission and service and radical hospitality, The heart over both is all about gratitude thankfulness for all God has done for us, extravagant generosity, and finally the three together symbolize what we do to make disciples Loving Christ, Loving People, helpingPeople to Love Christ is all about intentional faith development!

You see a logo tells the story of who we are.

And this story of the 2 walking to Emmaus after a frightful and amazing Sunday tells this same story of faith development being a journey.

Exegesis Application

It is resurrection Sunday, but neither Cleopas or his friend understand what is going on. Dejectedly they are walking the Road back to Emmaus, some 7 miles, to what was possibly their home. We do not know who Cleopas’s traveling partner was. Many conjecture his wife. Anyway, they are dejected, depressed, disconsolate over the events during Passover. Assuredly they saw Jesus ride in like a humble king only to be executed at the end of the week.

As they are walking a stranger joins them. This would not have been unusual because there were probably many travelers going back home after the Passover. Strangers would travel and even lodge together because there were safety in numbers.

Luke tells us that Cleopas and his partner were talking about all the things that had happend. Jesus (they do not recognize him) Comes along side and asked them what they are discussing. Well the use of this word indicates that they were doing more than talking. It seems that they were really having some kind of disagreement about what it all meant, that is the death and then the report by the women that Jesus has been raised from the dead.

They are incredulous when this stranger has no idea of what happend. This is like one of us on September 12, 2001 talking with a friend about Sept 11 and someone walking up asking us what we are talking about! Cleopas things this guy must live under a rock! So he tells the stranger what occured over the last 3 days.

It is pretty obvious that Cleopas doesn’t really believe that Jesus is raised from the dead. If so he and his partner wouldn’t have been so dejected. In fact, if they had believed the women most likely they would have stayed in Jerusalem to celebrate and see what was goin to happen next. Instead they give up and go home.

But what we see next is a great gift of grace! Jesus interprets the scripture for them so they can begin to believe. The traveling partners reach Cleopas’s home, but the stranger seems to want to continue on. But Cleopas begs the stranger to stay the night before traveling on. This of course is a cultural thing, but it is also a great example of radical hospitality. The stranger stays and they share a meal. But the stranger assumes the role of host as he blesses and breaks the bread. Suddenly eyes that were so blind now see! Jesus, his work done here, vanishes before their eyes!

In their excitement they go back to Jerusalem to tell the others and find put that Jesus has appeared to Simon as well! Jesus is risen indeed!

This story would have comforted Luke’s original audience of God lovers. The risen Jesus walks beside us on our spiritual journeys, on our rd to discipleship. Is it any wonder that before we were called Christians we were called followers of the Way, a greek word that also can mean path or Road. Luke’s audience would have heard that Jesus is really alive and is wiht us. Through the Holy Spirit the word is interpreted to us. Jesus is really present to us in passionate worship, intentional faith development, radical hospitality, risk taking mission and service (explain), and extravagant generosity (explain.)

Application

The fact that Jesus walks with us on our Roads to Emmaus where our eyes are opened always is really present to us guiding us, teaching us, saving us, calls for a response. That response is gratitude. We passionately worship him because all he has done for us. Our response of gratitude and love means we must be good stewards (yep I used it here explain) wiht everything we have been blessed with from our wealth to our gifts. The 5 values, our discipleship is a response to God’s love reveled to us in Jesus Christ. Our discipleship is a road, not just of 7 miles, but it is a lifetime journey of thankfulness or gratitude for all God has done.

We need to remember that Jesus walks wiht everyone, remember that big net we talked about, but to many he is still a stranger. Only Jesus can open their eyes, but we are here as Jesus partner to point out that Jesus is walking with them.

Many of the commentators said This story was similar to other stories in the Bile about entertaining angels un aware. Here is an experience I had almost a decade ago with Jesus walking alongside.

We left Gulfport early on Friday morning and we stopped and had breakfast. We got on I 10 and started the long journey home. Everyone was tired and excited. Terri was going to attend the wedding of a couple who she had spent a lot of energy counseling. Ross and Mandy both have two kids under the ages of six. The rest of us just wanted to be home with our own families, sleep in our own beds, and bathe in our own showers. Just as we are settling in for the log ride at the smell of burning rubber filled the cabin of the buses. Michael pulled over a quick as he could. When we all got out it first looked like we had a broken water house of some sort. However that wasn’t it. We soon discovered that a pulley had broken which caused the belt to stop turning the water pump, which had cause us to overheat and blow some coolant out of the recovery jar. It looked like we might be stuck for hours perhaps overnight. This was really upsetting, I think for the first time we were really homesick! We all began to pray for a quick solution. Just a few minutes after w discovered the problem. A man was nice enough to stop and call a friend of his shop. He told us that a repair truck would be by in a few minutes. Well the truck showed up, a guy came over, examined the situation. Took our bad pulley and left. He said he’d be back in about 20 minutes. As we continued to inspect the damage we also noticed that the spindle seemed to be damaged as well. So we decided to call the guy and let him know he needed to pick up a spindle as well. Long story short the guy that showed up and took our pulley was not from the company that was called! A little panic and more prayers. We told the other company that we didn’t need them. We turned down the reputable company for some individual that we didn’t know. We wondered if we had made the right decision. What was this going to cost us? How long will this take?

The stranger soon returned with a new pulley and tools, he replaced the pulley put everything back together and would not take any money. He left suddenly and we were back on the road. We only lost about an hour and a half. We were so grateful we prayed a prayer of thanksgiving. We were reminded that Jesus truly is on the road wiht us, that day it was I10.

When you break it all down, our 5 values are based on one value gratitude or thankfulness. The response we make to all God has done, is doing, and will do. Jesus is really present. Really present. Let him open your eyes, so you may help him open the eyes of others. We have so much to be thankful for, especially this community of believers on McEver Rd. How are you goin to show your gratitude this week?