The Road of Faith

Luke 24 13-35

May 1, 2016

This is a peculiar story when you think about it.

Two people, Cleopas and the other one,

are going back home.

They’ve been in Jerusalem,

maybe for the Passover, but they’ve

also been witness to Jesus crucifixion and death.

We haven’t heard about Cleopas before,

and we don’t hear about him again.

And the other one isn’t even named.

It’s been three days since Jesus death and

they seem depressed, discouraged.

They figure they’ll just go home resigned

that nothing has happened AGAIN.

They say in the most pitiful way,

“We had hoped that he was going to be the one to free Israel”

In other words, it’s over.

Road to Emmaus, Diane Fairfield

The story gets strange right away

Because Jesus comes and finds 

them and starts talking to them,

but they don’t know it’s Jesus.

In most of the stories of visits 

from the resurrected Jesus,

Jesus followers have trouble 

recognizing him.

They think it’s a ghost,
or they think it’s someone else.,

Mary thinks it’s the gardener when she sees him.

And it’s is the same for Cleopas and the other one,

they are standing right next to Jesus and

he’s talking to them about the scriptures,

He’s explaining why, even though Jesus death

was terrible in some ways, it was really a great thing.

It sounds like a long conversation really.

It says he went through Moses and the prophets

And all this time, they still don’t know that it’s Jesus.

Then they invite this stranger into their home

he sits at their table, and he breaks their bread

and that’s when they first realize that this is

Christ is alive and with them.

And just as soon as Cleopas and the other one

know that it’s him, he disappears.

Then they are so excited, they immediately

make the 8 mile journey back to Jerusalem -

in the middle of the night I guess -

to share this good news with the other disciples.

This is a strange story.

But this strange story is also a familiar story,

even if we haven’t heard the whole thing before

the pattern and order of the story sounds familiar.

People are on a journey,

Jesus meets them,

they tell their story,

they read scripture,

they break bread together,

they feel Jesus presence,

and they go out and tell others about the experience

I think that this story is familiar,

because Luke has given us a story about us.
This is a story about the followers of Jesus,

and all followers of Jesus, for all times.

The well-known and the unknown.

This is a story about Christian worship and life together.

This is a story about living our faith in Christ.

This is a story about YOU.

  

You can put your own name

in as Cleopas traveling companion.

So YOU and Cleopas are walking along a road.

You are witnesses to amazing things,

but as time marches on in your faith,

you struggle with the way things are.

Things can get depressing, hopeless

not as exciting or sure they once seemed,

you end up discouraged and lost

the things you had hoped for haven’t materialized.

This is the road that many people of faith find themselves on.

And this is the road that Jesus finds you on.

Notice that Jesus doesn’t wait until you’ve

had an epiphany, or until you’ve reached your destination.

Jesus doesn’t wait until you’re absolutely ready and eager.

Jesus finds you on the road your traveling on

wherever you are, and meets you there,

He enters your life and your conversation there.

Now as things do happen,

you don’t recognize Jesus right away.

Now a days, Jesus comes to us through other people.

Through friends, families, fellow church members, even complete strangers.

Sometimes we just don’t recognize Jesus when we meet him.

Sometimes we are too clouded by our grief or sadness,

or we are too preoccupied with our own life.

and you  just don’t see Jesus right in front of your own eyes.

Sometimes even Jesus is working through you

to help other people, and still

you don’t even recognize him at the time.

And like our life in faith,

we get clarity from understanding the scriptures.

And just like these two, we can’t do this part alone.

None of us can just read in the privacy of our homes,

by ourselves and hope to understand what it means for us

Only in a community sharing the word

together do you grasp the scripture’s meaning.

And finally, it’s at the breaking of the bread,

in the sacrament of Christ’s body and blood

that you really feel Christ’s presence.

that you know that Jesus is here with you,

and you realize that has been with you all along.

It’s at this table where you really see Jesus.

Then you and Cleopas –

or whoever your traveling companions are

are sent out from this meal

to tell other people about what you’ve found.

You go to meet someone else on the road they’re on

and share the good news of Christ’s resurrection with them.

And then you find yourself on the road back to Emmaus again.

Your faith worn-out and struggling.

And the story repeats itself,

When Jesus comes and finds you again.

This strange story is your story.

It is our story together.

As people of faith,

we are called to be on this road to Emmaus,

This journey of faith, mourning and celebrating

the death and resurrection of Jesus.

We are called to go on our way with Christ.

And the good news we can share is that

Christ is alive and with us today on this journey.

Christ has always been with us on this journey.

And Christ will be with us on this journey forever.