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April 6, 2008

Rik Rasmussen

Easter 3A - RCL

To read the lessons for the day click here:

http://www.io.com/~kellywp/YearA_RCL/Easter/AEaster3_RCL.html

Acts 2:14a,36-41

Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17

1 Peter 1:17-23

Luke 24:13-35

That very day, the first day of the week, two of the disciples 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.

Let us Pray,

Jesus, we believe you; all we heard is true.

You break the bread; we recognize you,

You are the fire that burns within us;

Use us to light the world. Amen (From the New Zealand Prayer Book)

”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?"

How could the disciples not recognize Jesus? Here they are walking down the road deep in despair discussing and analyzing the events of the past few days. They are deep in talk. Has this sort of think happened to you? I know that there have been times that I have been so deep in discussion with someone else walking along that I did not recognize a good friend who was within eyesight. Of course, unlike the disciples, once my friend breaks into the discussion I, with some start, do recognize the person. Here Jesus does not reveal his risen self to the disciples until much later in the story.

In my minds eye I can just picture the look on the disciples faces as Jesus approaches them and asks what they are talking about: A look of utter disbelief that someone had not heard about the events in Jerusalem. It would be similar to someone 40 years ago not hearing about the assassination of Martin Luther King Junior. Even this week, as our nation remembered the 40^th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. we would wonder about someone who was so clueless. How would you react if someone acted like they did not know about the assassination and what MLKJ stood for? - Someone who has never heard at least part of the famous “I have a Dream Speech”. Many times in such circumstances we do just what the disciples did – we tell the story. At least every year on the anniversary of the assassination of MLKJ our news organizations tell the story of his journey. The same thing happens on the anniversary of other great tragedies. The Kennedy assassinations, the space shuttle Columbia disaster, the 911 terrorist attacks – we tell the stories. We remember.

The disciples enter into that kind of deep discussion of the events of their day with Jesus. He does not just listen to them talk however. Jesus does not reveal himself and he doesn’t just prove that he does know about the events - he draws the disciples into a deeper conversation. In their place of sadness he opens their eyes to the bigger picture. He takes them out of their self-pity and introspective discussion to look outward. He reminds them of what they already should know. The way I see it that is also what we are still be called to do. We are being called to take our discussions of God’s dream of radical hospitality and love from an inward, church only discussion, to an outward inviting discussion. Jesus is still calling us, like the disciples to put the events of 2000 years ago into perspective - to try and show the world, both through our passionate beliefs and through our actions that wonderful dream of God – a dream of perfect love and inclusion.

Tobias Stanislas Haller is Vicar of Saint James Episcopal Church Fordham in his sermon on this passage writes:

Jesus said, “How foolish you are! How slow to believe the prophets!” And with this simple exclamation he echoes God’s never-failing amazement with his children Israel. “When will you get it?” God seems to say. “How many seas must be parted, how many pillars of fire, how much water from how many stones, how much bread from heaven, how many crucifixions, how many risings from the dead until you understand how much I love you?” (God is patient, but often needs to speak to his people this way.) Just as Jesus walked with the disciples on that rural roadway, so God had accompanied the children of Israel in their wandering in the wilderness, and brooded in their midst in the Temple all those years. The prophets, from Moses to Mary Magdalene, had been discounted, ridiculed, and disbelieved by the very people who most needed to hear the news. Yet God did not abandon these stubborn children. God loved them too much for that; God loves us too much for that.

And that is the greatest miracle, the greatest faith: God’s faith in his children, God’s faith in us. It is to that faith, to God’s faith in us, that God doesn’t give up on us, to which God bids us open our eyes! There is always time for another message, even a message from God's own Son, risen from the dead.”

But our gospel does not stop with the intellectual discussions. There is more. The disciples invite Jesus to stay with them -have dinner together. This is probably not all that amazing in itself. The Jew’s in that day had a strong ethic of hospitality and Jesus taught his disciples to be hospitable to the stranger. So they invited Jesus to join them. That is where Jesus finally reveals himself to his follower. Tobias Haller said “This [invitation to join them] is the appeal that God always hopes for and can never and will never resist. In God’s wonderful and miraculous world the Creator waits and wants to be invited by the creature. The architect and builder of the house waits to be welcomed as a guest. The Lord and Master serves the servants. In that sharing of the meal. In the breaking of the bread. “

It is in the shared act of the braking of the bread that the eyes of the disciples are opened and their hearts burn with recognition. This is not just a stranger but it is their Lord. Once they finally put it all together Jesus leaves them. Now that their eyes are open they rush back to their companions to proclaim the risen Lord. They needed to share the encounter and how their eyes were opened. Just as we are being called today to share our encounters with Jesus. If we think that the only place that is safe to share our insights into Gods plan for us is within these four walls we will be missing the point. It is outside these walls that we are being called to share our stories.

Tobias Haller reminds us that “So still we children of our loving God gather week by week to hear the apostles’ teaching and to share in their fellowship, breaking the bread as they did long ago, in a set of actions extended now through these two millennia of time, and through space to the ends of the world; we gather as they did to pray and break the bread, looking for the miraculous presence of God not in the surface of a scorched tortilla, but in the inward corners of our hearts, warmed by the word of God; in the joyful expression of each others’ faces as we pass the peace and share the broken bread, the wine-filled cup. And this is our miracle, our eye-opening, heart-warming miracle, leading to a sure and certain and unshakeable faith, for in this sharing of the word and breaking of the bread the risen Lord of Glory has deigned to be our guest, deigned to be held in the palms of our hands, and enshrined within our hearts. “

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. A dream inspired by God. A dream where racial divides would cease to exist and we could all live together as one. 40 years after his assassination society has come along way down the path of that dream but there is still a long way to go.

Where do you find yourself burning with the desire to share God’s love? Where are you fed? For me the sacraments that we share every time we gather for Eucharist and prayer feed my soul and push me to act out my faith in the world - To try and find ways to bring God’s radical dream to earth. We all have wonderful gifts of ministry and it is when our eyes our opened and our hearts burn with God’s love that we can bring God’s saving gift of love and hospitality to our world.

Alleluia, the Lord is risen. The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia! +