Göttinger Predigten
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The Third Sunday of Easter, 05/04/2014
Sermon on Luke 24:13-35, by Luke Bouman
Luke 24:13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, "What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad. 18 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?" 19 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, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 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. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 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. 24 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." 25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?" 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 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. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 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?" 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!" 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?" 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."
Walking To Emmaus
Scene One
The evening sun has turned the hills golden and the sky crimson. Your robes are wet with the perspiration of your journey, already in the first mile of seven. Your sandals and feet are dusty from the trek. Though you walk side by side, you and your companion are now talked out. What more is there to say? Your Rabbi, Jesus, dead and buried, is now missing, the body gone. Grief and sorrow, shattered hopes and dreams, now mix with worry, anxiety and puzzlement. What could all this mean? Each footfall becomes heavier and heavier. Thoughts cascade in rapid succession. Why has God abandoned us? What is next? How can we go on as usual?
Other travelers begin to overtake you as you walk, heavy with grief and fear. One such traveler catches up with you and slows his gait to yours. He speaks, no wonder for travelers on the road. It is not uncommon for those walking to take up with one another for safety and to pass the time. You glance up for a moment, and you feel as though you should know him. But the moment passes and you settle back into your silent ponderings. He speaks again, asking you what you are talking about. Your companion mutters something about the events of the past week, but the stranger seems to know nothing about them. You recount the story, the pain deepens, your voice drops. "We had hoped he was the one...."
Scene Two
The couple walked slowly behind the tine casket that held the broken body of their six year old son. They were consumed with grief and sorrow, fear and puzzlement. Why had God abandoned them? They were so hopeful. They had waited years for this one child. He was a delight, a tow headed blonde, full of energy and life. Not two weeks earlier he had been chasing frogs and hopping with his cousins. Then an asthma attack, a 911 call, an ambulance with the wrong address in the GPS, and suddenly, his brain was without oxygen too long. Over the long week it swelled until the life drained out of him completely. He never woke, and the painful decision was made to unplug all of the equipment. The couple held their son for the last time and then held one another as they cried and cried. Now they walked slowly on a journey that they felt now one could understand. People, meaning kindness, would intensify their pain with thoughtless words about God's will. Some who came to greet them did not know the whole story, and as they recounted, the pain deepens, their voices dropped. "We had such hopes..."
Scene Three
Jesus modern disciples journey the miles, the minutes and the hours of their daily lives. Life is hard as ever. Our world is stressed and the stress evidences itself as people point fingers and blame. Little deaths occur at every turn. Relationships are broken: families fractured, jobs evaporated, finances on the brink of ruin. People grieve and I feel the pain with them, for them, and sometimes because of them. I wonder, "Where is God in all of this?" We in the church feel and are compelled to answer god's call to be disciples, yet the world and our churches seem to be so full of death and have so little life. Has God abandoned us? We hear puzzling stories of Jesus present and active and yet we wonder what to make of this. Everything seems so contrary to the message of resurrection and life that we proclaim as central. We had such hopes....
Our Hearts Set Burning
Scene One
The unknown visitor on the road listens patiently to the story of Cleopas and his companion. Then he ventures a rebuke. "How foolish you are and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets declared!" He retells the story of Israel, showing how the suffering and death of the Messiah were not only foretold, but necessary. He opens the scriptures and he opens their hearts. But their eyes remain blind. He pretends to go on, but they invite him in. They act as hosts in the ancient world should act. Stay with us... they say.
But then, like with so many times before them, Jesus, the unknown guest, switches roles. In so many mealtimes in Luke's Gospel, Jesus comes as guest and provides life and healing to the house, becoming the host. Here again, he takes bread in his hands and says the host's prayer. Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, king of the universe... Then he breaks the bread and gives it to them. It was as if the Passover of the previous Thursday became alive again in their midst. It was God acting to bring life and healing to Israel and through Israel to all nations. It was the end of slavery and exile. It was the start of the great messianic banquet. It was the risen Christ, suddenly visible in front of them all in a flash! And then he vanished from their sight. But they could see him even though he was now no longer visible. He set their hearts burning, he sent them running: back to Jerusalem, back to mission, back to life, even though the risks and fears and dangers were still there. Jesus was now with them. They could not wait to share it!
Scene Two:
The young couple walked devastated into the funeral service for their son. And though they did not recognize him at first, the Risen Lord was there to greet them. The Body of Christ surrounded them. They heard the story of God's love for their son, a love that even death could not contain, and still their eyes were blind to the presence of Jesus with them in suffering, with them in death, now with them in life. Then the communion table was spread and the bread was broken open and the meal began. Jesus, once again assuming the role of host and miraculously, simultaneously also the bread, was not just the bread of mealtime, but the bread of life itself. And the tears soon streamed down both of their faces as they received their Lord in bread and wine. I asked them as communion ended if they were alright and they told me that they would tell me later, but they were fine. Later as we gathered again around sandwiches and salads in the fellowship hall They told me that they both encountered a sense of their son, with them, as they feasted at the Lord's Table. He was gone, and their lives seemed as empty as always, and nothing would fill that hole, and yet, "don't think we are crazy pastor, but when we took communion we felt our hearts burn, and we know it will be ok." (Their exact words!) Just so Jesus is made known in the breaking of the bread, and just so began a long journey of healing for this family. And Jesus was with them every step, unseen, but present.
Scene Three:
We are about to taste the Risen Christ in bread and wine. Jesus will be present, though hidden from our eyes, setting our hearts burning as well. Our pains, our griefs, our sorrows are real, but they are not the last word. Resurrection triumphs over death! Life WINS. Our Feast of Victory is begun!
God then sends us back into a world where dangers still exist. There are people ready to plunge us back into the things that weigh down our steps, and yet God goes with us. The spirit of the risen Christ hastens our steps and makes our homecomings glad, for there, when we arrive we will joyfully proclaim, not just with words but with our lives, "we have seen the Lord!" And it will be no small wonder if, when we arrive, others will greet us with words like, "The Lord is Risen Indeed, and has appeared to Simon, or Sally, or Michael, or Judy..." The Risen Lord continues to come. He opens hearts to understand the scriptures, and makes himself known in the breaking of the bread. And this story doesn't happen once, on a dusty road outside of Jerusalem. NO! The church's story happens as people gather around the table day after day, week after week! God's spirit sets our hearts afire as well. God's spirit bids us to speak, no to shout:
Alleluia!
Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!
Alleluia!