Presence

A Sermon Conversation by Nada Sellers

April 10, 2005

Luke 24: 13-35

This is another story of how the risen Jesus appears  to believers after his death and  resurrection.  Last week we had the chance to consider the story of Thomas Didymus in the gospel of John, who needed see Jesus’ hands and feet, and touch the wounds in Jesus’ side, before he would believe.  Here in Luke, the story of Thomas is not found, but instead, there are these two travelers, leaving Jerusalem for Emmaus, on Easter Day, perhaps seeking lodging following the main Passover celebration.   Traveling along the road, they are discussing the many events of the last several day, and the news isn’t good:  Jesus, their leader has been killed as far as they know and so are their hopes; there’s a crazy story floating around that some of the women found his body missing and saw angels who spoke of Jesus as being alive, but nothing has been proven.  How confusing!

This is also a story about being unable to understand and unable to see.   When Jesus appears and these two people try to explain what they’re talking about, they are appalled at the stranger’s ignorance as to what has happened in Jerusalem, and they do not see that it’s Jesus.  Their retelling of things betrays their own ignorance, “ How thick-headed and slow-hearted you are!” according to Jesus, “Don’t you see?”  So who’s the ignorant one now?  Jesus sets about the process of revealing his presence and the meaning of the empty tomb.   Scriptures are fulfilled – same as at the beginning of Luke.  As Jesus opens the Scriptures,  he opens their hearts and  minds.  The  are so enthralled that they beg Jesus to share accommodations with them for the night, and again, Jesus finds a way to let them know who he is: As the guest becomes the host during the evening meal, something happens: their sight is restored, they recognize that they have shared a meal with the Master and then he is gone.

When it boils right down do it, the gift of Jesus’  presence means the whole world is being given the chances to believe & to tell others.  The new is spreading: Jesus is alive again!?  In several weeks we'll celebrate the Spirit in Pentecost, but fore now, people are being visited and the news is spreading!

If you were able to walk along the road with Jesus, what would you ask him?  What do you need to hear from Jesus on a personal level?  What Scriptures or aspects of faith, would you want to understand more fully?   How about in terms of the North Church – what questions could Jesus answer for us, as we travel along? 

What is it about sharing a meal with others that’s so important for real understanding?  What happens at our own dinner tables?  How does Jesus become known to the two traveling partners?  What limited their sight – what interfered with their ability to recognize and respond?    And what do we need to be bringing to the table ?  How can we encourage experiences with the risen Jesus in our midst? 

Some closing observations:  Among the places where Jesus is most clearly present to us in the post-resurrection church is when we share in learning more about Scripture.  Scripture is fulfilled and made clear in the light of Christ, and the illumination has the potential to do great and unexpected things in our midst!  Likewise, in the sacraments and practices shared in the community called the church, Jesus was and is clearly known.  To share in this presence is to be given the sight and the insight needed to make sense of things at deeper and deeper spiritual levels.            

Within the next several weeks, we will plan to begin sharing a monthly  Sunday morning potluck meal after morning worship, so that we can cultivate relationships and talk about some of the issues facing our congregation as it reorganizes and reflects during this interim period.  We need to listen for the presence of God, to watch for the ways in which God wants us to travel.  All of this can be part of inviting the Spirit to reveal what we need to see and hear.  I urge you to make sure you attend – you won’t want to miss it!  We know that Jesus is alive and intent upon aiding those who call on him…what does this Presence mean for us?            

Let me leave you with a passage from the 15th century French Carmelite monk, Brother Lawrence, in a work entitled, “The Practice of the Presence of God:”

Let all our employment be to know God; the more one knows God, the more one desires to know God.  And as knowledge is commonly the measure of love, the deeper and more extensive our knowledge shall be, the greater will be our love; and if our love of God were great, we should love God equally in pains and pleasures… (Spire Books, 1958:62).  Amen.

Notes