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Sunday, May 8, 2011

The Third Sunday of Easter
Pastor Dena Williams
Model Sermon
Denver, Colorado

Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
I Peter 1:17-23
Luke 24:13-35

The Holy Gospel according to the Community of St. Luke in

the 24th Chapter

Glory to you, O Lord

24:13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a

village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,

24:14 and talking with each other about all these things that
had happened.

24:15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself

came near and went with them,

24:16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.

24:17 And he said to them, "What are you discussing with

each other while you walk along?" They stood still, looking
sad.

24:18 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?"

24:19 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,
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24:20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him
over to be condemned to death and crucified him.

24:21 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.

24:22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us.

They were at the tomb early this morning,

24:23 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.

24:24 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."

24:25 Then he said to them, "Oh, how foolish you are, and
how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have
declared!

24:26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer

these things and then enter into his glory?"

24:27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he

interpreted to them the things about himself in all the
scriptures.

24:28 As they came near the village to which they were

going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.

24:29 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.

24:30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread,

blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
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24:31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized

him; and he vanished from their sight.

24:32 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?"

24:33 That same hour they got up and returned to

Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions
gathered together.

24:34 They were saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and he
has appeared to Simon!"

24:35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and
how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the
bread.

Standing Still, Looking Sad

Last Sunday,
on the Second Sunday of Easter,
we heard the story of Thomas, a disciple of Jesus Christ.
We were reminded of how Thomas refused to pretend that
he understood,
that he believed.
He asked the hard questions that helped him to grow in
faith.
So we, as disciples of Jesus Christ,
are called to ask questions, to seek truth,
to examine our faith,
for it is in exploring our faith that we grow.

Today we meet two other disciples of Jesus.

What does their story teach us about discipleship?

The twelve disciples and other followers of Jesus

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are told by Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and the other women

that Jesus is risen from the dead.
They are told,
but they are skeptical.
Two followers,
a man named Cleopas,
and another follower, perhaps his wife,
are returning home from the Passover Feast in Jerusalem.
They are talking about all that happened,
how Jesus was arrested, crucified, and died.
A man falls in beside them as they walk along the road.
He asks what they are discussing.

The followers stand still, looking sad.

When a loved one dies,

when a relationship is broken,
when a congregation releases its future into God’s hands,
when war and violence,
famine, fires, and natural disasters devastate
communities . . .

we stand still, looking sad,

just as the two followers of Jesus stand still, looking sad
when they remember the loss of their friend and teacher and
Lord.

Standing still, looking sad

is a normal and healthy response to our grief.
When we lose someone we love,
we need to take time out to be still,
to embrace our sadness.

There are other times in our lives as well,

when it is good and helpful to be still and sad.
Whenever we experience stress or loss in our relationships
it is good to pause and reflect.

So the two followers of Jesus stand still, looking sad.

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Jesus listens as the followers

tell him what happened in the last three days.
He does not rush them or interrupt their story,
but listens with patience and understanding.
The followers describe their grief at Jesus’ death,
their disappointment at their loss,
their confusion upon hearing the resurrection story from the
women.

So God hears our story.

God listens when we tell of our grief, our loss, our confusion.
Even when we neglect to speak our story in prayer,
God knows our story.
God walks the road with us,
stands still and is sad with us.
Like the followers on the road to Emmaus,
we do not always recognize God’s presence with us.

Jesus listens to the followers’ pain, sadness, and grief.

Then he patiently tells them the story again.
It is a story they have known all their lives,
a story they heard in Hebrew school and at their mother’s
knee,
and at table with their fathers.
It is the story from the prophets about how a Messiah will
come and suffer and die before he is glorified.
They listen but do not seem able to hear the story.

So God tells us the story.

God patiently reminds us of the love story that we have
heard,
perhaps in Sunday School,
or from our mothers or fathers.
It is the story of God’s love for us.

The followers come to the village where they live.

Jesus walks on ahead of them,
down the road.
They seem to know somehow,
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that this is no ordinary stranger.

“Wait, come and stay with us.
It is late.”
So Jesus goes in to stay with them.
It is in the breaking of the bread that their eyes open,
and they recognize him.

So Jesus comes to stay with us.

Jesus invites us to the breaking of the bread.
It is here that our eyes open and we recognize him.
As we receive his body and blood,
signs of his gracious love for us,
Jesus comes to us and our eyes are opened.
When the followers recognize their guest,
they rush back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they saw
the risen Christ.
They no longer stand still, looking sad,
but are anxious to share the good news with their friends.
Even though it is evening,
they walk the seven miles back to Jerusalem.

There comes a time when we are called to move on,

to let go of standing still, looking sad.
There comes a time for reconciliation, repentance, and
renewal.
Yes, it is good to spend some time standing still,
embrace our sadness, but the time comes when God calls us
to move on.

Sometimes we are reluctant to move on.

We cling to old resentments, ancient anger.
We pick at old wounds and refuse to let them heal.
We refuse to forgive others, make peace with our friends,
renew our trust in God.
When we see this behavior in our children,
we have a name for it.
We call it “pouting”, and we despise it.
We know that it leads nowhere good.
We insist that our children “get over it” and move on.
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We know that if they get stuck in a pout,

they will only make themselves and others, including us,
miserable.
The truth is that grown ups pout also.
Oh, we do it with a little more sophistication and subtlety.
We make unkind remarks,
gossip,
try to recruit others to our position,
avoid community,
resist understanding,
refuse overtures of kindness and expressions of concern
from others.
We ignore invitations to clear the air, to move on.
In our grief, we become angry with God,
refuse to trust the certainty of God’s love for us.
Most often, when we get stuck in a pout,
it is because we do not want to own our responsibility,
acknowledge our fault for what is broken in our relationships
with ourselves, with others, with God.

I am very glad that Mr. and Mrs. Cleopas, disciples of Jesus

Christ do not remain standing still, looking sad.
I am very glad that they reach outside themselves to invite a
stranger to dinner,
that they invite Jesus to break bread with them
I am very glad they do not get stuck in a pout.

Jesus reveals himself to them,

they rejoice and run back down the road to share the good
news with their friends.
Their witness of the risen Christ comes to us.
As Jesus is revealed to us today in the breaking of the bread,
may we leave this table renewed, refreshed,
and resolved to move past our sadness, anger, and grief.
May we commit ourselves to renew loving relationship with
ourselves, with others, and with God.
Amen
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