3rd Sunday in Easter, St George’s East Ivanhoe Year A
The Gospel readings over the Easter season show us Jesus in a mysterious way and an enriching new light. His resurrection is not a story of a resuscitated corpse but viewed and understood by his disciples and followers of the times, as renewed life and physical presence. They see him in a new light .He cooks fish and they eat, he is present with the disciples and they touch him. In the passage before today’s Gospel he has journeyed with Cleopas and the other disciple, who by the way may have been his wife, as they leave Jerusalem and travel some 12 kilometers to Emmaus. This account of a resurrection appearance, as told by Luke alone, is known to most of us who have attended Sunday school or even church for that matter. For the early followers Jesus is alive in each of these narratives and reflects without doubt, the testimonies of those present at the time. They are included in the Gospel narratives as signs of the future, and the proclamation of Jesus as messiah, fulfilling the prophecies and hopes of Israel. In each of the Gospel accounts of the resurrection appearances, while Jesus is present in a new way, he is at first not recognized nor were they expecting him.
Out of these early experiences and encounters, a new community is formed, not with out its struggles and disputes as we read in Acts. It is in these encounters that the Church as we know it has its grounding and beginnings. At first as I said a fledging community of disputes and differences I suspect, still to be found within traditions and the expressions of Christian faith till our present time. A Church built on the ministry, life, death and resurrection of Jesus. There is probably little doubt as I have already alluded to that those first encounters were not only surprising, but even dumb founding, challenging perplexing even terrifying to those who were the first to his presence.
The presence of the one who is touchable and who nourishes among them provides not only for them but all humanity, a new way of being, of living, of relating, and of sharing the bounty of creation. A way of living not based on law but on love.
Have you ever noticed that many letters in the English language that express disappointment or grief start with D. –doubt, dread, disillusionment, defeat, discouragement, despondency, depression, despair, and death to name many.
These words sum up how Cleopas and his companion were feeling as they fled and travelled from Jerusalem to Emmaus. They were leaving town because they thought they would be caught up in the violence of the angry mob-taking place in Jerusalem. They were bewildered and perplexed. The master and teacher they had followed had been put to death in an excruciating and horrible death and were they his followers to be next. As they walked their dreams and hopes had been dashed.
I know I have similar thoughts and feelings at times when I reflect on my own hopes for the church and broader faith community, the struggles and disappointments about passing on the faith to our children and grandchildren and wondering where they will hear the story of the Prodigal Son or the parable of the Good Samaritan. I struggle with those who claim to be Christian yet live without any real understanding of what it means to be a disciple and to participate in a shared life in Christ. What lies behind this shared life are our relationships with one another and the whole of creation. The words of Jesus emphasize this when he says, “You are my friends if you do what I command you-love one another”.{John 5:12-17}
Even the report of the women that Christ’s tomb was empty failed to raise the spirits of Cleopas and his companion and instead probably confused them more. These two despondent disciples summed up their aspirations and feelings in these words, “we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free.”
I am sure like me we have all travelled the Emmaus road at times. At some time, in one way or another, our hopes may have been dashed, compromised or challenged by family, friend’s community, or we may have even felt abandoned by God. Sometime this may be in a big way and at other times on a small scale.
As we gather as Church, as the community of faith in this place, at this time, we are on a journey as we search and call a new priest As we all know, as we struggle to get on with the task and stay committed to our ministry at St Georges, there can be moments of doubt, despair, frustration and disappointment. As I have said to others on previous occasions facing similar challenges it is easy to opt out, while staying in can also be risky. Sometimes we will stumble, other times we walk briskly and with confidence, still other times we wait with patience confident, that in the spirit of the resurrection, the presence of the living God we will meet in a few minutes in the breaking of the bread is the same Jesus that Cleopas and his companion recognized at the crucial moment. It is at these times that we need to stick together to make our weekly Eucharist a time of worship, teaching and fellowship.
As they sat at table, the stranger among them blesses and breaks bread and in a second the “Penny drops” their eyes are opened and the light and hope promised is recognized as among them. We also are reminded of this each time two or three gather for Eucharist the breaking of bread in the midst of our community life here at St Georges. It is in hospitality to the stranger that the unconditional and generous love of God is present among us.
Three questions arise from today’s Gospel.
- Are you stuck somewhere on your journey of faith?
- Has your faith grown since your younger days and how do you speak about it to others?
- Are we prepared to ask questions and seek answers when we are experiencing doubt or disappointment?
I for one do not believe that Christian faith is a lost cause. If I did I do not think I would be here today. Nor I suspect do you either. The sad and disappointing thing is that the Church seems increasingly unable to connect or rise to the occasion, to connect and engage in the faith conversation, and the challenge for us all is to rise to the occasion and like the two disciples on their journey, “are our hearts and minds burning within us while he talked on the road and opened the scriptures to us.
There is much to be valued here at St George’s, past and present and we should be confident that whatever the time frame God is with us as we journey into the future and new horizons. Doubt can be enriching as it encourages us to dig deeper. Often my contemporaries ask me why I stay in the Church and remain a Christian. The answer is because my faith is grounded in the narrative of redemption told in the Christ Story which is far greater than the institution .
Amen