23rd April 2023 Easter 3
Luke 24:13-35
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.
Reflection:
A few years ago, I attended a conference about ‘Pioneer ministry’. You may have heard of this topic. I suggest in some ways the title “Pioneer ministry’ / ‘Pioneer minister’ is just a new expression, a new name for ministry to excite and ignite our imaginations about what might happen as we find new ways for outreach, discipleship and church growth. Everyone was talking about it- a bit like church planting or fresh expressions of ministry or whatever new program may have come before that. The thing is, as the speaker began his lecture, he asked a question- When you hear the words Pioneer Ministry what do you imagine it look like? How do envisage Pioneer ministry? And yet unlike what most of us would first think of … new programs, young energetic minsters, dynamic family and children’s events etc, he went on to say that the closest definition/ model of a Pioneer Minister is a Chaplain. And we are all chaplains in the midst of our ministry. We are all pioneers of the road together.
You could imagine my delight as Chaplaincy is close to my heart, and so my ears were tuned as he went on to describe what it is to make a friend, be a friend, and bring a friend to Christ, to walk beside them as it were. Sounds easy- but it takes perseverance, determination and commitment. I suggest that it also takes authenticity and a willingness to face the sometimes-harsh realities of life. We all know that life is not always easy. And, the person beside you is a complexity of their life experiences, personality and learnt behaviour. We all have our hopes and dreams and it’s tough when they fail. It’s hard when life for whatever reason brings disappointment and failure.
Few things are more painful than when our hopes do not eventuate. Last week we thought about the disciple’s experience. After the awful reality of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial on the Friday, the disciples are now experiencing many different emotions, moods, reactions. Disbelief, shock, a sense of failure, most likely wondering what the point of life might be. And it’s not just the disciples, this event, has shattered the Christian community ….and now there is this time of aftermath …. Jesus meets some pilgrims walking along the road to Emmaus. And Jesus is modelling a way of ministry to open eyes and soften hearts.
Notice, before Jesus interprets Scripture, before he breaks bread, before he does anything else, he comes along side these forlorn disciples and he asks them to name their loss. He listens to their story. He demonstrates a way of ministry that is not daunting, but simple and caring. He walks with the disciples, listening to their pain and offering a compassionate heart. Likewise, this is a formula for ministry for us, before we talk, before we explain, before we invite, we come along side and we listen. This is pioneer ministry. It’s not something new, it’s something most of us have done for years. However, I wonder if when we realise the potential value of listening and entering into another person’s life and offering a safe place for them to share their pain and their human experience, whilst validating their value and worth. I wonder if we can effectively draw people into a place where their eyes can then be opened to recognise the risen Lord.
When we name our pain, our grief, our loss it helps us to move beyond them. Not, I think, erasing them or even leaving them fully behind, but overcoming them so that they are no longer what define us. Naming our pain, that is, creates room to be surprised. But we need a safe place to be free for this to happen. One would hope that the church community would be that safe place. A place where pain and loss can be spoken of, disappointments shared and questions freely asked.
The disciples are disappointed, partly because they misunderstood how God was working to save the world. Instead of a God of power, they got one of vulnerability. Instead of a warrior God to lead them into battle, they got a suffering servant. And while it might be tempting to scoff at them for their lack of understanding, I think it’s important to recognise that in their humanness pretty much everything they had experienced or been taught to this point made it impossible for them to imagine God’s work in Jesus. Thinking about the disciples this way, Jesus’ words about “hearts as foolish as they are slow to understand” are less reprimand, than lament, grief at the pain they suffer.
To put it another way, while the disciples may be disappointed because they misunderstand God’s work, their pain and grief are real and the first thing Jesus does is invite them to name it so that there is now room to be surprised by God’s decision to show up just where they least expect God to be.
That still happens for us today. When we name our grief, pain, disappointment, and fear in the safety of the community of faith and with the assurance of grace, we find these things have less of a hold on us and we discover room to be surprised, once again, by God’s presence, love, and promises.
The road we’re on is not always easy. And while some may need only walk a few kilometres, others may feel that it’s more like a marathon. We’re all different and have different experience and ways of coping and that’s okay. But remember, Jesus will walk that distance with all, and as the body of Christ we are invited to walk beside others also. To me it is so helpful to know we are not alone. No matter what our experience, within the body of Christ, we find a community that will not just welcome us, but value us.
So today we find that hopes that are shattered can be transformed into burning hearts; Confession then leads to the breaking of bread- the Lord’s Supper; Disappointment changes to delightful joy. This is the movement of the Christian faith and experience because it is, ultimately, the movement from cross to empty tomb and from death to life. And so, we along with those first disciples are all chaplains in the midst of our ministry. We are all pioneers of the road together. We are all pilgrims seeking, without sometimes even knowing what it is we seek! And what a gift to know that we all have the ability to simply walk with others and help the eyes of their hearts be opened to the risen Lord.