Cleopas Story & Joan s Witness. <Luke 24:13-35 (The Voice)>

Transcription

1 Rev. Joan Pell Sierra Pines United Methodist Church Sermon: 5/72017 Sermon Resurrection Stories Scripture: Luke 24:13-35 Cleopas Story & Joan s Witness <Luke 24:13-35 (The Voice)> 13 That same day, two other disciples (not of the eleven) are traveling the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. 14 As they walk along, they talk back and forth about all that has transpired during recent days. 15 While they re talking, discussing, and conversing, Jesus catches up to them and begins walking with them, 16 but for some reason they don t recognize Him. Jesus: 17 You two seem deeply engrossed in conversation. What are you talking about as you walk along this road? They stop walking and just stand there, looking sad. 18 One of them Cleopas is his name speaks up. Cleopas: You must be the only visitor in Jerusalem who hasn t heard about what s been going on over the last few days. Jesus: 19 What are you talking about? Two Disciples: It s all about the man named Jesus of Nazareth. He was a mighty prophet who did amazing miracles and preached powerful messages in the sight of God and everyone around. 20 Our chief priests and authorities handed Him over to be executed crucified, in fact. 21 We had been hoping that He was the One you know, the One who would liberate all Israel and bring God s promises. Anyway, on top of all this, just this morning the third day after the execution 22 some women in our group really shocked us. They went to the tomb early this morning, 23 but they didn t see His body anywhere. Then they came back and told us they did see something a vision of heavenly messengers and these messengers said that Jesus was alive. 24 Some people in our group went to the tomb to check it out, and just as the women had said, it was empty. But they didn t see Jesus. Jesus: 25 Come on, men! Why are you being so foolish? Why are your hearts so sluggish when it comes to believing what the prophets have been saying all along? 26 Didn t it have to be this way? Didn t the Anointed One have to experience these sufferings in order to come into His glory? -1-

2 27 Then He begins with Moses and continues, prophet by prophet, explaining the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures, showing how they were talking about the very things that had happened to Jesus. 28 About this time, they are nearing their destination. Jesus keeps walking ahead as if He has no plans to stop there, 29 but they convince Him to join them. Two Disciples: Please, be our guest. It s getting late, and soon it will be too dark to walk. So He accompanies them to their home. 30 When they sit down at the table for dinner, He takes the bread in His hands, He gives thanks for it, and then He breaks it and hands it to them. 31 At that instant, two things happen simultaneously: their eyes are suddenly opened so they recognize Him, and He instantly vanishes just disappears before their eyes. Two Disciples (to each other): 32 Amazing! Weren t our hearts on fire within us while He was talking to us on the road? Didn t you feel it all coming clear as He explained the meaning of the Hebrew Scriptures? 33 So they get up immediately and rush back to Jerusalem all seven miles where they find the eleven gathered together the eleven plus a number of others. 34 Before Cleopas and his companion can tell their story, the others have their own story to tell. Other Disciples: The Lord has risen indeed! It s true! He appeared to Simon! 35 Then the two men report their own experience their conversation along the road, their moment of realization and recognition as He broke the bread. In this Easter season, we are thinking about our own resurrection stories as well as those of various Biblical characters and some saints of the past. Today we have heard the story of two disciples: Cleopas and another disciple who is unnamed, who encounter Jesus along the road, and do not recognize him until afterwards. So we ll think about Cleopas and I ll share some of my story too. Christians often use butterflies as an Easter symbol to represent resurrection because of the way a butterfly begins life as a caterpillar, and then enters a cocoon (like a tomb) before emerging to a transformed life as a butterfly. This theme picture for our Easter sermon series features a glass winged butterfly. This beautiful butterfly with its transparent, glass-like wings blends in with its surroundings, so you must look closely to know that it is there. In fact the only way that you can tell that it has wings at all are by the borders, around the edge of the wings which are of a dark hue, otherwise it would be almost invisible to the human eye. Its wings are no less strong though than those of other species. The glass wing butterfly is -2-

3 one of very few land based animals that have successfully mastered the act of transparency. It is found in the rainforest in South America, from Mexico to Panama to Chile. The reason that its wings are transparent is because they barely reflect any light. A wide spectrum of light travels straight through the wing tissue, which appears to go against nature s instinct. Now you see it, now you don t! 1 Like the first disciples, we often fail to see Jesus when he walks among us. We look straight through him. It s only when we bump up against some border that we realize what we are looking at. God works in our lives sometimes in mysterious, mystical, experiential ways. We can get stuck on the academic headknowledge. We want to know exactly what a specific passage in scripture means and what God is saying to us through that passage. And that is not a bad thing. But sometimes we just need to pause and look and listen and feel. So let s think about the borders that made Christ visible to Cleopas and how he experienced Christ s presence. Three observations. FIRST. The final clue was after they spent time on the road with Jesus, their ahha moment came at the meal time as they sat down together and Jesus repeated the actions of the last supper. It was in the action of the breaking of the bread that they had the dawning realization that Christ was with them. John Wesley talks about Holy Communion being a means of grace. Not the only way that God use to touch us, but it is a reliable way. It is in that experiential moment, as we repeatedly eat together in this church once a month; as we break the bread, give thanks, and remember Christ in blessed community together that we bump up against Christ s presence with us. <Tell story about Youth & Christmas Conference & communion> Brought up in Christian family always had faith Age 6 dawning realization no Santa, but is a God Head faith my parents faith Age 15? Youth Christmas Conference Jesus became a relationship Communion serving each other Christ with us 1 and -3-

4 SECOND (border that made Christ visible to Cleopas). As Cleopas and the other disciple were continuing on with their lives in the face of disappointment, the stranger, who we later learned was Christ, appeared to them. Their conversation with the stranger started with them talking about Jesus the prophet to the stranger, explaining their take on the scriptures and their disappointment that Jesus did not seem to have been the Savior that they were waiting for. But it is the stranger who then interprets and explains the scriptures to them and how the prophesies have come true. And as they reflected back later, they realized how much sense he made, and how their understanding has changed. Sometimes, we think we know what we are looking at. We have an interpretation based on the knowledge we have and what we think we see. Sometimes it takes a stranger to be Christ to us and to point out a different interpretation - one that will bring a new understanding and a new life to us. <Tell story about changing theology> Seminary. Know some things. Learn some more. Prospective students day LGBTQ perspective. OK I can love the person, hate the sin but don t judge. Listen to their stories. Learn to read scriptures differently. Multicultural. Painful discussion. White privilege. Social justice. Student arrested. Micah 6:8 what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? More than just living a good life and helping others and being forgiven and offering forgiveness - became being an advocate for justice - being a part of inbreaking of God s Kingdom on earth THIRD (border that made Christ visible to Cleopas). When the disciples take the time to reflect on what has just happened, and finally recognize the risen Christ, they also discover that their hearts are burning. There is a physical bodily reaction to Christ s presence in the room. It is exciting. They feel different. And they are so excited that they run the 7 miles back to Jerusalem. <Tell story about Worship Planning> When I heard call to ministry many different bits played a part Encouragement by a retired DS Taught SS for many years & felt God saying something more. Started a drama ministry & thought that was it My heart started to burn was in Worship Planning Team -4-

5 Holy Spirit dancing around room Feel the energy - came alive in a new way So Cleopas recognized and experienced the risen Christ through the breaking of bread together, in a stranger who challenged and changed his understanding of the scriptures and with a burning heart that filled him with excitement. My prayer is That we too will meet Christ every time we break bread together with each other, and with the stranger in our midst. That we will look and listen carefully when a stranger challenges us to see things in a different light because it might just be the risen Christ opening our eyes and bringing new life among us. And that when we find our heats burning, that we will turn around and proclaim our own resurrection stories to all who will listen. Thanks be to God, Amen. Let us pray (prayer written by Roddy Hamilton)