Wednesday, April 15, 2020
The Rev. Rob Stevens
The Collect
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Gospel
Luke 24:13-35
Now on that same 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.
Reflection
“Were our hearts not burning within us while he was talking with us on the road.” This is such a powerful statement within this reading from Luke’s Gospel that is known as the Road to Emmaus. I have a friend who talks about “God moments.” I tease him and remind him that all of life is a “God moment” but I know what he means. I think he means those times when our hearts burn with recognition…recognition of God at work in and through us. I shared some of these heart burning moments in my Easter morning reflection. I have begun to discover that it is not God that comes and goes, but rather, it is my attention that comes and goes. I have a beautiful saying on my wall in my office that says, “Bidden or not, God is present!” That is good news for me. It is not that I have to wait on God, but more likely I have to practice my life in such a way recognizing God is not just a possibility, but a likelihood. This takes practice and patience and while the current reality of staying home does not make my heart sing, it does provide fertile ground to practice recognizing the presence of God.
How do you practice the presence of God? I pray that you may find your heart burning with the recognition of a God that loves you more than we can ask or imagine and calls us to share that love with the world.