The road to Emmaus & the start of a new ministry
Welcome service for Craig Manley to Calne, Corsham & Bromham in United Area
Luke 24: 13-29 and 30-35
I’m sure this story – of the disciples on the road to Emmaus – is a familiar story to most of us. We tend to read it at Eastertime – the lectionary suggests we have it on the evening of Easter Day because that’s when it happened. But to be honest most of us are at the roast lamb and Easter eggs stage of things by then – so I’m glad it can have an airing this evening and maybe get the attention it deserves.
But I didn’t just pick it for today to give the story more exposure. I chose it because I think it is a story about a crisis of understanding for the disciples of Jesus, and because it points to an exciting new chapter in the life of the church of Jesus Christ.
And if we know anything in the church, twenty centuries later, we know about crises and we desperately need to learn about new chapters.
The story of the two on the road to Emmaus contains what I think is one of the saddest sentences in scripture
“But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel”.
‘But we had hoped..’ Everything is in that one sentence. Dashed hopes, utter dejection, complete bemusement.
When Jesus ask what they’re talking about, all they can do is stand still and look sad.
So complete is their gloom that they don’t know what to make of the women’s account of finding Jesus’ body missing and being told by angels that Jesus is alive. They can only say ‘him they did not see’.
So downcast and dejected are they that they have not even recognised the risen Jesus himself, as he meets them on the road.
Then Jesus talks to them about the scriptures – beginning with Moses and the prophets and finding all the things that point to him – the redeemer of Israel for whom they hoped.
Maybe just enough light dawns that they are no longer completely lost in gloom, and when they reach Emmaus they press Jesus to come in and eat with them.
And thank God they do – because then there can be a glorious revelation which will dispel their gloom for ever.
But before we rush into the second part of the story – let’s just take stock of where we are at in the church, in the UK, in the 21st century.
In 2005, David Deeks was General Secretary of the Methodist Church, and said in an interview
“Young people know nothing about the Methodist Church – a whole swath of history has been lost to them. I don’t want to exaggerate, but we were something.”
I think we all know that feeling… “we used to be something, once”. ‘
We had a Sunday school, once..
we had church family members of all ages, once..
we had a Whitsun walk of witness, once..
it was a rare thing to see a church close, once..’
All the statistics tell us fewer and fewer people are part of the life of the church, even if they believe in God. There is a sense of something changing..dying.
“But we had hoped…”
We might sometimes know what it is to just stand stock still and feel utterly dejected.
And yet.. just as the two going to Emmaus found, Jesus is beside us, living and real and walking with us.
So returning to the table at Emmaus, as Jesus breaks the bread, the eyes of the two disciples are opened. They recognise Jesus, he disappears from their sight, but they look back and say ‘did not our hearts burn within us when he talked with us on the road and explained the scripture to us’.
And .. in my favourite part of the story..without delay they rush off all the way back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they have seen the risen Jesus Christ!
This is what walking with Jesus does to people, this is what opening the scripture does to people, this is what meeting Christ in the breaking of bread does to people. It changes them from standing still with shock and sadness to rushing out into the dark with the good news that Christ is alive!
It changes them – and it change us.
We need to meet and recognise Jesus, we need to have our hope rekindled, we need to be filled with joy.
So Craig – welcome. Thank you for coming here to the United Area and especially to Calne, Corsham & Bromham. Thank you for all you will do to help God’s people to know Jesus walking with them. Thank you for opening scripture to your sisters and brothers in Christ. Thank you for all the times you will break bread in Christ’s name, so that Christ’s presence will be seen and known. God bless you in all you will do among us.
And People of God in this place, join with me in welcoming Craig, and joining him in proclaiming the good news that the risen Christ is alive in the church and is reaching out to a struggling world
And may you all know the hope, joy and peace that only Christ can give, through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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