April 6, 2008 Sermon
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Easter 3 - A
April 6, 2008 Allan Conkling
I call this the encore presentation; when the orchestra takes up their instruments after a thunderous applause, for a final reprise. Heartbroken, despondent, trying to make sense of a senseless situation, out of nowhere, Jesus appears to two of his followers. The risen Christ is now revealed, not just as a prophet or a teacher but as Lord and Savior. For Luke this was it: this is what the gospel was all about.
The account of the Walk to Emmaus is found only in Luke. It fulfills purpose of his entire book, set out from the very beginning. Luke tells Theophilus:
"I decided to write an orderly account...so that you may know (recognize) the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed." (Luke 1: 3-4)
The Greek word "epignosis" implies recognition. This is the recognition that says "Aha": Sight, insight, knowledge with both head and heart. Luke records this story expressly to show the Easter community of all ages, that Jesus Christ is alive and in our midst. Like the Baptists sing:
"And He walks with me and he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own."
As the story unfolds Cleopas (Clopas?) and a companion are walking in the wrong direction. Remember, Jesus told the followers to stay in Jerusalem, not walk to Emmaus...Jesus goes with them, and reveals himself to them. He makes himself known/ recognized (Gk: "epignosis") in the scripture and the breaking of the bread. This is their "Aha" moment when it all makes sense. One writer calls this "the master narrative" into which all Christians of any age or stage can place their own life journey...and discover Christ's presence with them.
So where do we fit in? Where is our road to Emmaus? As I prepared for this sermon I found a picture of a woodcut done in the 1930's by German artist, Fritz Eichenberg, who had come to the U.S before the World War II. Made during the height of the Great Depression, the woodcut is called "Christ in the Breadline," and it shows Jesus standing with the poor, the down and out. To those in the line as well as those who served, it was a reminder that Christ is with us, even when we don't "recognize" him. In the first lesson Peter tells the assembled crowd:
"For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him." (Acts 2:39)
And again this time writing in the second lesson, Peter assures his hearers that all who are exiles, all who are displaced, and all who are longing to find a firm foundation, can experience the sacred presence of God here and now:
"You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, but through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23)
This then is the Good News, the Promise, of God to people of every age:
Those who are
searching...you will find answers;
Those who are lost...you will be found;
Those who are broken...you will find healing;
Christ is the rock in these perilous times!
As I break the bread I always say the words from Eucharistic prayer C: "Risen Lord be known to us in the breaking of the bread."
Pray God that we "recognize" and see that Christ has been with us all along.
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Revised: 04/21/08