Easter Three

Third Sunday of Easter – April 26, 2020 | Sermon on: Luke 24: 13-35 | by The Rev. David Brooks |

One of the things that makes Luke’s account of the ministry of Jesus and the Church so compelling is that his story fits well with our lives as modern people. Our Covid situation notwithstanding, we are a people raised on the expectation of freedom of movement—the United States is particularly a land that has the idea of being on the move as a key part of our cultural identity, and Luke, with his many stories that involve travel and roads, seems to be tailor-made for our lives.

Yet, Luke challenges our sense of how things works even as he tells this wonderful tale of two dispirited disciples encountering the Risen Christ on the road. The first challenge is in how Luke sets the story: Jesus is walking with two disciples, but they do not see him—Luke says that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” Now, several commentators want to inject into this peculiar sentence structure the name of God; that it was God who was hindering their sight, that God was intervening as he does on occasion, like with Pharaoh. Yet, if we dig a bit, there seems to be plenty of culprits: they do not know the Scriptures, they are in despair over the seeming end of God’s plans, or (and most likely) they are not where the action is! Much like Jonah of old, who responded to God’s call to go to that great city of Nineveh by heading in the exact opposition direction, these two disciples are leaving the city of Jerusalem, heading to a town of their own choosing. But rather than a large sea critter showing up to set things straight, it is the Risen Lord himself who appears on the road with them to turn them around, to turn their faces toward the right municipality.

In this encounter, Jesus overcomes the disciples’ ignorance, their despair, and their self-chosen path. First, he explains the Scriptures, showing to his disciples how God works in the world. Then he blesses them through the Eucharist, that meal that is celebrated in community. Finally, he helps them remember whose they really are, and that remembering motivates them to return to where they should be!

As it was with those early disciples, so it is with us. We ourselves are in their position, hindered by our lack of knowledge of God and his ways, by our groping, fearful sense that God is no longer at work in our lives or our world, and by our clear conviction that it is we ourselves who are choosing the road on which we will walk and the destination for which we aim.

But I say again, as it was with those early disciples, so it is with us! The power of Easter is that Jesus is not limited to a specific time or a specific place. He is able, able to be present to us to teach us, to bless us and to turn our faces to the places where he is at work.

In this time, where our fast-paced world and self-directed “journeys” are briefly stilled, we have a gift: time to ponder, space to wait. Becoming proficient in the Scriptures, cherishing the Eucharist and the community around it, being willing to go where our Lord directs us is not achieved overnight, but is a slower process than many of us like. But we are called to walk with our Lord, who is Risen and on the move. Let his wisdom guide you and some day you too will be able to recite these poetic verses and mean them:

To see thee, O Christ, is the Beginning and the End,

Thou goest before me and thou bearest with me along my life’s way.

Thou art the Pleasure of the Journey’s Start, the Strength of the Journey’s Continuance, and the Joy of the Journey’s End.

Amen.

The Rev. David Brooks

Pr.Dave.Brooks@zoho.com

Raleigh, NC USA